The morning journal-courier., 1908-11-18
HARTFORD OPINION
How the Times Views Coroner Mixs
 Verdict.

The Hartford Times, considering the verdict Of Coroner Mix on tho killing of Edwin G 1indstacdt in Westvile early last Friday morning, published the following editorial thereon last night
 II win bc remembered that in the ease in New Haven in which Edwin C. l,indstacdt was killed by an auto- mobile Coroner Mix found that the killing was an unavoidable accident. II is safe to say that that is not tho
 impression in the minds of most pco- ple who have road the newspaper ac- counts and the finding pf facts which the coroner incorporated in his re- port Therefore we quote at some length the editorial consideration of the case by tho New Haven Union It begins hy saying that the situation warrants some pretty straight talk from straight newspapers, and 1t continues
 The coroner says tho auto was going about IS miles an hour. It was going fast enough to break off an Iron hitch ing post which Mr Farrel ran into af- ter he had put on the brakes and turn cd his car toward tho curb in order not 10 hit Bindstaodt There Is some evi- dence that the coroner has not been very diligcnt In discovering to the ef- feet that Mir Farrcl was driving his
 Packard at high rate of speed just before the accident occurred. Of course 1t must be admitted that MT Farrel did all in his power to avert an accident after he saw II was likely to occur, There is probably no ono in Conneeti- cut today who is more distressed over this unfortunate affair than young Mir. Farrel But that is not the point. The coroner finds that Mir Farrel was ah- solutely free from criminal negligence despite the fact that he rassed a stand ing ear at three times the speed a horse and wagon is allowed to travel
 in the city and at nearly twice the 1 speed trolley car is permitted to
 make within the city limits = The
 Messrs Fawol are given clean bill and discharged on their own recogniz- ance. They are not even formally l held by the police. MT. Samuel Camp 1 bell however is held by the police and 1 forced to give bail, and although MT
 campbell's negligence in killing pr l Morgan does not on it's face seem to be | any more clearly established than the
 carelessness Of MT Farrel in striking ! MT. Lindstaedt."
 Coroner Mix has always been a pug 1 zle 10 the public We have never
 heard his honest intention questioned l but he has q mind which delights in
 shaping theories and developine
 courses of reasoning that arc always | interesting but do not always appear
 sound In this instance it seems to l be proved that the automobile ape
 preached the car at a speed of about | eighteen miles an hour. that those in it
 were not certain whether tho car was moving or had stopped, that a man | was seen by them to step off the front 1 of the car, that the automobile was
 suddenly turned to the right to avoid ! him. and that it broke down an iron l hitchng post when it struck 1t. If
 also struck and killed the man who ! alighted from the car. There can he 1 no doubt that 1t passed the car at a l considerable speed Coroner Mix thinks there was no negligence Yet this Is
 practically what happens In many cas- 1 es, there have been two in Hartford | recently, and about here the belief is
 that all such cases must involve negli-
 gcnce if the laws as to tho use of the
 streets mean anything