Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1917-04-06
YOUNG GIRL KILLED BY CAR
VIOLA BEVERIDaE THE VICTIM
ROY McaREaoR AND BEN
COEN ARE He'd

VIOLA BEVER1DGE THE VICTIM
ROY McGREGoR AND BEN
C0EN ARE HEAD
The life Of small girl was snuffed
out Friday evening as the first toll of
the season by an automobile and now
two young men are sitting in the coun-
ty jail here awaiting the action of the
court on charges of manslaughter in
the second degree. The victim of the
accident was Viola Beveridge, Swear
| old daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. William
Beveridge Of this city and the men
| who are being. held, charged with caus-
| ing her death, are Ben Coen. and Roy
McGregor, both local men.
| The accident occurred at the corner
| of Fourth street and First avenue
northeast, near the Episcopal church,
| at about 6 p. m. The automobile was
just, turning the corner to 90 down
First avenue when the girl was struck.
She was on roller skates and was Just
going to cross to the other side of the
| avenue. Several other small children,
including two of Mr.. and Mrs. Val. E
Kasparek, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
| Ole Kjelshus and daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. j. G. Patience, were with the
Beverage girl at the time of the &C.
cident and they narrowly escaped be-
ing hit by the car.
A coroner's inquest was held Satur-
day afternoon to determine how the
| girl was killed and to fix blame, if
there was any. r. L. Palmer, M. B..
Blake, Frank Dufort, Claude RAYMOND.
S. P. Hershey and Ed. Myers composed
the coroner's jury and s. P. Trebby,
county coroner, presided. Before the
inquest began Drs. G. M. A. Fortier
and j. B. Hoist performed an autopsy
On the body. They testified at the in
quest that death was caused bv a rup-
ture of the pleural cavity allowing air
to enter it, which caused the lungs to
collapse: This was probably caused
by violent blow on the head. The
girls brain was congested, they testi-
fed.
Mrs. J. A. Anderson, one of the wit
nesses Of the accident and who testi-
fed at the inquest, stated that the car
was travelling very fast when it turned
the corner on First avenue at Fourth
street. She said that the girl had just
left the sidewalk when the car struck
her and that the car was on the wrong
side of the street. The little cir;
grasped the fender of the car and chung
to it for a time, Mrs. Anderson said,
but she was unable to hang On and as
she dropped the front wheel of the car
passed over her. The screams Of Mrs.
Anderson attracted several other peo-
pie.
When the car stopped the girl was
still under it in pool of water, Mrs.
Anderson said. She said she ran across
the street toward the car and as she
approached it McGregor, who was then
picking the child up, told her to keep
still and to stay away.
McGregor and Coen had been driv-
ing very recklessly all afternoon and
the police were on the lookout for them
at the time Of the accident. Patrol
man James Larson saw them speeding
as they rounded the corner of Broad
way and First street north, going
north, shortly after S o 'clock. He wait:
ed for them, intending to arrest them
when they came back. When they
came down town again, after the ac'
cident, McGregor, owner Of the car
was driving, and the brother of the
girl who was hit by the car was along
with him. They had previously take1
the girl home. Patrolman Larson and
DR.. G. M. A., Fortier went along will
McGregor to the Beveridge home. The
girl passed away shortly before I
CLOCK.
Sheriff Felix, upon learning of thu
accident, called up to find out how thu
girl was, and was informed thai she ha6
passed away. He Immediately arrested
McGregor and short time after hi
found Coen in saloon down town.
! The coroner's jury at the inquest
Saturday afternoon, heard the testi
mony of several witnesses and within
a few minutes after the taking Of tes
timony was finished they returned Their
verdict, which was as follows: tviols
Beverage met her death on the 3Oth
day Of March, 1917, in the city Of Lit
tie Falls, Morrison county, Minnesota
and that her death was due to being
struck by an automobile then and there
recklessly, carelessly and negligently
driven by one Roy McGregor and one
Ben Coen, then and there in charge of
said automobile
On Monday morning a preliminary
hearing was given the two defendants
in Municipal court. McGregor waived
examination and was bound over to
the grand jury on a charge of second
degree manslaughter. Coen's hearing
was continued until in the afternoon