The Washington times., 1909-07-10
ACCIDENT CAUSE
Of LONGS DEATH
Auto Driver Exonerated
From Accident by Jury
at Inquest.
TWENTY MINUTES
TO FIND VERDICT
Fact That Lawrence Had Driven
Car But Three Times Not
Against Him.

Death due to accident, was the veT-
dict OF the COroners jury this morning
when trying TO ascertain who was &c
blame for the death Of Major James
w Long, the retired army officer VINO
met his death under an automobile
driven by A. W. Lawrence at the cor
ner OF Seventeenth and I streets north
west yesterday.
Coroner hewitt presided and Samuel
Darragh, Ernest G. Thompson. Charles
F. Crane Z. P. Armentract, Charles
kuttemau, and Fred w. Pilling we're
jurors. After the evidence was all in,
Il took them but about twenty minutes
10 reach a verdict The only contention
was whether the word unavoidable
should be inserted before the word ''ac-
cident"
All of the jurors were of the opinion
that A. w. Lawrence did as well as
any chauffeur could have done when he
saw the aged officer IN front OF MIN
The fact that Lawrence HAD driven the
automobile but three times did not mill
tate against ? i'm with the jury. +. ).
Perry appeared for the Government, and
n. Prescott Gately for Lawrence.
Green's Testimony.
Galan Green was one of the first wit
nesses.
Il was on the left side Of the front
seat" Green said. Lawrence was. driv-
ing the machine. If / had been driving,
/ could not have done better than he.
It was the third lesson I had given him
although he had run a machine before.
We were going south on Seventeenth
street and were turning east on 1 street
We made wide turn to the right. We
saw Major Long walking across the
street and intended 10 go behind him.
AZ he had gone right on. he would have
been all right, but he became frightened
and jumped back right in front of the
machine After he was knocked down,
l jumped out and ran over 10 telephone
for an ambulance.
Green declared that Lawrence had the
machine under control and il was in
perfect shape. Major Long was on the
east side of the car tracks when struck.
Machine Running Slow.
A. W. Lawrence. OF 2O13 street. was
the next witness.
I'VE ran the machine very slowly"
he said. we did not go over seven or
eight miles an hour. It was my inten-
ton TO turn east on I street, and I
blew the horn several times. As we
reached I street. blew the horn and
made wide turn. I noticed some gen
tleman going south on / street. I blew
the horn and meant 10 go behind him.
lie turned arund and started back.
Then l threw the machine as far TO
the right as / could, but it struck him.
He declared that he stopped the ma
chine anc went back he nearly lost
his nerve then, he said He told the
officer that he was driving the machine,
and was responsible for the accident
He said that the first time he noticed
Major Long, individually, was just as he
was crossing the street car tracks.
Out of Practice.
Lawrcnee said the first machine he
drove was four years ago. while in
Pennsylvania. He had driven other ma
chimes. but for the last year and half
had net been driving any machine. He
took his first lesson with this machine
Wednesday night. This instruction was
merely 20 get him acquainted with The
gears OF this machine. He took another
lesson Thursday, and was driving for
the third time Friday
IF Major Long had kept on the way
he was going / would have cleared him
by ten feet" Lawrence declared. He
was about eight feet from the south
curb. and as the street was clear to
the eft, 1 swung to the left to clear
him lie retraced his steps"
A. y Bradley, the passenger in the
rear seat Of the car. gave the same tes-
timony as the others as 70 the turn s5sSs
on I street from Seventeenth.
Saw Major Cross.
.'Just before we crossed the tracks,
I noticed Major Long crossing the
street near the south curb. He did not
hear the horn at first. At a second
blast he looked around Mr. Lawrence
turned the machine toward the north.
The man started back, and then Law
renee turned 20 the right Major Long
was struck by the left side of the car
He seemed TO cling to the car for a few
seconds and then he disappeared.
selt Earring OF the car and, on look
ing back, I saw his body on a line with
the car. Lawrence stopped the car ia
about length after / felt the sarring
Bradley thought the car was moving
between four and six miles an hour
The speed SVas much decreased when
the turn was made on ] street
DO you think Mr.. Lawrence could
have avoided the accident" asked As
sistant District Attorney F. S. Perry.
II do not see how he could possibly
have avoided It," was the reply.
Stopped In Twenty Feat.
Frank X. Wiegand szw the machine
strike Major Long. he said The CRY Of
Long just as he was struck was the
first notice he had either Of the ma
chine or Long. He could not say wheth-
er the machine was going rapidly or
not. II stopped in about twenty feet
Samuel Comas TTaWken, assistant
clerk Of the Supreme Court OF the Dis
trict, was on street car which was
passed by the automobile on Connect
cut avenue. He thought it was travel
ing about six or eight miles an hour
he did not see the accident.