Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-05
WRECK DEAD WERE
ROBBERS VICTIMS
New Haven Police Are Asked
by Corona to Apprehend
Culprits.

NEW HAVEN. Conn, Sept. 5.-That
there were wholesale and disgraceful
robberies from dead bodies at the rail-
road wreck at North Haven on Tues
day morning is declared by Coroner
Mix in a report to Chief of Police
Smith, requesting him to apprehend
the culprits.
Coroner Mix said today during his
inquest witnesses told of men cutting
fingers off dead passengers to get
rings and of persons searching CLOTH
ing of injured passengers to secure
money or valuables.
AS soon as this testimony was
given the coroner had CHIEF smith
come to him and to that official were
given some of the statements brought
out, with descriptions given of the
alleged thieves. Shortly after four
detectives were sent out.
Engineer Miller. of the White Noun
tain, testified that he heard a woman
groaning mad looking around he saw
man deliberately cut off her finger. on
which were several rings. He also
saw a man strip a dead woman
hand. and afterwards he saw man
lean over an injured woman and
snatch a locket.
Other railroad men gave corrobora-
tive testimony. and one of them told
of a man who with a pillow case Went
about picking up jewelry, purses and
other articles of value. When others
saw what he was doing they chased
him across the fields, but he escaped
In today's investigation before the
Interstate Commerce Commission
three witnesses testified that engi-
neers of the New Haven railroad fire.
quently pass danger signals OF the
banjo" type in foggy weather with
out stopping. 1t was further testlf1ed
that the White Mountain express, the
train which plunged into the Bar Har-
Dor express. was barely saved from
colliding with the Bar Harbor an hour
before the North Haven disaster.
This was at point between Spring
field and Hartford. where, according
to the testimony of the engineer, the
White Mountain was tagged by {. h
Murray. of the BAR Harbor train.
The two trains involved were the
last of a procession of six which
that morning passed Wallingford.
three miles north of the wreck. with
in a period of thirty-two minutes.
The White Mountain, last of the six,
was making fifty-two. miles an hour
at Wallingford
An order to stop the White Noun.
tain at Wallingford, which would
have prevented the wreck, was re-
scinded, it was brought out.
.Flagman Murray testified that he
had gone back to. place danger sig
nails to protect his train, "as far as
could until 1 was recalled by my
engineers whistle"
At the opening of the federal inves-
tigation into the railroad wreck al
North Haven, Commissioners McChord
ordere General Manager Bardo, of the
New Haven road, to produce the
minutes of all meetings of the New
Haven directors since the Bridgeport
wreck on July 10, 1911. They would
show. he said. what action had been
taken toward the hetterment OF
safety conditions"
The examination of witnesses
bristled with startling passages. En-
gineer Wands. of the Inflated Bar
Harbor Express. brought a gasp from
the crowd when he testified that en-
gineers on the New Haven road fire.
quently "drifted by" danger signals
In foggy weather.
John C. Kelly, train dispatcher, hao
previously testified that weather con-
ditions on the morning of the wreck
were Every foggy,'' but that he had
not considered it necessary to warn
trains to reduce speed.
Six trains passed over this st:escn
within half an hour, he said. Jbe
White. Mountain Express made the
fastest time of any of them, its time
sheet showing an average speed OF
fifty-two miles an hour just lefore II
crashed into the Bar Harbor train.