The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-07-31
BLAME LAID ON SIX MEN.
JURY CHARGES CALL
FOR INDICTMENTS.
General Manager of Company, Cap
tain OF Ship, Engineer, Federal In
spcctOrs and Others Responsible
Says Vcrdict-CIOscd Session Held
With Federal Officials.

Chicago, July 2S.-A coroners jury
tonight returned verdict placing th
blame for the loss Of hundreds
lives by the capsizing of the Ste
Eastland in the Chicago river >, 4
day on six men as follows:
William H. Hull, general manager
of the ChicagO-St. Joseph Steamship
company, owner of the Eastland;
Capt Harry Pedersen of the East
land; j. NJ. Erickson, engineer; Rob-
ert Reid, federal Inspector of steam
ships, who gave the Eastland license
to carry $500 passengers July 2; j. C.
Eckliff, federal inspector of steam
ships; w. K. Greenebaum, general
manager Of the Indian Transporta-
ton company, lessee of the Eastland.
The jury recommended that these
men be held to grand jury for in
dictment on charges of manslaughrer.
The jury found that the passengers
were not in any way to blame for
the capsizing of the ship. 1t recon-
nends further investigation by the
coroner and other officers to deter
mine whether the men named and
others may be guilty Of negligence or
of contributing in any way to the
cause Of disaster
The six jurors selected by Coroner
Hoffman to hold the inquest on the
victims Of the Eastland catastrophe
are: DR.. w. A. Evans, formerly
health commissioner; Col. Henry A.
Allen, consulting engineer; Harry
Moir, hotel proprietor; J. S. Keough,
coffee merchant; Eugene Beifeld, ho-
tel manager; w. F. Rude, wholesale
grocer.
With verdict all but formulated,
according to the foreman, DR.. w. A.
Evans, the cOroners jury early in the
night called on Secretary Redfield,
George Uhler, inspector general of
the steamboat inspection service, and
A. l.. Thurman, special solicitor for
the department of justice at Wash
ingtOn, for a private conference. After
these federal officers had been closet
ed with the jurors for more than two
hours, the examination of witnesses
was resumed
Secretary Redfield said he could
not speak of what he told the coro-
ner's jury.
After States Attorney Hoyne dur
ing the day had announced that the
county grand jury would return in
dlctments against those thought to be
to blame for the capsizing of the
Eastland and had announced tonight
that the action had been postponed
until tomorrow, he. later said he had
been advised that he would not
have sufficient jurisdiction to prose-
cute, except for manslaughter, and
that probably the jury did not have
sufficient evidence to warrant them
In returning such true bills. He said
he would turn over what evidence he
had to United States District Attor-
ney Cline, who will start placing wit
nesses before a federal grand jury in
few days
"A dozen members of the Eastland's
crew fstified before the grand Jury.
but added nothing, it is said, to evil
lx,
investigation by a federal grand
jury and by the steamboat inspection
service will start tomorrow.
Funerals of 200 victims of the
Eastland catastrophe were held to-
day, while the whole city was in
mourning under an official proclama-
ton by Mayor Thompson
"A corps Of divers today followed
40 motor boats with graphing hooks
four blocks down the river in an ef-
Tort 70 find more bodies but only two
We're added to the S29 victims pre-
viously recovered. More NAV be
round when the Eastland is righted.
Wreckers today started putting the
snip on its keel, but the operation
will be difficult, it was said.
John II. Walker, president of the
Illinois Federation of Labor, and John
Fitzpatrick, president Of the Chicago
Federation of Labor, tonight attacked
SECRETARY Redfield's plan for investi-