Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-08-26
VINSON WALSH SLAIN
Mining Magnate Loses Only
Son In Motor Car Accident.
DAUGHTER EylLYS ALSO HURT.
Newport Thrown Into Pansa ny
Frightfnl Catastrophe Involving
Five Members of Americas
Most Prominent Families.

-'soNt v ahHfttNs
NEWPORT, r.. L., Aug. II. Services
over the body of yinson Walsh, the
eighteen-year-old son of Thomas Il.
Walsh OF Washington, the mining mag
nate, who was killed in an automobile
accident here on Saturday, were held
in Trinity church. Rev. Robert Lowry.
the rector, otIiciated, and the funeral
was strictly private.
The condition OF the persons who
were injured In the accident has great
ly improved. Miss Eyalyn Walsh. sls-
ter OF the young man who was killed,
suffered much pain. but she was much
easier. Her injury Is fracture Of
thigh bone. Miss Walsh has not been
informed of the death of her brother.
Mrs. james l.. Kernochau of Hemp
stead, N. y; Harry oelrichs of New
York and Herbert Pell, Jr.. both of
New York, are much better, and tho
latter was out of doors.
The accident threw the New York
colony into panic, for 1t would be
difficult TO conceive of quartet OF
greater social prominence than the
Kernochans, the Oelrichs, the Pells
and the Washes. Nothing like 1t ever
so shocked Newport
The tragic death of Vtnson Walsh Is
the greatest blow that can be imagined
for the father He was an only son,
destined to become one of the richest
men In America, heir TO a fortune that
In the natural course of events would
not fall far short of $oo,000,000 when
he reached his majority the one hope
Of an ambitious father to perpetuate
the name which had been reared from
the humble obscurity of wheel
wright's shop into the prominence of a
mining kings afiiuence.
Thomas II. Walsh has had one of the
most remarkable careers in the history
OF rich men In this country. Coming TO
America from Ireland In the steerage
he has by successful mining ventures
achieved almost fabulous wealth. all Of
which he has devoted to the interests
of his family. His whole life was
wrapped up in his boy and girl, to fur
Their whose social success he Is said to
have spent as much as $4,000 in one
month
Young Mr.. Walsh was looked upon as
one of the best automobile drivers in
Newport With his sister EyaIyn, Mrs.
Kernochan and Messrs. Pell and Del
richs he was returning from the Clam
bake club in forty horsepower Mer-
cedes machine which lately arrived
from abroad for the young man. APP
preaching the beach there is Il steep
hill. and automobile drivers are In the
habit Of letting their machines speed
at this point.
| AS the machine neared the little
wooden bridge which crosses the creek
the car swerved from its course,
crashed through the wooden railing at
| the right side of tive bridge and plung-
ed into the creek, about six feet be.
low. One part of the rail passed
| through the body of the machine and
! another struck Mr. Walsh in the head
/ lnhicting the injury which caused his
death, The crash WAS heard for some
/ distance,
| Thomas w. Martin, formerly manager
| Of the opera house, said he saw tht
accident from a beach near by where
ho was bathing. Martin says that the
automobile was running at such a
| rapid rate that It attracted his atten.
ton and that when within fifty feet OF
| the bridge one Of the women screamed
From this Martin judged that Walsh
| lost control of the machine for an in.
slant and that its speed was too great
for him to recover control in time to
avoid going over the bridge.