Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-01-03 | Page 4 | Crash Kills Forty; Nuisance Charged

CRASH KILLS FORTY; NUISANCE CHARGED I Kentuckians, Lacking Manslaughter ! Statute, Bring Mild Indictment ; Against Railroad Men. i Kfl KIM t rOKDSVII.Lt:. Ky.. .Ian. 2. Tlirnn oldeials ami an enyinf '-r of the 1 1 .ouisvillf., (X X.islivtlle lluih-ond eoniiiany weri; in-lieted by ihe Bullitt eounty yraii'l jury on the charge of "ereal ingr and I mai.ntainint;' a eommon nuisanee," in con-iieetion con-iieetion Willi a eolllsion between passen-lAtir passen-lAtir trains lie re December U, in wdiieh ! more than forty persons were killetl. j '"Wo regret," says a report accompany- j j in-,' liie Indictments, "to iearr our state; iian no statute niakiui; it voluntary man- i shuigliler for causing the death of" a per- i son by tho .ltioss and willful notflisfnoe : of those handling an engine or train of ears ami directing and being responsible ; for them." Milton S. Smith, president of the road, ! was net Indicted, it was explained, "be- ; cause ue could not tind he was respon- j slble for t!ie movement of trains." Ground for the nuisance charge, accord- ' ug to the indictment, was found in the 1 fact that f.ouisvillo & Nashville trains i were habitually and carelessly operated over crossings in Kullitt county' at a dangerous dan-gerous rate of speed.