The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-09
THOUGHT CORONER'S
FACE WAS UNSEEMLy
InterborOugh Lawyer Saws Uo
Feared Outside Attorneys
Influence at Inquest.
R1ORDAN REPLY TUESDAY

Lawyers FOR the Tnterborough Rs,,s
Transit Company finished yes,s-soy
their presentation Of the evidence 4,
which they will base a reuues, TIA,
Commissioner Lloyd =. Striker Shan
recommend to Gov. Whitman n. p.
moval from office of Coroner PATRICK
d. Riordan. The evidence consisted a,
impressionistlc portrayals OF the CO...
oner conducting the inquest Into ,hs
wreck on the Ninth avenue elevated
Q, in which two persons were killed and
responsibility for which was aNed up,n
the executive officers and directors O,
the 1nterborough Company by tho Cor.
oner's jury.
Tho entire proceeding was farc.cai."
said Martin Il. Burke OF the legal star
of the Interborough when ne was called
as witness. The Coroner seemed IN
terestsd more than anything else in al.
ing his own bizarre notions OF railroad.
ing. Whenever anything was brought ou,
to indicate that the conductor and mo
torman were responsible for the accident
the Coroner would leer aud smile and
sm!rk al the jury as II to say Nobody
believes That His questions were aim
less and whenever he brought out any.
thing important he seemed TO wan, 10
cover IL up at once
Judge Hatch, In examining Nj Burk.
desired to get all OF his impressions o,
the Coroner as he watched the progress
OF the inquest. lie even asked what IN.
facial aNnr.g4int pf ina ('tFgu,v ,tas
and was told that IL was "uuseemly"
He described the Coroner AS atti-et
in frock coat. This mediocre DOC.
tor" more of n clown then than he
at other times" this buffoon," "such
clown" absurd" disgusting" and
ignorant" were other words and sen.
tences used by tho witness.
Mr. Burke explained that Z was rot
as counsel for the lnterboruUgh that 10
sent 10 the Coroner. before The Corone-
delivered his charge 10 the jury, a paper
outlining the facts and the law and !u.
dicatinc that no one could possibly ~
responsible for the accident except Oh.
conductor and motorman. lie did b., d.
tn ID, solely because he wanted 10 pIt o..
Coroner straight.
lie didn't want DR. Riordan 20 ,.
led away from the real truth OF ne
matter, he said. which was that there
was nothing In the testimony offered %
show that Mr. Shonts, Mr.. Hed,eN NJ
Fisher and the other directors ot 81.
road could be guilty of negligence.
~ had sat through the inQu-S' and
! had heard every witness said 81
Burke. II had noticed that Mr. Lin.
burg was advising the Coroner. ! lad
the impression that Mr.. L.mhurg 49,
associated with and was appearug fHe..
for the New York Journal tieN
the Hearst papers Were carrying u' t
crusade against the luterburouE. Iu
were lIbelling the directors every I.y.
felt that Mr.. L!mburg would as %
influence the Coroner.
When MIR. Burke said that one o. -
turymen was asleep during the inquest,
Henry A. Wise. counsel for pr. E1t.
dan. said that that was nothing. lie
said he tried a case last summer Waar~
the Judge went TO sleep for two u'-,
and counsel on the other Side t'..r
sustained for him such objection l, ".
Wise made to his opponents qu"S' rs
Lee NJ. Hutchins. also OF the Inter
borough legal stan, gave testin1'S s'
TO the Coroner's inquest,
The hearing was adjourned un raN
Tuesday morning at 10 o'clooh Nhe7
Mr. Wise will present Coroner Eogda's
reply TO the charge.