The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-08
WILSON BARNES RELEASED.
Death of Mrs. haunt Due TO an Tn
avoidabIe Accident.


The INQUEST over the remains Of Mrs
+. II. Iaunt. who died from the effects
Of injuries sustained by being knocked
down by a bicycle ridden by William
Barnes. colored. at the corner of EIev-
enth and + Streets, yesterday about noon,
resulted in a verdict of accidental death.
Barnes, who was arrested just after the
accident was relieved Of all responsibility
and was promptly given his freedom.
The jurors after assembling at the
Twelfth Street Police Station at IL
o'clock this morning, were taken to the
home Of Mrs L.aunt I11S Eleventh Street
northwest, when they viewed the body
Returning to the station the inquest be
gan. Mr. Bingham. the Assistant Dis
trict Attorney, appeared for the Govern
meut while c. A. Buckley represented
John W. Patterson as attorney forsATtison
Barnes. the coIored boy arrested on the
charge of murder
DR.. Sperow, the resident physician at
the Emergency Hospital, was the first
witness to testify. He told of having
received the ambulance call about u:45
O'Clock. When he reached Eleventh and
+ Streets he found the woman in an IN
conscious condition. He hurried to the
Emergency Hospital with her and she
ness said Mrs. Launt was suffering from
a lacerated wound Of the scalp in the
occipitaI region In his opinion death was
due to cerebral hemOrrhage with a Sc
we're conclusion The woman's face. he
said was very red when he reached her
When her daughter arrived at the hOsDi-
tai between , and o'clock on the after
noon, she told the witness that her moth
er had been complaining Of dizziness for
several days, and that very morning had
had d slight attack of vertigo.
John A Richardson, Baltimore, testified
that he was standing at the corner of
Eleventh and I Streets northwest when
the accident occurred The street was
crowded with pedestrians and vehicles
and ne feared that an approaching car
would strike Mrs Lauut, and shouted A
warning to her. He did not know whether
his warning was needed or n, [, as his view
was shut of by passing vehicles. which
prevented him from seeing the accident.
Miss Kate Dunn, of 1906 G Street south
west, saw the accident from second
story Of 1910 T Street northwest she said
The witness declared that she saw Mrs
Launt just a the instant of the accident
when the wheel came into contact with
Mrs. Launt- The boy was riding slowly,
she said, at the time.
y. 5. Mertz. Of HOS F Street northwest
saw Mrs. LaUnt step from the curb on
the north side Of T Street A moment
later ne saw her lying in the street The
COlOTed boy made no effort to get away,
the witness said, but stood by the curb
until the policeman took charge of him.
D & F. TiBenth1ler. Of SIS Tenth
Street northwest, was crossing the street
at the time OF the accident He was be
tween the woman and the bicycle Just
before the accident, and said he heard a
bicycle bell ringing The sound indicated
that it was approaching rapidly. he de-
clared, and when he looked around the
boy had slowed down and was moving
slowly. The street was crowded at the
time and he thought that Mrs LaUnt was
eudcavoring to get out of the way of an
approaching car and stepped in front Of
the whcelman- At the moment Of the
collision the coiOred boy had dismOunted
from his wheel but the momentum Of his
motion was such that he could not pre-
vent the bicycle from striking her the
witness said
Policeman Charles c. Pearce was stand
ing at the corner talking to Policeman
Browne but was facing the other way
and did not see the accident PoliceTna n
Philip Browne was looking at both of the
parties TO the accident at the time of its
occurrence He saw Mrs Launt cross the
oar track and endeaYOT to get out of the
way of an approaching car. The Colored
bov was riding slowly, the policeman de
cIared and, although the blow from the
bIcvI.3- was a light one, Mrs. Launt fell
heavily to the ground
WILSON Barnes the bfcyclist under ar
rest. took the stand in his own behalf,
and told of his endeavoT to avoid the ac-
rfdent He said the woman turned every
way that he turned in an effort to avoid
contact with her The wheel, he added
struck Mrs I.aunt in the abdomen and
she zen backward. Deputy Coroner Glaze
brook told of having examined the body
blIt at the request of the family an au-
t0psy was not performed The case was
then given to the jury, which Immediate
w returned the verdict before stated. The
Inquest was conducted D. Coroner hewitt,
assisted By Dr. GlaZebrOoK