The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-12-17


brother in Los Angeles last night, re.
questing him to cable their parents in
Massachusetts. :,
While the body was being brought
into town, and the machine was passing
Fort Ruger, Lieutenant Pardee, Tween
tieth Infantry, offered to take the body
into the post reservation, but it was
Accidental death due to the bad
state of the roads is the verdict fore
Swallowed as result of the coroner s
| inquest into the death of Miss Harriet
| Smith, the victim of Wednesday
night s automobile accident at Ray.
!, mond Grove. Evidence taken before
| Coroner Rose at the police station last
| night tended to show that combina.
ton of inadequate lights on the ma.
chine and very poorly guarded cul-
| vert caused the fatality.
This morning the jury will go to the
! scene of the accident and see for them
selves what the condition of the cul-
vert is. Then they will render their
verdict, probably as above.
The inquest lasted two hours, those
who were in the wrecked automobile
being the only witnesses with the ex.
ception of Frank Thompson who gave
short description of the road at the
point the accident happened.
Sorenson' statement.
o. Sorenson, who was plotting the car
when it went over the embankment, was
the first witness.
eve were riding along somewhere
between ten or twelve miles an hour"
said Sorenson. "We had no lights ex-
cept the kerosene lamps and it was diff
cult to pick the road. / didn't see
the road and / thought it was straight,
until began to feel the car going over.
do not remember very much. l do
remember trying to shut off the spark.
Then l didn't know anything until
got from under the car. / heard groans
coming from the lady-Miss Smith
and then Iycouldn t get an answer. Will
Roth was also under the ear and kept
saying that he could not stand it much
longer.
81 tried to lift the car but couldn It.
Miss Hegeman came to my assistance
and we managed to get Mr.. Roth out
: from under He had been calling for
help. Neighbors came and we got Miss
Smith out. The doctor showed up be-
fore we left there-Doctor Hodgins-
and pronounced her dead.
"We left town a little after nine
Miss Smith ran the car as far as Fort
/ Shafter and then / took the wheel be.
hoI lnh
it would be safer. / was a little nervous
There were two autos in the party, the
other going ahead of us.
"There was only one back seat. Miss
Hegeman was seated there and Mr.. Roth
was on the floor. The accident oc.
cured not long after ten. The doctor
got there after the body was taken
out We were an hour and a half get.
ting the body out.
- An auto passed by on the way to
town and we all yelled but we couldn Y
make them hear. Roth was then under
: the car and ] couldn t very we'll leave
it. He kept saying, Lift little more,
| can't breathe
Lights Bad.
The lights were bad. l filed up
Just before we left-gasoline. | filled
up my generator with carbide but il
r was leaking so bad that had to turn
1t off. There were good many shadows
on the road. The place where the ac.
cldent occurred was just this side OF
the Eva courthouse. / had not vet
got to it. The steering gear was not
/ broken. Nothing seemed to be wrong
am not sure about speed but we
, were going slow at any rate. There
was no moonlight
Miss Hegeman.
Miss Hegeman then took the stand
but her testimony was short. ~ felt
lurch all of a sudden and then didn I
know just what happened. Mr.. Soren
son was driving. we were going nj h
: moderate speed. / have ridden in fast
,, automobiles and | am able to iudge
speed. Miss Smith was born in Boston
Massachusetts, and was % years of
. age. - -
Miss Hegeman IS sister and Miss Mason
accompanied her at the inauest nj
though they did not testify. All three
girls were dressed in black
Fifteen Miles an Hour.
/ Will Roth was then called to the
stand
II We were bound for Pearl City.p h,
SAID. Down the EVA road, near the
. hlst eulyeit we ran off an embankment
we were going at the time at a speed
I or about fifteen miles an hour. / thinl
/ u was about half'past nine when il
happened because ii was about ten min
{ ntes to nine when we left Piikoi aht
, u took us about three.quarters of nj
/ honr to go there. The other party haC
! IRE trouble, and returned later.
) Were there any lightsfu asked 4