Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-10
CHILD INSTANTLY KILLED
HORRIBLE ACCIDENT LAST NIGHT on
METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.
Little Son of Georgetown Citizen Run
Down by n M"tor-Inauc~t
This Afternoon.

Little ]. Clarence May. the only son OF
| Mr.. John May, jr.. weh-kno%p resident
| of Georgetown, was struck and instantly
killed last evening about 6:45 o'clock at Esd
| and o streets by car ;D4 of the Metropolitan
railroad. The body was almost ground into
| pieces. the fragments being collected by the
police and placed in blanket. They were
! taken to the home of the child's parents,
half a square from the scene Of the acci-
| dent in the patrol wagon. and soon there
| after removed to the est abli .,.ii OF IL
dertaker ]. T. Clements. on sd street
| The car which struck the child was III
| charge of Motorman Arthur Sherier OF l",'
| Massachusetts avenue northeast. ana freu-
| c. Ruth of 300 18th street northeast, the
conductor The employees OF the car were
| taken into custody by the police as 500, as
the train reached the car sheds III East
| Washington. They were brought TO the
| Georgetown station, where in.s s,dtvi 49,
details of the accident. and were reieaSea
| to appear at the inquest this afternoon
| number of people witnessed the accident
including the passengers on the car
The police in their report of the matter
| gave the names of twelve persons. not m
| Guiding the employees of the road, all OF
whom were summoned to attend the m
| quest which Coroner Carr called for today.
! and which commenced at I O'clock TINS
| afternoon at the seventh precinct police STA
| ton.
| OF Tender Years.
The little victim of the horrible accident
| was not quite three years and eight months
| of age But few seconds before the ac-
| cident he was at the northeast corner of
| 33d and o streets, near the residence of DIR.
| Rufus Choate. He had crossed the street
| only a moment before, and while only nan
| a square from his home was evidently some
what afraid Of being away without MS
mothers consent or without some one TO
| keep him company. He started back To-
ward his home, and about this time the
| train approached from the west on o street.
/ coming down the grade at the usual speed
The motorman had his hand on the brake.
| and was ringing his bell. He saw the child
| approaching. but Just before reaching the
| track the little fellow stopped. foot or SO
| from the rail. leaving plenty of room for
| the train to pass. but turned his head to
! look up 33d street. Believing the child had
| heard the bell and had seen the car, the
| motorman let go the brakes and the train
| started forward
| Just as the motorman let go the brakes
| the child wheeled suddenly and started to
| run across the track. He had not taken
| two steps when the front rod of the fender
4 struck him. The boy toppled over into the
| fender and then rolled out again. his small
| body going beneath the guard and the
| wheels passing over him. The train ran
| about thirty yards before it could be stop
| ped, the wheels dragging the body part
| of the distance. The mutilatfon was some
| thing horrible to behold.
| The Conductor of the car collected the
| remains and some one notified the police.
| While the remains were being gathered up
| and placed in a blanket. Sergeant Keefe
| detailed Policemen Minor FUR and De
| laney to ride the train and secure the
| names of the passengers, and also to take
| charge of the conductor and motorman.
Employees Released.
Within two hours after the occurrence
| Motorman Sherer, who formerly worked on
| the Gilmore street line in Baltimore and
/ ve1i r "a for
| six months: and Conductor Ruth who has
| been on the Metropolitan railroad for sew
! eral years, were brought to the station.
| The motorman stated to Lieut. Swindels
| that he was travelling at between six and
| nine miles an hour, the train moving easily
| and under control There is an incline at
| the approach to the point where the acct
| dent occurred, and it is frequent for trains
| on the road to come down the street at
| speed of twenty miles hour. From the
| story OF the men, and upon the advice of
| the coroner, the employees were not held.
| The parents of the child were nearly
| heartbroken by the sad affair. The mother
| was Frustrated with grief and physician
was summoned to attend her The father
| was Immediately notified and hurried to his
| home before the remains were brought
| there. Fearful of the effect upon the wife,
| they were sent to Undertaken Clements,
| who worked until after midnight placing
| the various portions of the body together
| and rendering the corpse as presentable as
| possible for burial
statement made to Star reporter this
| morning by Mr.. May was to the effect that
| the child was playing in front of his home
| 1917 SD street. all the afternoon The ia
| Their came home to his supper about 5:1J
o'clock: and left about 5:45. and the boy
| was still at play in company with child
| of Mr. Webster Smallwood, who lives next
| door.
How Clarence came to he in the vicinity
| Of 33d and streets was explained this
| morning by the Smallwood child They had
| he said, been playing with an engine that
| belonged to the dead boy, and one of the
wheels came off. colored boy was kind
| enough to fix the wheel. and then started
| northward up sd street. He had been
gone short time, when the wheel came
off again. and Clarence exclaimed to his
| companion that he was going after the coll
| ored boy to get him to fix it again. The
colored youth was on the next block when
the child started after him. After crossing
| alarmed. and decided to return. In crossing
| the street he looked north in hopes of
| catching sight of the colored boy, and then
| scampered to his death.
| The funeral will be held Thursday morn
| ing at 10 o'clock from his parents res
| idence. One of the priests at Trinity
Church will officiate. and the interment will
| be at Holy Rood cemetery. The chids re-
mains will probably be taken to the home
of the parents by the undertaken either this
afternoon or tomorrow morning.
The Inquest.
| At o'clock in the afternoon a jury was
| summoned at the seventh precinct station
| to inquire into the death and determine the
responsibility therefor. The jury selected
| consisted Of NJ H. Brawner Harry A.
| Halves, Charles A. Hess, George n. Jory,
| Robert Petit and Frank Thomas.
| The jury. In company with Deputy Cor
| oner Glazebrook. proceeded in the patrol
| wagon to the establishment of Undertaken
| Clements, where the men were sworn over
| the body of the dead child. Shortly before
1:30 O'Clock the taking OF testimony was
commenced.
| The first witness called was Mrs. Mary L.
| Wilmore of 1917 Corcoran street. She stat
| ed that she sitting nthe right hand
| side of the car. near the moterman. She
| saw the child suddenly appear near the
| track, only two or three feet from the train.
The car was going at a moderate rate of
speed, and the motorman acted promptly,
putting down the brakes with so much
| force to bring great drops Of perspira-
| ton on his face. A moment before the ac-
cident the track was perfectly clear.