Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-10
CHAUFFEUR HELD
FOR DEATH OF Boy;
FOUR OTHERS HURT
Child Instantly Killed in Col
lision of Automobiles in
West Orange.

John Hodge chauffeur for r. G.
/ Hal manager of the. Hotel Montela r,
was held in $4,000 bail by Recorder
/ Thomas Mclaughlin in West Orange
today on a charge of manslaughter.
preferred by Chief of Police William
Bamford, in connection with the
death of Clifford Palmer, four years
old, in an automobile crash In Pros
pect avenue, West Orange, yesterday.
The dead boy Is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank C. Palmer. of 166 North
Centre street, Orange. He was ki led
when a car driven by Hodge hit his
/ fathers ear. Mr.. and Mrs. Palmer,
Mrs. James j. Regan, of 1S1 Day
! street, Orange. and Kenneth Palmer,
six years old, are In the Orange Me-
NOR al Hospital as a result of the ac-
cident. Mrs. Palmer has a fractured
hip, bruises on the body and is suf-
fering from shock Palmer has
broken collarbone and is suffering
from shock. Mrs. Regan and the boy.
! however, are suffering only from
minor hurts, and 1t is expected they
will be alb Q to leave the hospital N
day or so.
The West Orange police say the ac-
cident was caused by Hodges des re
to avoid taking the dust of the
Palmer machine. Palmer, who was
at the wheel of his car. drove the ma
chine past Hodges motor The ma
ch.nes were on rather steep nil.
When Hodge saw the other car pass
him he put on speed. As his mach ne
shot by the other it swerved aside
and the right rear mudguard struck
the Palmer car. The blow was only
slight one, but 1t was sufficient to
cause Pa mer's car to turn and the
| steering wheel was twisted out of the
drivers hand.
The bag machine leaped to the side
Of the road, turned two complete
somersaults, and landed upside down
on the ground twenty feet from
where the coll sion occurred. When
the car stopped it was pointed in the
opposite direction to which II had
! been going. All it's occupants were
pined beneath it.
In the car with Hodge were three
employees Of the Hotel Montclair.
! Hodge did not stop the car after the
accident He was cont nuing on his
way when he was halted by Mounted
Policeman Crossiaus, who heard the
crash and rode out on his horse to in
vestigate.
In the meantime ambulances had
been summoned, and police ana sur
geons were caring for the victims Of
the crash. When the wrecked car
was turned right SIDE up Clifford
/ Palmer was dead. The other occu-
pants were hurried to the Orange
Memorial Hospital. Detective Ber-
nard Heslin, Prosecutors Detective
Walter Godfrey and Sergeant James
Wilson, of the Essex county park po-
lice, took charge OF the wreck unt!l
DR.. NJ. Herbert Simmons, deputy
county phys clan, arrived. Dr. Sim
mons took the body of the dead child
TO Kunz's morgue, Orange, in his
automobile.
In the machine with Hodge were
these employees OF the Hotel Mont
CLAIR Miss Helen Sullivan, telephone
operator; Miss Barbara Golsong, of
8S Harrison avenue, West Orange,
stenographer, and James j. Byrne,
night clerk. They were held in 81, ,0O0
/ bail each as witnesses.
Hodges employer obtained former
Judge Thomas A. Davis to defend his
/ chauffeur. The latter told the West
E, Orange police he was not racing with
the other machine. He said Palmer s
car hit him.