Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-06-09
UNIQUE VERDICT BROUGHT IN by
JDRYCONSIDERING CHILD'SDEAIH

of the machine in the ditch.
Questions by Sheriff Rose and Dep
uty Attorney Brown showed that
Quinn might have taken a different
course, that instead Of keeping his car
at fairly good speed and attempting
to get past the frightened child he
might have at once applied the brakes
and stopped the machine. The bulk
of the evidence tended to show that
Quinn had used his judgment as an
expert driver in following the course
he did, that he took the less safe Of
two possible. ways, and that in his
case his judgment proved to be wrong.
as the child did not get out of the
way and he had not room to get past
at the speed he was going,
May Go to Grand Jury. ...
Deputy Brown indicated after the
INQUEST that the territorial grand jury
, may take up the matter when it meets
tomorrow afternoon. In view Of the
developments of last night, it is be
| lieved that the jury viii be called
upon to consider whether QRlinn's
| failure to stop his car on seeing the
child ahead Of him involves an error
serious enough to warrant criminal
proceedings. ~. 49, H.. . - :
| The inquest, held at the Pearl City
courthouse, began at 6 o'clock last
| evening and was an event in the sub
urban village that attracted a crowd
of curious onlookers. Many children
were present, not a few OF whom were
acquaintances of the girl who was
killed. Her father and other members
of the family we're present. G. W..
Nawaahoe was foreman of the jury.
1t was commented on as significant
that not member CT the jury asked
question during the entire exanina-
ton.
The first witness, the 1ether. :esti-
fed merely as to having seen the
girls body after the accident. Jose
| Batista, a young Spanish witness, told
of seeing two autos on the road near
Waipahu, black auto and red. one
the latter coming nom behind and
passing the black car. This black car
contained DR.. l.. N. Case, assistant
territorial veterinarian, Joe Richard,
milk Inspector, and F. w. Carl. ., re-
turning from down in the country.
The Quinn car, just before the acct
dent, passed Dr. Cases car. Batista
declared that the little girl ran into
the road and there Eesitated, turning
! first one way and then the other,
but this testimony was not, borne out
by other witnesses, who declared that
the girl ran rapidly across the 16-foot
highway. Another Spanish witness,
Diego Perez, thought that the acct
dent was due to the Quinn car trying
to get in front of the other His es-
innate of the speed of the ears,-the
Case car going at a moderate speed
and the other a littls faster, was aft
erward amplifed by Witnesses who
gave estimates Of the omileaee.
Assert Speed Not SIackened. .-~
Particularly valuable testimony was
given by Or. Case, Richard and Car
| ter, who followed In this succession.
DIR. Case swore that he heard no ma
chine behind him, that Richard told
him Quinn's car was trying to pass
and that he then moved his. car to
the right The child ran across the
road, he said, just after Quinn's car
drew ahead of his. As far as he could
see, DR.. Case testified, Quinn's car
did not slacken speed while running
toward the group OF chiidren, when
tthey were first seen, or later when the
girl detached herself from the group
and sped across the road His esti-
mate of Quinn's speed was "a to Is
miles an hour. DR.. Case testified that
when Quinn's car passed his, the road
in front of Quinn was clear and that
it was just after this the girl tried to
Cross. She would have been safe had
she remained with the other children,
! he testified.
f. w. Carriers testimony bore out
that of DR.. Case. He asserted that
| Quinn seemed to make no attempt to
stop his car until after the child was
struck. He agreed with Case that
Quinn forced his car far over into the
ditch to avoid the accident. In minor
particulars his story differed from
| that of Case, but in no essential
points, and the same holds true for
the evidence given by Joe Richard.
All three estimated the speed of their
own car at II or IS miles an hour.
DR.. R. ]. McGettigan, Oahu Sugar
Company's physician. made a written
/ statement as to the condition Of the
girls body
Boy Is Good Witness.
| A witness of unusual intelligence
was bright-faLed Portuguese b. Y. Joe
Alfonso, Is years old. His answers
were remarkable for direetness, clear.
less and the definite stat; merits he
made as to distances. He aaEe clear
account of the accident, much along
the line Of DR.. Case and mis- fellow.
| passengers.
J. w. Weinberg, who was a passen.
ger in Quinn's car, testified that he
was half-asleep, on the back, seat at
the time the accident occurred, tut he
remembered hearing the horn blown
three times in warning. He was ask
ed If Quinn had beer drinking during
the afternoon and testified thu, they
had taken one drink of gin at Aiea
about IFS in the afternoon, several
hours before the accident. He couldn't
say whether Quinn tried TO stop the
car when he saw the girl in the road.
Hubert Schreiner, an employee of
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