Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-20
NOW PREPARING TRANSCRIPT
EVIDENCE IN BURNING OF CORONA

With the conclusion of the coroner's
inquest at Walsenburg, at 2:3o o'clock
Thursday afternoon, when jury of
six men brought in verdict of death
by suffocation and fire for the five
the flames of the wooden Pullman car,
Corona, attached to Denver and Rio
Grande train No. lis, at Roof station.
Is miles north of Walsenburg at 1880
o'clock Tuesday morning, March 10, in
vestigation of the affair has ceased for
the present.
The parties involved are the relatives
of Mrs. Winnie b. Comstock, Creede,
Colo; James Miller. Florence, Colo
rado; T. H. Downey, Denver. Colo
+. S. Speelman, St Joseph, Mo-; and
A. B. Jack. Manassa, Colo. The Den
Yer and Rio Grande railroad; the Pull
man company.
At the coroner's inquest. permission
granted by DR.. Aubert Durnell. cor
oner of Huerfano county. and George
Bickhahn, deputy district attorney at
Walsenburg, allowed attorneys T. H.
Devine for the Rio Grande, and w. L.
Hartman, for the Pullman company.
and George II. Wilkes, for relatives of
James Miller, to attend the inquest
and question all witnesses.
The inquest, as a result, was as COM
plete as it was humanly possible to
make it. Each witness was called upon
, to answer questions intended to bring
out evidence tending to show how the
fire started, what was done to prevent
it what was done toward warning
passengers, and where, if anywhere,
did responsibility lie.
When the verdict was returned. the
jury found that death was caused by
sutocation and fire; that the cause
OF the fire was unknown; that the
deaths could have been prevented. had
the rules of the Pullman company re-
quired the porters on the two sleepers
to remain awake, instead of allowing
them to go to bed after leaving Pu-
, eblo. leaving the Pullman conductor
| in charge of the two cars until O'Clock
in the morning.
In actual legal status, the verdict of
coroner's jury carries little weight.
In this particular case, all parties
concerned consider the evidence taken
at the inquest of paramount impor-
tance. 1t is unusual for anyone except
the district attorney and the jurymen
themselves to question witnesses. At
the Walsenburg inquest, representa-
tives of railroad, Pullman company.
and fire victims, besides the district
attorney and the jurors, put questions.
AT that time. the affair was fresh in
the minds of witnesses. The probabil-
tiles are, according to good legal opin-
ion. that the testimony there taken
could not be duplicated again. no mat
ter how able the counsel or how high
the court.
The testimony was taken verbatim
by two stenographers; transcripts are
now being made from their notes. The
typewriter copy will fill $50 pages Of
legal manuscript, and copies will be
prepared for the court records, the
railroad attorneys and officials, the
Pullman company's attorneys and Of
ficials, and for relatives of the victims
who desire them. These transcripts, 1t
was announced at the court house in
Walsenburg Thursday afternoon, will
be completed within ten days.
Crews Stntement. Taken
Immediately after the inquest, signed
statements from the members of the
crew of No. us were taken at the Wal
senburg Offices Of the Denver and Rio
Grande railroad by railroad officials.
Saturday afternoon. at the office of the
assistant division superintendent in
Pueblo. similar statements were taken
from members of the crew aboard No.
49, the train that arrived from the
south Immediately after the fire was
discovered aboard No. 1i5.
Further action from any quarter.
railroad officials state. must await the
completion OF the transcripts OF the
inquest.
Action thereafter is yet to be deter