Evening star., 1915-01-01
WITH THE CORONER.

Dr. J. Ramsay Nevitt, District coro-
ner, had work enough to keep him busy
during the year, and much of his work
involved police assistance. 1t was nee
essary for the police to render assist
ance in the score of homicides that oc-
CURED during the twelve months, near
ly threescore Of suicides and approxi-
mately 115 accidental deaths. Certifi-
Gates of death from various causes, in
cluding cases in which bodies were cre-
mated. aggregated something like 1.4O0.
Beginning January / with the killing
of an elderly man by an automobile,
the police and coroner found it neces-
sary to look into accidents of various
kinds from day to day. The number Of
fatal accidents on steam car tracks
showed decided decrease as compared
with the time prior to the construction
of Union station, and. it is stated, street
car accidents were not numerous.
Motor vehicles were respo nsible for
numerous deaths during the year. those
investiPated by the police and coroner
being the following:
Newman Roach, knocked down and
run over; Mary koones, playing In
street and ran against automobile;
Charles F. Keys became confused while
automobile: Joseph J. Minson. Jr.. col
lision between motor truck and velooi-
pede; Edward Butler, caught between
automobile and wall at place of en-
ployment; William Brown, collision be-
tween motor truck and bicycle; Pearl
j. Calvert, struck by automobile while
in street; Eli Beach. run over; Basiel
Kashouty, knocked down and run over
by motor herdic; Ralph Parthemore,
run over by automobile; George Freeze,
run over by automobile: Clara B. David 4
son. struck by automobile; Raymond
Norris, struck by automobile while
by automobile and run over; DR.. w. II.
Wunder, bursting of tire overturned
automobile; Alexander Goskirk, struck
by automobile.
Homicides Claimed Attention.
The homicides that claimed the atten-
tion of the coroner and police during
the year and in which inQuests were
held, including accidents which re-
suited in the holding Of persons ac-
cused of responsibility for deaths, in
cluded the following: Philip Mould.
patient at the Government Hospital Tor
the Insane, kicked to death by another
patient. Charles Silberdorss. alias
Charles A. Stevens. justifiably killed
by Jennie Lewis; Mrs. Lena Raboy,
shot by her son-in-law. Herman ka-
bansky, Ethel Jefferson, colored. killed
with a bottle: Joseph Smith, colored.
thrown from Aqueduct bridge; John X.
Bell, struck with shovel; James Sprigge,
stabbed in chest: Robert Taylor, col
ored, stabbed to death; Mrs Lulu Nay
lor, shot; Mrs. Lizzie Taylor, throat
cut by husband; Louis Wolf. kicked to
death by low-patient at the Govern
ment Hospital for the Insane; Bessie
comb, who committed suicide; Frank
Mann, stabbed with pair of shears:
John Dove, killed by street car. and
motorman held for grand jury; Al.
oil chnf
by a companion. who was held for ths
grand jury; Bertha Hawkins, throat
cut by husband: John Wesley. colored.
stabbed to death; Gertrude Jackson,
shot by her husband; Woodford Gibson,
colored, struck with a stick in a bar
room; Samuel Clifton Liverpool, struck
on head with brick; Charles Raymond
Norris, newsboy, killed by automobile,
occupant of which was held for the
grand jury.
Inquest in Motor Cases.
In case of each fatal accident IL
which a motor vehicle was involved
and in each homicide case the coroner
held an inquest, which necessitated an
extra amount of work on part Of the
police. In all instances in which the
coroner deemed accidents to have been
unavoidable and in which blame was
not attached to persons other than the
victims inquests were not held.
In a number of instances persons died
as result of the use of what Coroner
hewitt thought was an unsafe gas fix
ture. He advocated an inspection Of
gas fixtures. but, it is stated, the dam
gerous fixtures are still numerous.
During the hot weather there were
many drowning accidents, some of the
victims losing their lives as a matter
Of carelessness, while others were
seized with cramps while swimming.
DR.. Charles Stanley White, who served
as deputy coroner for a number of
years. resigned his position December
|. The vacancy was filled by the ap-
pointment of DR.. William b. Carr,
whose father formerly held the position
If coroner.
An unusual happening during the
year involved the suicide of two pris-
,ners in the District jail and two homi-
,ides in the Government Hospital for
he Insane. Lee Hing. a Chinaman. and
David Oliver were the prisoners who
suicide, while the patients
who were killed were Philip Mould
md Louis Wolf