The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-08-19
CORONER'S JURY
CLEARS DRIVER
OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR
DEATH OF CONDUCTOR
WILLIAM BARNES
Testimony sho~eo That Chauffeur
Was Proceeding Slowly and Care
fully at Time Of Accident


fully at Time Of Accident
W the jury find that William NJ.
Barnes came TO his death by being
struck by an automobile ON bv
George Weber and knocked from the
running board OF a Wheeling Traction
car August II. 1915. and died from
injuries sustained. The Jury further
finds, from the evidence. that the
driver OF the auto be held in no way
responsible for the death"
(Signed)
EARL W. GREEN. Foreman.
J. l. SAW-TELL.
JOHN ENNIS.
CLARENCE Riggs.
]. W. CRANE.
II. ". BLOOMFIELD. jurors.
tSigned) Gala Mitchell Coroner.
After examining a number OF Wit
nesses yesterday evening in the Of
fee OF Prosecuting Attorney n. 4. Nc
kee as TO the %attributive causes OF the
death of William VI. Barnes. street
car conductor. at Forty-sixth and
Jacob streets. Saturday. the foregoing
verdict was reached. The inquest
was held before Coroner Gala
Mitchell
George II Weber. OF S~teubeuville.
owner OF the automobile that knocked
Barnes fom the running board OF his
car. was the first witness examined.
He testified as To the speed his ma
chine was going. the fact that the con
ductor was killed. the effort made to
avoid an accident. and the enor made
10 resuscitate Rarnes. Mr.. Weber
stated that he did not see his machine
hit the cOnductor-things happening
so quickly that One seemed clear.
otto Franklin. colored. chauffeur
for Mr.. Weber was next examined. lie
told OF approaching the car from the
South. He said he noticed the mar.
rowness Of the street and scrappd the
curb To avoid hitting It, The chauf.
feur said that the conductor swung
down 20 the running board. In ans
Wering questions from jurors he said
he supposed that the top OF the auto
mobile had hit the conductor as the
left strap, running from the fender TO
the top was broken.
Passengers Testify.
Joe Holman. James Gunter. and
John McConyille. three passengers
sitting in the rear seat on the inside
OF b a testified 10 seeing the auto
mobile pass. and the conductor falling.
They did not. however. see the auto
mobile hit him. These men signalled
the motOrman TO stop and saw the
conductor carried into the Chatham
Sinclair drug store.
DIR. +. b. Plant. county and coroner's
physician testified that death was due
TO hemOrrhage OF the brain caused by
a fractured skull. He told the Jury
that all abrasions of the body were on
the left side. and hat the skull was
fractured nea the base. DIR. Il. r.
Nolte. attending physician. told of be
ing called TO Forty-siXth and Jacob
streets last Saturday to attend a man
who had been injured. He said that
the nan was unconscious and that he
had him removed to the Sinclair phar-
macy. While waiting for the ambul-
ance, ne said. Mr.. Barnes died. He
attended the autopsy and agreed with
Dr. Plant ss 20 the cause of death.
Nortemann. motorman on the car
which Barnes was conductor. testified
to getting the bell and stopping. He
also said that the automobile was
scraping the curb TO keep from collid-
ing with the street car. He said that
at this particular point the street was
so narrow as to make travelling dang
erous. and that he rang his gong sew
eral times.
Walter SandkrOhn. the last witness
called, told Of standing in a barber
shop near the scene Of the accident.
He said he saw Rarnes swing around
TO lower the guard rail on The car. and
saw the machine strike him. lie tesu-
fed hat the top OF the machine
struck Barnes on the left side OF the
forehead. The witness further said
that the automobile was rubbing the
curb at the time and only went about
eight or ten fee before 10 stopped.
Based upon his testimony, the fact
that the automobile was coming north
and the street car going south: that
the street Is so narrow as TO allow
only about Is inches between the top
OF an automobile n a street car.
that the driver was proceeding at a
rate OF speed not exceeding eight
miles per hour and that the conduct
or stepped down al a time when the