The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-10-03
Men Who Caused Fatal Auto
Wreck in East Whately
Live in Chicopee
CLAIM THEY HELPED
THE GASS FAMILY
Their Story Entirely Different from
That Told by Tourists and Others
Who Were on the Scene Shortly AT
ter the Accident Occurred.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass, Oct. 3-The
young Joy riders whose automobile is said
to have disappeared at high speed after it
had wrecked Thomas j. Gasss automobile
and Killed baby in East Whately Sunday
afternoon have been rounded up. The
Oheopee police and Inspector Joseph
baly OF the state police last evening had
eight Chcopee young fellows in the Chico
pee pollce station, where they told their
story, No arrests were made and tho
eight were permitted to go home. Two of
them, however, agreed to appear in tho
Greenfield police court to answer whatever
charges may be lodged against them Tho
two are Joseph Dclehant, IS. of 25 Crane
street, who drove the death car. and Iars
hrusell, "A. OF GInley road. who owns i
Alter days work yesterday the entire
party OF young fellows who figured in the
latal accident was gathered in bv Marshal
Barnes and Inspector Richard A. Dooley
OF the Ch1copee police department with
inspector DAILY. Besides the two men
VINO are expected to go to Greenfield.
there were these: Frank Jay, 10, Joseph
I. Lyons, y, Thomas Lynch. Is. Albert
Moreau, Is, William McGowan. 10. and
Raymond Hall, L.
The story they told was substantially
tins: They left Chicopee at II.3O Saturday
night and stayed all night at a camD on
Nlne-Alile pond, Sunday morning they
came to Springfield for breakfast. and
drove through Chicopee to Mt. Tom. From
there they went to Greenfield, where they
had dinner just after O'Clock thev
started Tor northampton. In passing the
family motor party Of Thomas J. Gass of
Greenheld in Whately they allowed too
little space and caught the Gass automo-
pie front hub with their rear wheel.
II he wreck, which landed the Gass ma
chime upside down in farm yard, killing
the B-months-old baby and seriously in,
Jurlng Alfred Gass, II, resulted.
They declared they stopped 25O yards
down the road and backed up to the SPOT
OF the accident. They helped pull the
Class family out from under the upturned
touring car and hurried the injured boy to
the Dickinson hospital in Northamptop
They then took Mr. Gass home Four Of
the young men boarded a trolley car some
where near the scne OF the crash and
rode back to Chicopee The other four. in
cludlng krusell, the car owner. and Dele
hant, the driver, did not start for home
until they had put the boy in the hospital
and left Mr.. Gass "at home" None of
them reported to the police and were un.
apprehendcd until yesterday afternoon.
1he young mems story differs at impor-
tant points from the stories told by tour.
lists and neighbors Sunday. W. 4. Davcn-
port, Greenfield attorney, who Sunday
night offered 500 reward for the detection
OF the Joy riders. said he drove up to the
spot OF the wreck within a few minutes
alter the crash, and that he later took
Mr., and Mrs. Gass and their two BOYS
who were unhurt to the home of Mr.
Hass's brother in South Deerlicld. No
body around the accident reported the
attacking car to have come back to the
spot. Polish farmer two miles down
the road said he saw car full of young
men stop in front of his farm, remove
their number plates and dash on
There Is none to refute the young men s
claim that they carried the injured boy to
the Northampton hospital Nobody
knows whose car performed that service
Those about the accident said it was "a
passing automobile party" and could fur
nish no more definite information.
The injured Gass boy was in favorable
condition in the Northampton hospital
last night. He has head injuries and
bruises, but is expected to recover Mr.
and Mrs. Gass and their two other sons
at their home in Greenfield were complete
ly recovered yesterday from the shock Of
the accident