The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-10-07
For United States Senator.
DAVID J. LEWIS.
For Congress.
JESSE d. PRICE.
CORONER'S JURY
EXONEkAIES DYKES
Finds killing of Sarah Bryant Thurs
day Afternoon Accidental, And He
ieves Chauffeur from Blame.

The coroner's jury which heard
the evidence in the accident which
resulted in the killing OF sarah Ann
Bryant, an aged cOlUrcd woman, on
Thursday afternoon, close TO Mount
Holly, brought IN u verdict this
morning, in which the chauffeur was
exonerated from all blame Ior the
unfortunate affair.
The coroner's jury was composed
of the following gentlemen: Justice
J. H. C. Barrett, foreman; Aiessrs.
Edward Gibbons, John Phelps, Geo.
w. Moore, Daniel 3. LeCompte, Wal
ter BromwelI, Loney Slacum, Arthur
S. Hopkins, l.. Philip Skinner, john
H. Phillips, George Dean and Chas.
G. Pritchett.
The first witness was Mr.. Alonzo
L. Miles, OF Salisbury. Mr.. Miles
stated that he had hired the auto
mobile from Mr.. James Lowe, OF
Salisbury, and that Ebenezer Dykes,
who had the reputation OF being one
of the most careful chaufeurs i'll
Salisbury, was driving the car, and
stated further that it Was his Gus
tom when hiring an automobile to
get Mr.. Lowe to send Dykes to drive
it, on account of his reputation as
careful and experienced driver. He
stated that he had been TO Cam
bridge on business and had stopped
at the home of his daughter, Mis-.
Charles Wier, bringing her and her
little daughter to Cambridge With
Mrs. Miles and himself; that after
leaving Cambridge he had lett Mrs.
Wier at her home, and that they had
driven out of the lane and about 4
quarter of mile on their way to
Salisbury, when the accident hap
pened. He stated that upon meeting
another automobile, which was COM
ing in the direction OF Cambridge,
Dykes had driven over on the right
side of the road and had blown his
horn, and that just as they passed
the other car, they saw the colored
woman, about fifteen feet away;that
she was crossing the road from the
left side to the right, and that she
was then near the middle OF the
road; the chauffeur sounded his horn
and she looked up and stopped, and
that, of course, they thought she saw
them, and was waiting for them to
drive on; instead, just as the car was
almost opposite her, she jumped and
landed right under it.
Mr.. Miles stated that the car was
not. going: rapidly, in his Judgment
not more than Is or Is miles an
hour, and that, from the action OF
the woman, they felt perfectly GER
tain that she saw and heard the car
and had stopped to wait for it to
pass. He also stated that viewing
her actions, which resulted in her be-
ing killed, he could not believe 9th
erwise than that she became con-
fused and jumped in front OF the car
without realizing what she was do
ing.
After the accident the first persons
to come up were two young men
from Baltimore, this possibly being
four or five minutes afterward; then
the truck of the Eastern Shore Gas
and Electric Company, which was
coming to Cambridge, drove up, and
with the help of the two young men
the body was placed on the truck
and brought to the hospital, he, in
the meantime, hurrying ahead to the
hospital to get physician. He stated
that he telephoned from the hospital
for DR.. Wolff, and found that he was
in Baltimore, and then teIephoned
for other physicians, but could not
States Attorney, but he was in the
country at the time. While he was
of he opinion that the woman was
almost instantly killed, he naturally
was anxious to save her life if pos
sible. He stated that following the
accident he went to q house in the
field, not a great distance from the
accident, in an endeavor to find out
who she was, so as to notify heI
relatives, and that they promised tc
do so; in fact, said that they had al
ready done SO.
Mr.. Miles was followed by the
chauffeur, Mr.. Dykes, who stated
about the same thing, that he was
driving slowly at the time for two
reasons; in the first place he haC
Just turned out of the Wier lane, land
had not time to increase his speed
but little, and secondly, because he
was meeting a car and always slow
ed down when doing so. He stated
that he first saw the colGred woman
when the machine he was meeting
passed, that she was, he thought
about fifteen feet away; that he blew
his horn, she looked UP and stopped
and that he never dreamed but that
she saw him and would wait for him
.