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Coroner W. H. ROTHERMEL's inquiry opened in the main Court room with a large audience in attendance.
Lee K. FRIDAY, of the Orphans; Court is the official stenographer.
The jury is composed of J. Geo. HINTZ, jury foreman, William GROLL, George H. NAGLE, A.R. EISENBRAND, S. H. REESER and H.L. WICKEL.
District Attorney A.H. ROTHERMEL was assisted in the examination of witnesses by D. F. MAUGER. E.G. SCHAEFFER, of Phila., was the P & R stenographer.
Daniel McDermott was the clerk, and called the roll of witnesses, most of whom were present.
District Attorney A.L. HENDRICKS and Croner Grant McGLATTERY, of Montgomery county, arrived at 10 a.m.
The first witness was William LUTZ, the hotel keeper at Exeter
An uninjured passenger, Robert A. JACKSON, of Norristown, testified next, then James TEAL, of Exeter, an eyewitness to the accident.
Mr. J. Elwood SANDERS, of New York, testified that he saw the victims robbed at the scene.
Jonas SCHWARTZ, the night operator at Birdsboro, lives in this city and was on duty the night of the accident. He testified about the exact arrival time of the coal train.
Next was Edward SENTMAN, a P & R conductor of engine No. 244, of Phila. who gave his eyewitness account. One question put to him was "Didn't you think it ubusual that an express should have stopped?"
"Well, I didn't notice it until my hind brajeman, John RYAN, spoke of it."
After a break for lunch, the afternoon session began with Engineer William LONGENECKER, who was in charge of the north bound freigght lying at Exeter on the evening of the collision, answered questions about signals, locations, and speed of the trains.
John BOCKER, of Phila, who was a fireman on the frieght and had been in the company for 5 years, answered questions next.
The front brakeman of the freight train, John J. KENNEDY, of Phila., gave testimony on the time period between trains at Exeter.
After LONGENECKER was re-called to answer additional questions, a passenger from Phila, M.N. KLINE, was called. and said his train had stopped at Franklin street.
Important testimony was provided by the conductor of the first section of the express. M.W. BROMMER, of Phila., who had been a conductor since 1881, answered questions on why his train had backed up, what is the standard time period between train sections, and what actions his hind brakeman took.
Among the newspaper men present from out of town were James BENN, of the Philadelphia Record, H. B. SUTHERLAND, of the Philedelphia North American, V.P. CAMPBELL, of the Philadelphia Press, John P. HYATT, of the Philadelphia Telegraph, Harry C. JEWETT, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, L. A. MACLAUHKLIN, of the Philadelphia Bulletin, Guy T. VISKNISKKI, of the Philadelphia Press and F.V. WILSON, artist, of the Philadelphia Ledger.
Isaac K. HERR, an attorney, of Elizabethtown, Pa., was attending the inquest in the interest of several injured people.
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