The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-04-23
CROSSING MUST
BE PROTECTED
Coroner's Jury Blames
Railroad for Death of
Peter Zelier.
is NOW UNPROTECTED
Park Avenue Crossing mot
Properly Protected" Says
Jury's Verdict Friday.

Agitation for track elevation in Ke-
nosha won another point on Friday af
ternoon when the coroner's jury called
to hear the evidence at an inquest into
the death if Peter Zeller, who was
killed Saturday, April IL, when his
automobile was struck by a north
bound C. & N. w. passenger train at
the South Park avenue crossing,
brought in it's verdict
The jury declared that the victim
"come to his death by being struck by
a passenger train of the Chicago and
North Western railroad and died of
fractured skull, and that said death
was due to the negligence of the rail-
road in not having said crossing prop
erly protected" The verdict followed
the presentation of the evidence of
four witnesses, only one of which prov
ed to have been an actual eyewitness
Of the accident--the engineer of the
locomotive.
Widow Takes Witness Stand.
Mrs. Peter Zeller, the widow Of the
accident victim, was called to the stand
by District Attorney Lewis Powell, who
conducted the questioning. With the
lines of grief plainly visible the lit
tie women tremblingly took the oath
and gave all the information she could
offer to the jury. Her voice was soft
and occasionally a sob would escape
her lips as she recalled aloud the
events which occurred just before the
fatal accident last Saturday afternoon.
They were entertaining company
that evening, according to Mrs. teller,
and she had dispatched Mr.. Teller
in their Maxwell touring car to the
city to get some articles Of food. The
family live in a little bungalow in
Brookside Gardens where they have
little plot on which Mr.. Teller spent
his Saturday afternoons and evenings
tilling the soil He had been work
ing on this garden during the after
noon. About $3.50 O'clock, she con-
tinued, he left the home to go to town
1t usually took him. only short time
to make the trip. Six o'clock came and
the family was expecting his return.
AS $50 o'clock come, and Mr.. Zeller
had not returned, there was little
anprehension. At o'clock Mrs. Eel
Ter went out to see if Mr.. Zeller was
in sight. He was not. At 1925 o'clock
Coroner Joseph Friend came to the
home to tell her that her husband had
been killed at 6:08 that afternoon.
Always a Careful Driver.
Mr.. Zeller was always careful
driver. Mrs. Zeller added, and they had
driven over this crossing many times.
She could not understand, she SAID,
how it could be possible that her hus-
band would not observe danger sig
nals-unless these signals were not
working.
It was pointed out in the course 4of
the testimony at the inquest that the
crossing is a very dangerous one, ana
has been known as death Crossing
ever since some years ago when the
toll of life at the crossing reached as
tonishing proportions. The railroad
right of way is hidden from the south
by a grove of trees on the east SIDE
of the tracks and the approach TO the
crossing is gained after a bend in the
highway and an abrupt grade leading
across the tracks. 1t was said that
it is impossible to see an approaching
train on the south until it was direct
Nv on the crossing. There is wig-wag
signal system which, according to the
testimony of the conductor of the
train. was working at the time of the
accident.
Body HURLED Through Air.
~ Nr,., e Ch;oaoo anoipaar of
the passenger train, told how he did
not see the automobile approach the
track until he was within few feet
Of the crossing when he saw 1t drive
right on to the company's right Of way
He insisted that the automobile struck
the pilot beam Of the locomotive first.
The train at the time, he said, was go
ing about 55 miles an hour. In the
crash the car was swung completely
around in front of the pilot and car
ried some distance down the track as
it flew into pieces. The body Of the
driver. the engineer said, was lifted
into the air by the force of the impact
and he told how he saw it flying up
ward and ahead until it landed on the
opposite track 60 feet north of the
crossing.
D. M. Leahy, also Of Chicago, conduc-
tor, and Alfred Kreuser, Route 2, also
testified out their testimony was able
to give little light on the circumstan-
gcs leading up to the accident. Kreuser
described how the various parts Of the
smashed automobile we're strewn all
over the crossing and on both sides of
the tracks as we'll as on the right Of
way for distance Of several hundred
feet. DR.. H. A. Robinson testified that
the victime had met instant death
from a fractured skull. The right jaw
was also fractured and there were -
juries to the arm and legs. 1t was
evident that the victim probably never
knew hat struck him.