Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-21
EVIDENCE LOOKS
BAD FOR DUDLEY
WITNESS OF AUTO TRAGEDY
TESTlFlES
SAYS MOTOR CAR WHICH CAUSED
THOMAS DEATH WAS RAPID
Attorney for Man Charged with Man.
slaughter Unable to Shake Story
Of Telephone Operator as to
Speed of Car

Damaging testimony against ]. B.
Dudley, an automobile sales agent,
charged with manslaughter by causing
the death of Woodman j. Thomas in
driving his motor car in a, careless and
negligent manner at Fifth street and
Broadway February "a, was given in
Police Justice Chambers court yester-
day by Miss Jennie E. Smith, Is years
old, an exchange telephone operator
employed in a building in front OF
which the accident occurred.
The girl appeared to be an excellent
witness for the prosecution, and her
simple and seemingly straightforward
story could not be shaken on cross
examination by Attorney LeCompte
Davis. She described the details in a
remarkably thorough manner, and her
GOODNESS and ready replies considerably
discounted the attorney for the de-
Tense.
Her testimony was to the effect that
the auto was being driven at high
rate of speed and that no effort was
made to stop the motor car after the
accident. She declared the motor car
was going so fast that she was unable
| to determine how many people were IN
the vehicle, and but a few seconds
elapsed before the auto reached Seventh
street after striking Thomas between
Fifth and Sixth streets.
81 was sitting at the telephone board
reading a book Suddenly 1 heard a
piercing scream. 1t sounded like a
mans voice. 1 sprang from the chair
and started to raise the window. AS l
did so / heard a dull thud as if a body
was striking the pavement. l opened
the window and looked out. l saw the
body of a man lying in the street, about
| five or six feet in the rear of the auto
mobile, which was going very fast. The
motor car at that time was about
| twenty-five feet away. 1 watched the
auto and it seemed but a few sec
onds before 1t was at Seventh street.
| The speed of the motor car was not
| checked after the accident, and it con-
tinued south on Broadway to Seventh
street
How fast was the machine going?''
inquired Deputy District Attorney
| Arthur Keetch.
Says Auto Went Swiftly
ST do not know" was the reply. Il
do not know anything about judging
speed of motor cars, but do know II
was going faster than 1 have ever be-
fore seen an automobile CO."
| John G.. Lewis, q newspaper man.
living at SIS South Grand avenue, who
was in a lunch room on Broadway, neal
where Thomas met his death, testified
as to the speed of the machine. The
witness stated he had had considerable
experience in handling autos ano
Judged the speed of the motor car at the
/ time Thomas was struck to be between
forty and forty-five miles an hour. H'
stated the car was going so fast HI
could not tell how many persons wer'
in the vehicle. He said he was presen
when Dudley returned to the scene o
accident.
"Dudley was considerably excited,
said the witness. "He was questioned
by someone in the crowd and kept re
peating: The man kept running; the
nah kept running"
At the conclusion of the direct exam
nation of Lewis the case was con-
tinued until March 20. Just before the
attorneys left the courtroom Charles
Holmes of 1861 Crocker street appeared
and was put on the stand and ques'
toned regarding the whereabouts Of
the two women, Mrs Jessie Taylor ano
Miss Bertha ]. Holmes. who were II
the auto at the time of the accident.
Holmes testified the girls were his
sisters and that he had no idea of theil
nresent whereabouts. He TStated they
called him by telephone the day before
present whereabouts. He stated they
were going to leave and would write
to him later. He stated that his
mother, Mrs. Charles Clutter, lives In
Kingman, Ariz., where he thought the
girls might have gone. He stated he
/ did not now believe they were there, as
he had received letters from her ano
she had not mentioned anything about
the girls being there. He promised tc
notify the attorneys in the event he
learned their address.
@>-S-
Every boy and girl knows a great
many things about flying kites, and