Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-30
WITNESS TELLS
OF THE KILLING
OF DR.. WELSHMAN
East Orange Woman. Testify
Ing in $1oo, 600 Damage Suit,
Describes Mishap.

An eve e-witness Of the railroad acci-
dent in which DR.. George o. Welsh
man was killed at East Orange last
March, testified today in the suit
brought by the physicians widow
Mrs. Alice B. Welshman. to recover
$780, 600 from the Delaware, Iacka-
wanna and Western Railroad Com
many
Mrs. Minnie WiclSerstaff, OF 22s Ma
Die avenue, East Orange, said she was
on a shopping tour the afternoon of
March Il last. when the accident hap
oened. When the witness first saw
DR.. Welshman he was standing beside
his automobile. apparently waiting for
the gates to be lifted.
"a few minutes later I heard
ahrill whistle, and turned around
lust in time 70 see DR.. Welshman in
his machine IN the middle Of the
sracks,' continued the witness. An
aastbound train was almost on top
1t the machine. saw the loeomo.
live hit the auto and the doctor went
away I'D in the air. 1t looked as
though his body hit lookout for the
locomotive sign, as 1t fell to the
ground"
The accident occurred at the North
Grove street grade crossing of the
I,ackawanna In East Orange. II Is
alleged that the railroad was guilty
IT negligence in allowing the gates
10 be lifted when train was ap-
preaching.
Mrs Welshman continued her tes-
+irnonv today as TO the annual in
come OF the doctor She estimated
mat he earned $1,000 a year at the
time OF his death.
widow Gives Testimony.
The widow said that on the day Of
The accident she was returning home
lust as DR.. Welshman was driving
away from their home on Mt. Pros
peot avenue. He waved his hand to
her and appeared to be in splendid
health and spirits. Mrs. Welshman
understood that her husband was
going to West Orange, where he had
been called into consultation on a
case.
Questioned by Frederic B. Scott,
aounsel for the railroad, Mrs. Welsh
man declared the doctor was forty
one years old at the time of his death
Between 1910 and 1913 his income
varied from $4,000 10 $4,000 a year.
Mr.. and Mrs. Welshman were mar
xied in 1900 They had no children.
The widow is represented by Judge
Harry V. Osborne, Abraham Cornish
and w. Locke Rockwell.
George J. Crogan. for twenty-three
years employed In the actuary de-
partment of the Mutual Benefit Life
Insurance Company, was called to
give expert testimony as to the life
of the average person. He estimated
4 man of forty-one years (Dr Welsh
fnan's age) would live about twenty
seven years longer. A woman at for
ty-four would live another twenty
live years, he said. Mrs. Welshman
is forty-four years old
Mrs. Mary A. Terwilliger. OF 157
Maple avenue, East Orange, also saw
the tragedy. She was with Mrs.
vlckerstaff. and was more graphic in
her description of the scene.
'sIt was about $3.50 o'clock In the
afternoon when the accident hap
pened," said Mrs. Terwilliger. Il re-
member the children were coming
from school. don't know what
caused me to turn around, but / saw
Or. Welshman in his auto in the mid
die Of the tracks and the train COM
ing.
~ was petrified. No. I didn't notice
how fast the automobile was going,
but it did not seem to be going any
faster than a child could walk. When
The train hit the auto 1t sounded like
a bomb exploding. The Doctors body
shot out into the air and then I ran
over to see II I could be Of any as
Bistance.p
That the gates were up at the tims
Dr. Welshman attempted to cross the
tracks was asserted by Mrs. Mary
Blanchard, of 10 Vernon place, East
She said she was positive
that when she first looked the gates
-Rere down, and few minutes later
saw them lifted. Mrs. Blanchard
added that she thought DR.. Welsh
mans machine would be able to cross
the tracks before the train came.
THE auto was nearly over the track
she said, when 1t was hit.
That she tried to prevent DR..
'Syelshman from crossing the tracks
was the statement made by Mrs.
Florence Nj. Brown, of 81 Maplewood
avenue. Maplewood. She was walking
along North Grove street East Or
unge, in northerly direction, when
she came to the tracks. After the
gates were lifted she started TO cross.
Eialf- way over Mrs. Brown said she
saw the express train coming toward
her at great speed and she ran until
she reached the other side.
"Dr. Welshman was on the north
eide of the tracks going south" said
the witness Il kept on running until
I reached the sidewalk opposite his
machine. He appeared to be working
'1ith the machinery as though to start
up.
Il c1apped my hands and called TO
him: Don't goi Don't gop but evil
IDENTIFY he didn't hear me-"
connIe Visited bv St0rk