The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-01
MRS. WOODF0RD RESOLVED
 FROM ALL SUITABILITY
 IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT
PeddIers Attempt to Steal in Mercurio Home And Are Caught Red Hand ed-Confetti Shower in Town
 Hall
CBy Our Special Correspondent

l Fairfield, July Mrs. Isabella A. 1 Woodford. widow of the United States Consul to Spain at the time of the
 Spanish-American war, of New York 1 and Greens Farms, was exonerated | from all blame for the death of Will | liam Steinhauser, Myrtle court, 1 Bridgeport by Justice Bacon Wake
 man in the town. court yesterday. A 1 car driven by Mrs. W'Oodford ran | down and killed Steinhauser at the | Library corner on the afternoon of June 3. Coroner J. J. PheIan in a 1 finding handed down last week also
 held that Mrs. Woodford was blame | less.
 | As is the custom in cases where a 1 death results following an automobile 1 accident, a grand juror causes the ar
 rest of the person driving the car
 charging them with manslaughter and | reckless driving. This custom was carried out in the case of Mrs Wood ford. > Yesterday witne esses were call ed for the state in the mans1aughter case. Judge Fillmore s. Banks who with Attorney G. B. Hill acted for the defense, did not present any witnes-
 ses offering reasons to the court why
 the manslaughter charge should be dropped. Grand Juror King agreed with him and suggested to the court
 that the charge be dismissed and the court proceed with the reckless drfV- ing charge. Chauffeur William Browne, who was in the car with Mrs.
 Woodford at the time of the accident,
 was also charged with reckless dTdv- ing. Following a conference of coun- sel, the charge against him was drop ped. When the witnesses had been heard the court discharg the ac- -cused. In making his decision, Jus tice Wakeman said: This is one Of those cases where I have reason to be- Iiex-o all he a re telling the truth as they saw the accident. Each witness seems to have different point of view. I am satisfied Mrs. Wood ford took all precautions necessary, and that she was not careless or meg ligent in the management of her car. I am satisfied that the deceased did not by care1essness- or negligence con tribute. He did what most anyone would do under similar conditions. When we apprehend danger we gen orally do things we ought not to do. I find the accused not guilty
 Conrad Olson, the local auto truck
 man, residing in Cemetery avenue, was the first witness. MT. Olson stat ed that he was standing on the porch of the Boyle pharmacy on the after noon of the accident He happened to be looking up Spring street toward the post office when he saw an auto approaching. He noted that a wo-1 man was driving the car and that it's speed was about 20 to 25 miles per hour There was a. trolley caE stand ing at the switch The auto slowed down when nearing corner to about from 1 5 to 20 miles an hour Wit ness stated that at the corner the chauffeur reached over and put his hand on the steering wheel "I think the woman was unable to make the turn herself,e' said Olson, s'she did not seem to have the strength to do it. As the chauffeur took the wheel the car kept a direct course Wit ness stated that there was no signal given by the occupants of the car. He saw Steinhauser cross the road from the corner in front of Dr. Dona1dsons s home. When he saw the machine bear down upon him he took one step backward. It was then that the ma chine struck him. Under cross ex- animation, Olson stated that he took particular attention to the car be- cause of the fact that woman was driving.
 George ScI1uman and John Schu- man, brothers, residing in Elliot street were standing in front of the Boyle pharmacy just before the accident. George stated that he first saw the au- tomobile when it passed the fountain in Spring street. He considered the car was going about 1 5 or 20 miles an hour As the car turned the corner
 
 stand up and reach over and place his hand on the wheel. He heard no warn- ing horn sounded. He saw the man in the middle of the roadway take one step backward and then struck by the machine. John, his brother, first saw the machine as it was rounding the corner. The youthful witness did not venture to estimate the speed of the machine. He also saw the chauf- feur of the car stand up and aid the woman at the wheel. SteinhauSer, he l stated was in the middle of the road. When he saw the machine, he took one step backward and was struck.
 Paul Meade, 1741 Main street, 1 Bridgeport, 8, motorrnan for the Conn. | Co.,, was the next witness Meade's car was the trolley referred to in the l testimony of Olson. Witness stated | his car just as the trolley started for Bridgeport. The trolley was com 1 pletely out of the switch when the | auto rounded the corner. When the l trolley turned the corner, the man lay prone in the roadway with the auto | about ten feet ahead of him.
 With the completion of Meade's tes- | timony, the state rested its case. The | defense did not call any witnesses. i Following 8 short argument by Judge 1 Banks asking that the charge be dis missed, Grand Juror King then sug- l gested that he did not think the court | would be warranted in holding the | accused for manslaughter, but that there was grave question of reckless l driving.
 On the charge of reckless driving, | the defense attempted to show that the dead man had been drinking, and | that his condition might in a way be l a cause of the accident. The defense | called both Dr. Grover c. Sweet and | pr. w. H. CurIey of Bridgeport. Both declared they detected a strong odor of whiskey from SteinhauSer'S breath. | Grand Juror King became very much excited with the introduction of this | testimony, "I don't understand why | you bring this into the case nOw,'' he said, ''the mans1aughter charge has been dropped. We are trying the accused on the charge of reckless driving. What has the fact that the man had been drinking got to do with