Omaha daily bee., 1914-06-16
TRAIN MEN ARE ExoNERATED
Verdict is that the Crew Was Not
Guilty Of Criminal Care.
lessness.
FIFTH MAN IN CAR APPEARS
Testifies that He Was Only One Of
Party Drunk.
CROWD HAD BEEN SUMMING
waiter In Chinese Restaurant Es-
cnpes Fatal Accident Because
lie Was Too intoxicated 60
Proceed Home.

Official inquiry was made by the
coroner into the death Of the four
autoists killed early Thursday morning,
AZ Sarpy station crossing on West Cen
ter road. when a Union lacfic pas
senser train crashed into the machine.
The jury returned this verdict:
I'VE, the jury. find that the said Carl
Bair Oscar j. Krug, Vivian Ash and
Mrs Kenneth Thompson came TO their
death at 1920 a. m. Friday, June -. on
West Center road az Sarpy crossing. by
heins struck while in an auto by Union
Pacific passenger train No. H.
And we further find evidence of neg
ligence on the part OF the Union Pacific
for maintaining a dangerous place known
as the Sarpy station crossing. We recon-
mend that this crossing bo taken care OF.
I'VE cannot find that the accident was
| caused by criminal carelessness OF the
train crew, and we exonerate all train
men in the vicinity of the accident at
| the time"
ole C. Olson, COZ North Eighteenth.
waiter at a Chinese cafe caused a
sensation when he stated on the stand
that he had been the fifth member OF
the party. FTe declared that he was
drunk and some time before the acct
dent he could not remember the time,
he was put out of the Krug machine
and into another auto occupied by per-
sons who knew him. Bit whom he was
too intoxicated to recognize lie re-
turned to omaha about o'clock in tho
morning and went to bed. When he
woke up, he learned of the tragedy.
Accepts Invitation TO ride.
Olson said he met Krug at Sixteenth
and Douglas street about 10 o'clock in
the evening and was asked to 90 for a
ride. He said that he HRs partly. intoxi-
Gated at the time. and refused. Halt
an hour later. he met Krug again, and
the latter was with Miss Ash. his
fiancee, Mrs. Thompson and Carl Bair,
the chauffeur. lie was again urged to
so for a ride and accepted. He said he
had a bottle OF whisky in his pocket
and took a drink and Krug pleaded
with him to throw the stuff away
Get off OF that stuff, he told me-"
Olson said. You ought TO quit drink
ing whisky. II you know where we can
get beer, I'll buy you some"
ContradIets story of Bottles.
Der OF the party who was drinking and
fatty contradicted the statement OF rail-
road employees, who declared they found
broken beer bottles and one half full in
tho wrecked car. He said the only liquor
In the party was the flask he carried and
no one except himself touched it. Olson
declared that he was nowhere near the
scene of the accident.
eH-- - Neac AtF
was told by w f. Brouilette. 100 South
Sixteenth street, a Union Pacific freight
brakeman
He was standing near his train, which
was on a passing spur" and saw the
first train go by and then the second.
Just as the first train pulled over the
crossing Bair drove his automobile up
70 the track The top and sidecurtains
we're up on the machine and Brouiiette
could not see the occupants very plainly.
lie thought they saw the oncoming No.
IS and expected 20 stop.
When he saw Bair drive up TO the track
he ran up close and yelled to him.
says Bair Failed to stop.
"Stopl For Gods sake. stop! There's
a passenger train comingl" he says he
screamed. Bair evidently misunderstood.
or could not stop his car, for he kept on
going. As the automobile was squarely
centered on the track, No. lS thundered
along at top speed, crashed down upon
the machine There WAS a splinterins
crash. a grinding screech as the emer-
lgency brakes Of the locomotive we're set
and the train came to a stop quarter
Of a mile up the track
81 ran IN To look" Brouilette testified.
con the pilot pinned by the tonneau Of
, the automobile was the body OF one man.
ION the other side was the mangled form
Of a woman, held suspended by a foot.
,on the pilot. partly in the tonneau was
the second man On the pilot also We
. found shattered beer bottle glass, as we'll
"a, a bottle with the neck off, half full
OF beer"
other witnesses who testified that the
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