The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-07
RAILWAY MAGNATE
MUST EXPLAIN HIS
CHARGE IN LETTER
Governor Sulzer Takes Steps
to Have Mr.. Truesdale Be-
fore Grand Jury
WILL INVESTIGATE
COLLISION CHARGE
Chief Executive Insists Full
Crew Law Is Best insur-
ance Against Rail
way Accidents

Albany. n. Y, April 6.--Governor
surzer has asked District Attorney L.
Y Stowell. of Steuben county. 10
summon President w. Fl. Truesdaie,
of the Delaware, Lackawanna anu
western Railroad company, 10 TESTIFY
before the grand jury regarding Mr'
Trresda1e's charge in letter to the
governor. that the engineer RESPONSE
bla for the corning wreck last july
when forty-one were killed. was apie
to escape trial after indictment Pc
cause of some political bargain pc
tween his friends and the prosecut'hs
officials of the county.
In his letter to Governor SUMS
President Truesdale said:
.syye have appealed to every or
Acial who we thought might have any
Influence or whose duties were soch
as might lead him TO correct TINS seri-
Gus maladmtuistration OF Juslice' put
all to no purpose.
In repIy to this letter Governor
St,lxsr has written President Trnes-
dale. saving he knows OF no ire ana
accident Insurance which can De naa
So cheapiy as that which is aHoroeu
by the full crew law, and points out
that the railroads Of this state last
wear killed ESQ employees and manned
900. while forty-five passengers were
killed. and GAS injured. To MIR. Trues-
dale's objection that there liz nothing
for n full crew. to do, the governor
suggests that the men be required 10
see that they do not run by cautloh
signals full stop signals ana nag
ms did Engineer Schroeder, ana that
the extra man in the crew might wen
sFnz thar GnEEf~
cal condition OF the engineer wEon ne
reports for work is all right 1t mas
heen charged Engineer Schroeder was
drunk the night OF tho wreck
The governor in his letter. says IN
part:
"You state that ] said in enect
that III the requirements of the fuH
crew bill had been in force at the time
Of the accident at Corning. last July,
this very serious and distressing &C"
cident would not have occurred.
Might Be Avoided.
pardon me. / did not say that, but
] did say and / repeat that IL the
public service commission had exer-
cised the power. which you claim
1t possesses. such appalling accidents
might be avoided as that which oc-
Cured only a few months ago at
Corning. when forty-one persons were
killed.
'FYou ask me to correct this state
ment because the commission in its
report Of this terrible accident makes
no suggestion that II was due to the
trains not being manned by SUM
Client number of trainmen.
ssLet me say that I did not make
my statement as an echo of the
0rlnion Of the public service commits
sion The work of this commission in
analyzinG the cause of accidents does
not in all respects commend itself to
me, especially when I learn that dur
ing the six years that the commission
has been in existence accidents in
which passengers have been killed
have grown to an appalling extent
.tYou tell me that the fun crew
law will cost your company some
additional dollars and this may have
something to do with your outraged
feeling but when the public recalls
that your stock Is selling at s415 per
share, and is paying annual dividends
Of SIS per cent. your outraged feelings
will not excite Widespread sympathy
with the travelling public. and intelli-
gent citizens"