Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-21
MILLIONAIRE AND
FAIR COMPANION
KILLED IN WRECK
Santa Ana Car Hits Auto in Which
Samuel EImore and
Woman Are Riding
MYSTERY MARKS TRAGEDY
Rich Packer on Trip with Mrs.
Garretson While Wife Was
III in Pasadena
MYSTERY MARKS TRAGEDY


dent Of the Astoria Salmon Canning
company of Astoria, Ore, one of the
most prominent capitalists of the
northwest and a former owner of the
Morning Astorian. ana h woman COM
panton wer heurled to death when the
new speedster in which they were rid
ing was struck by an inbound Santa
Ana car at the Merrill street crossing
near Florencita Park yesterday after
noon. The auto was demolished and
the two victims were thrown to their
death 100 feet from where the car
struck the automobile.
There was considerable mystery as
to the identity Of the woman, and her
real name was not known until S. H.
Palmer, nephew of the dead man, ap-
peared at the morgue of Bresee Bros.
and identified her as Mrs. M. e. Gar
retson, the wife of a foreman formerly
employed in the cannery conducted by
Elmore.
Elmore left the bedside of his invalid
wife, who is in serious condition at
the Maryland hotel at Pasadena, en-
tered an auto and drove to Los An
geles, where he met Mrs. Garretson.
who had been staying at the Hotel Van
Nuys since last Thursday. The couple
went to the beach, it is believed, and
were returning to this city when the
accident happened.
The auto, which was recently pur-
chased by Edwin S. Armstrong of Salt
Lake City from the Western Motor
company, was loaned to Gilmore by the
owner 1t was being driven west in
Merrill avenue. A grove of walnut
trees obstructed the view of the tracks
of the Pacific Electric road and the
auto ran onto the second Of the four
track line and was struck.
BODIES TEN FEET APART
The motor car was carried a hun
dred feet on the fender of the rapidly
| moving car and the occupants of the
auto were tossed aside. Elmore landed
on the ballasted right-of-way and his
head came in contact with the rails.
| His skull was crushed and his body
| rolled to one side.
The woman remained in the auto un-
| til it was overturned and was hurled
| to the ground between the second and
third tracks. Her skull was fractured
and her body was crushed badly. In
ternal hemorrhage probably caused her
death. Her body was picked up about
ten feet from where Elmore fell. The
auto was tossed between the second
and third tracks.
The car was running at a rate of
forty miles an hour, SO the witnesses
and a representative of the railroad
company state, and ran 200 yards be-
fore the motorman was able to bring
it to a stop.
The car was number 413, in charge Of
Conductor Vacher and Motorman
Thornquist. 1t was inbound from
Santa Ana.
According to T. F. Flaherty, a pas
senger who occupied seat In the
front of the car, the motorman sounded
the whistle for two wagons and warned
the drivers, who hurried across the
tracks. Flaherty says the automobile
then appeared on the tracks and the
woman grasped the arm of the driver
of the machine and caused the car to
sWerye Before the motorman could
bring the car under control the auto
was struck.
The auto was struck just forward of
/ the rear left hand wheel. 1t was car
ried on the fender for distance of
100 feet, then tossed to the left. Inc
man was the first to be hurled from
the car. He struck head foremost
against the rail and his skull was shat
tered The woman remained in the
auto until 1t was turned on It's side.
She then lurched out of her seat and
fell on her head on the rocks along
the tracks. ..-
Converse avenue, who was the first
nerson to reach the bodies of the ILL
fated autoists, the auto was going west
in Merrill avenue and stopped Just be-
fore the tracks were reached, and then
attempted to go ahead.
"I was standing within 100 feet or
the tracks," said Hand. II saw dirt
wagon slow up at the crossing and then
heard the driver of the vehicle shout a
warning to Elmore. The latter came to
a full stop; drove on to the tracks, then
started forward. The inbound Santa
Ana car. without sounding a whistle,
dashed onward and struck the auto.
The motor car was carried along In
front of the car and dashed to one side,
100 feet from where the collision oc-
Cured. The car then ran more than
200 wards before 1t came to stop.
sT rushed to the side of the woman
and found her still breathing. She died
within q minute. then hurried to the
side of Elmore and found that he was
dead"
lanes Chambers, 10 years old, of 1889
East Sixty first street, was standing on
the rear porch of his home. He saw
the auto drive on to the tracks and
then witnessed the collision.
"The car was going at fast rate"
said the lad. 1.-THE auto was almost
squarely on the track when the woman
screamed, and 1 saw the automobile
picked up on the fender of the car and
carried forward. Then I saw both the
man and the woman tossed to one side
and the car ran long ways before it
stopped. When the car backed up both
of the persons in the auto were dead"
WELL KNOWN CAPITALIST
Elmore was one of the best known
capitalists in the northwest. He had
large holdings of lands in Washington.
oregon and Alaska. He was recog-
nized as the leading business man in
Oregon and on many occasions en-
gineered large deals. At one time he
was the sole owner OF the Morning As
torian, a leading newspaper Of that
section.
1t SENS that Elmore, who had been
in Southern California for the past
month, left his invalid wife in care OF
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