The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-01-01
INVOKING THE CRIMINAL LAW
 AGAINST RAILROAD SLAUGHTER

tions The who railroads are charged with an important duty. There has been conded to them fnc- ton of the state which they permitted carry the profit of themselves and their stockholders for the benefit of the body polite.
 It sometimes happens that the best managed rail roads go wrong Doubtless human provision op- crate railroad safely and certainly that accidents will upon it. It is therefore necessarily crime to be imputed to the managers of railroad that train wrecked and that somebody killed by of the wreck.
 Upon what theory then is the charge of mansaughter supported that has made by Stiles udson attorney for the state against Horn Pollock and Woodward of icials of the New Haven Railroad Companya
 train wrecked at Westport. One of the wreck ed caught fire the boiler the deraied tive Four result of this confagration burned to death and other persons otherwise killed or injured.
 If the wreck unavoidable the railroad was in good condition it's road bed equipment able precautions had been taken for the safe running of trans then nobody could be properly chargeabe with crime by of what happened October g. 1912 when this train left the rails.
 the contention of MT Judson is and it was ear Her the contention of Coroner Phelan, that reasonable precautions for the safe running of the trains had been taken that the standards of raroading the running of trains at high speed had not been duly observed and that the wreck would not have had the usual and necessary precautions taken Some of the things that might have prevented the wreck mtgated the of life enumerated by Coroner Hhean h1S finding. z. The which the women were burned to death wooden Had it been of steel would not have fired from the furnace the locomotive and the would not have burned death. The engineer careless. He by signals The road bed in the neighborhood of the good condition The train switched from track to another at high speed short crossover If this had been longer the train at this speed not have been wrecked The road unprovided with automatic train stops, which would have stopped the tran after the engineer passed signals they been in existence and in good order Again. the lives of the women might perhaps have been saved though the wreck took place. if members of the train had mained in sufficient numbers to give assistance
 These the omissions that were found and descrb- Il ed by Coroner Phean
 These in the main the omissions which are de- scribed in the complaint carefully by attor- ney for the state upon which bench issued for Messrs. Horn, Pollock Woodward charg- ing them with manslaughter
 The Coroner and the State Attorney united in the belief that these omissions constitute of duty that they such protection life anb as the careful railroad manager would provided as matter of course.
 The complaint describes the failure upon the part of the defendants to provide for the safe running as E'grossly culpabe.''
 The facts to the jury and it is for the jury say whether it shares those views, or not
 The time certainly come in the United States for determination if the law is sufficient stop railroad slaughter If it is not and few jury trials under the criminal law will show whether it not, law itself will have to be changed.
 The principle of the criminal law now invoked by
 Mr. Judson is old It is in brief that persons doing
 lawful thing must do it in such way to take the fife of another When otherwise lawful act is perform ed with such circumstance of carelessnes neglect to destroy the life of another is implied and man slaughter is the legal consequence.
 No sympathy need be felt for the accused officials other than the sympathy naturally entertained those who are in trouble disgrace.
 The law which has been invoked against them is not 10th