Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-30
DRIVER OF DEATH
CAR HELD SLAYER
lake FaikoYitCh Committed To Jail
without Bond 10 Await Action by
the Grand Jury.
roRoNER CONDUCTS INQUIRY
Witnesses Differ i'm stories Concerning
speed Of Car when Schernau Child
Is Run Down.

lake FaIkovitch, driver Of the jit-
new bus which ran down and killed Ed
r-fn Srbernau. aged s. last Wednesday
morning AZ FortY-hrst street and Sew
enth avenue. was this morning held as
I'M unlawful slayer" of the boy by
the rnroner's jury. Coroner r. c. J.
Never stated he would issue a mitti-
mus and FaIkOvitch viii be turned
over 20 the sherin's Office and held
without bail Prior to the inquest Fail
toyitch had been arrested by the po-
lice on a manslaughter charge and re
leased on $4,000 bonds. The grand
Jury will specify the exact nature Of
Inc charge to be placed against him.
TIE inquest was conducted at Dixon
4 NoelIer's undertaking parlors-
states Attorney Thompson appeared
for the state and FalkOvitch was repre-
scented nv Attorney r. r. Reynolds
Members of the corOner's jury were
Louis OhIweileT. foreman: II. +. Peter
son Robert Aul Frank BloChlinger.
n J. CIeland and J. NJ Fitzpatrick.
The testimony of Witnesses varied to
"A great degree. especially on the speed
the auto was travelling at the time of
the accident Two maintained that it
was going 20 miles an hour or better.
while two others held that it was not
hIv the most important testimony was
given by James Blythe, advertising dis
fributor. 1923 Fourth avenue, who was
on TOD OF Petcrson's grocery at the
time lacking signs. Blythe stated that
Ely started to rain about AS when the
school bell rang and he noticed all OF
the children enter the building from
the playground Shortly after he saw
four children on the north side Of Sew
cnth avenue at FOrty-frst street. He
surmised that they were late. as all
we're running Three of the children
crossed the street safely. but the other.
who proved "a be tho Schernau boy. re
NAMED behind An automobile funeral
procession was going west on Seventh
avenue al the time.
Runs Into street.
Blythe stated that the boy waited I'M
Nh the autos had stopped, then started
running across the street. He had just
reached the car tracks on the south
side when the car driven by Falko
witch struck him. Blythe said the lad
was knocked down by the left front
wheel. rolled under the car. then drag
ged d distance of % feet to the curb.
Blythe stated that the front wheels
went over the curbing, and that the
rear wheel crushed him against the
curb The driver jumped out and
picked up the lad and started talking
to him Later the victim was carried
into the store on the north side of the
street Blythe STATED that he saw Fail
kovitch driving close behind what ap-
peared 10 be taXicab before Forty
first street was reached. and that both
cars appeared to be racing.
Another important witness in de-
termining the speed Of the death car
Of driver
of an auto truck of the Gordon Van
Tine company Bauer stated that he
was bound for Moline on the morning
of the accident. He stated that when
lie reached a point midway between
Fortieth and Forty-first streets. Fall
kOyitch's car passed his truck. He
said that his truck was going about g
miles an hour at the time and that the
litbus must have been travelling at
least 20 miles an hour His brother,
William Bauer. helper on the truck. /
corroborated his testimony.
Falkovitch did not tell a connected /
story when testifying in his own be-
half He stated that he first saw the
child half a block away and sounded
his horn. He claimed then that he did /
not see the boy again until he was
right in front of the machine He
sweTyed sharply 10 the right in an eff (
Tort 10 avoid striking him and ran up
on the curbing TO the south. He stated
that the rear wheel struck the boy. He /
was certain that he was not going
more than ten miles an hour at the
time
Blythe in his testimony stated that
he did not hear any horn sounded.
Sleyin Aids Defendant.
Other witnesses 10 testify were Ed /
Slevin and Bert Bales of Davenport .
both drivers of cars in the funeral pro-
cessiOn. Both maintained that they .
did not think FalkOvitch's car was go
ing more than 10 miles an hour at the .
time. On discrimination by States
Attorney Thompson FalkOvitCh said
mat he had driven a jitbus of his own .
for three months and prior to that time .
had been employed by the Ford Motor /
company in Detroit for a year and half, /
and that he was well yersed in the OPP
GRAFTON Of a Ford car Falkovitch ex-
planned that the car he was driving on
the morning OF the accident was the .
property Of Nose Zukerman of Rock .
Island. and that he had just gone to
work for the owner that day.
Christian Schernau, father of the
hoy. testified that his son possessed
good eyesight and hearing and was un-
HNEV tai A.. IL