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Show WEALTHY MEN FOUNDilLTY New York. Jan 12 Theodore p. Shonts, August Belmont. Cornelius Vanderbilt and nine other directors of the Interborough Rapid Transit company com-pany and General Manager Frank Hedley were found guilty of culpable negligence today by the Jury at the inquest conducted by Coroner Patrick Riordan into the elevated wreck at One Hundred and Sixteenth street and Eighth avenue on December 9. Culpable negligence was defined by Coroner Riordan as criminal negligence, negli-gence, which under section 1052 of the penal law, constitutes manslaughter manslaugh-ter in the second degree. The directors named with Shonts. Belmont and Vanderbilt as sharing tb,e blame of the wreck were Edward J. Berwind. Thomas Dewitt Cuyler, Andrew Freedman, Edward S. Mars-ton, Mars-ton, Horace M. Fisher, Charles B. Ludlow, E. R. Bacon. W. L. Peter-man Peter-man and F. De C. Sullivan Thomas McMahon and Alwyn H. Rolfs the motorman and conductor of the wrecked train, who were originally orig-inally held responsible for the two fatalities resulting from the accident, were automatically discharged In the verdict Disgraceful Scene. The Interborough officials were held for the grand jury under $5000 bail each. The coroner's charge was followed I by a scene characterized by onlookers as so disgraceful as to demand an Investigation In-vestigation by the higher courts U As the jury filed from the court-: court-: loom Mr Quackenbush, chief counsel 1 for the Interborough railroad, shouted angrily, "You men of the jury, the coroner hasn't given you the law Use vour own judgment "We are not going to have a row again," said Coroner Riordan, pounding pound-ing for order. 1 ("i are going to have a row be lore you get through." answered Quackenbush who was by this time supported by Martin E Burk and Michael Daly, his associate counsel, who were talking at the same time The COUI1 was in a turmoil. i demand that the jury be broughl back and instructed to disregard the coroners charge, demanded Mr Quackenbush "You have wasted two days and the publii monej Coroner Reports. "Whj should a court of competent jurisdiction use its power to malign the names of big men''' shouted Mr Burk. "VYh w-re not the fact brought out In this case?" You had an opportunity to present your case," replied Riordan. ' You would not let me be heard," retorted Quackenbush. "and that ' shows that you are unfit to occupy a Judicial position 1 never saw such j a travesty on justice. It is a disgrace to the people " "You know the rule of the coroner's court" was the coroner's answer. ' that each side has the opportunity to examine the witnesses The gen tlemen who are now raising such a high time did not avail themselves of this common ustom." We do nol jbject to the evidence tnat has been adduced here, but w. do object to your falsifying the evidence evi-dence upon the record," interposed Mr. Burk In the face of the record containing contain-ing the testimony of many witnesses showing that le elevated tracks and the wrecked tiains were not equlppei with the proper lanterns. Blgnal switches, etc , the Interborough counsel charged with dramatic emphasis em-phasis the -inquiry had been held to satisfy the prejudices of a few in-dh in-dh iduals "That is why I am pointing you out as a disgrace because you have-not have-not acted in a Judicial manner," yelled Quackenbush. The confusion lasted for fully twenty twen-ty minutes, during which the Interborough Inter-borough counsel accused Coroner Riordan of bulldozing tactics ' and threatened that they would "show him up" before they ' got through" with him. |
