Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-27
Christian Schernau Sees Flu
neral Pass and Then
Meets Death.
CAR DRIVEN AS JITNEY
Jake Falkovitch Says Ma
chine Was Not Exceed
ing Limit of Law.

An automobile killed a 7-year-old
boy bound for school. after a funeral
had passed him at the corner of Sew
enth avenue and Fortieth street, at
o'clock this morning. The victim is
Edward Schernau, who lived at
Bethany home.
The wheels of the car dragged him
10 the south curb of Seventh avenue.
The machine. which was operating as
a jitney bus between Rock Island and
Moline, was driven by Jake Falko-
witch and is owned by Nose Fucker
man Of Rock Island. Three passen-
gers in the car disappeared after the
accident happened.
The Schernau boy was still living
when he was picked up from the
bernie on the south side of the ave
nue. and taken into Anderson Bros
store, 4011 Seventh avenue. DR..
Charles F. Freytag passed in his ma
chine shortly after the accident and
was called to attend the boy. The
ambulance arrived later and the lad
was taken to St. Anthony's hospital.
Ii was a race for death, as no sooner
had the child been placed in the
ambulance than it was noted that he
was dying. Just as he was being plac-
ed in bed at the hospital he expired.
The right side Of his chest was crush
ed the body having been caught be-
tween the wheel and hood of the ma
chine. Internal hemorrhages caused
his death, in the opinion of DR.. Frey
tag.
Awaits Funeral to Pass.
The Schernau boy left Bethany home
at $50 O'Clock for Longfellow school,
corner FOrty-second street and Sew
enth avenue When he reached For
tieIh street on Seventh avenue a flu
neral was passing and he waited at
the corner He was on the north side
Of the avenue on the east side of the
street When the funeral had passed
he started across the street.
FaikOvitch was driving the automo-
bile east on Seventh avenue. He saw
the boy, he says, and tried TO avert
hitting him by turning his car to the
south One wheel caught the lad and
pinned him between the wheel and the
hood, dragging him with the car over
the curbing on the south side Of the
street
Falkovftch stopped his car The
passengers got out and by the time
police had arrived disappeared. James
Blythe was an eyewitness to the &C
cident He did not say, however,
whether or not the car was speeding.
Ed Slavin. owner of the Blackhawk
Taxicab company Of Davenport, was
also witness Of the mishap. He told
police the boy walked into the path
Of the car. He made no statement con-
corning the speed Of the machine.
The driver. FalkOvitch. insisted to
police that he was not exceeding the
speed limit He said his car was not
proceeding at a rate Of speed higher
than 10 miles an hour. He said he saw
the boy and made an effort to avoid
hitting him.
Authorities Differ.
Authorities on the other hand said
they believe that FalkovitCh was drlV-
ing the car in excess of the limit pro-
vided by law. which is 10 miles an
hour. They argued that if the ma
chine was travelling no faster than 10
miles Falkovitch would have had COM
plete control of the machine, could
have stopped the car before striking
the lad. or could have turned the ma
chine far enough south TO avoid hit
ting the boy. They argue, further,
that the machine could have been
clCppFQ before IL ndu C4lIlpCu OFc4 bIC
curb if the speed at which ii had been
operating was 10 miles or under.
Father Lives Here.
The matron at Bethany home stated
today that the records there showed
that the father, Christian Schernau,
Sr, lived at Seventeenth street and
Ninth avenue. Rock Island. Two broth
ers also survive. Mr.. Schernau is en-
ployed al Rock Island arsenal The
Schernau boy had lived at the Bethany
home several years. His mother is
dead The remains were removed TO
Dixon & Moeller's undertaking par
lors. Coroner r. c. ]. Meyer was noti
fed OF the tragedy and the inquest
probably will be conducted late this
afternoon.
Falkovitch is being held by police
pending the verdict Of the corOner's
jury.