Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1919-11-29
PROVE LLEWELLYN CASE.

- wv ivy W lppSul lol tuC
1agcd today and Will not be satisfied
against Lanncs Licwcliyn in the jul
yenilc court.
If ether Ethel Lcakc or Jane Pull
Ter dies oil the injuries from which
they are now lying unconscious III
Stuart Circle Hospital, The News
Leader will call upon Commonwealth'S
Attorney Wise to swear out Il war
rant charging manslaughter and to
Investigate to the last detail Il tragc,
dy that has stirred all Richmond.
Public sentiment long veXcd by
reckless driving in Richmond, is out
ragged today and will not be satisfied
with perfunctory Investigation per
haps fine for reckless driving, Il
Ice turc from Judge Kicks and the
speedy conclusion OF the whole mat
ter. If young Llewcllyn was the act
or i'll what his father describes as
an 'cntircly unavoidable" accident,
he is entitled to Il vindication based
upon full examination of all the
witnesses. If he has been guilty of
criminal negligence III tho careless
operation of Il high-powercd car,
then the condition Of his victims,
the welfare OF other children and
the peace of mind of parents in the
city require that he be punished to
the limit of the law.
III this seems an unusual position
for the News Leader to take it may
be answered that the case is even
more unusual: A group of children
were standing on the pavement at
the southeast corner of Floyd ave
nue. and Meadow street. 1t was their
proper place to stand while waiting
to make the crossing. Down the ave
nue. toward Meadow comes large
car, driven by 17-year-old boy and
crowded with some friends. Meadow
street is smooth-pavcd and one OF
the most frcquently-used of all the
uptown cross'Strccts. Careful drivers
even though they have the east and
west right of way, always slow down
as they approach it. Whether the
hoy did this or not does not yet ap-
pear. 1t is said that to avoid Il col
lision with an unidentified lighter
car which was passing through Mead
ow street, he put on his brakes and
Vccrcd moro toward the southsidc OF
the street. According to the police
the streak made on the roadway by
his locked hind wheels shows that
young Llcwcllyn applied his brakes
something NOR than thirty-one yards
from the point the children were
standing. Any authority upon auto
mobiles who will examine the car can
probably tell at what speed it would
have been moving to have Ekiddcd
more than ninety feet before it came
to stop. 1t had, at least, sufficient
momentum when it reached the curb
stone to mount it and to strike the
children (standing where they should
have been safc) with sufficient force
to break the leg and to fracture the
skull of the little Fuller girl and to
ruin the foot and fracture the skull
OF the Leake child not to mention the
injury to the two children Of Major
Hanllins. Beyond this, it is only nee
ossary to add that tho police in the
East END reported for speeding what
they believe to be the Same car some
time earlier i'll the afternoon.
The News Leader does not PREJUDICE
the case. 1t has for the family OF
young Llcwellyn the deepest sympa-
thy, for all must be suffering acutcly
at the plight of the youngster But
if the sidewalks at the crossings are
to he as dangerous as the streets, and
and If the parents cannot he assur-
ed their children arc safe when they
remain on the paycments, then where
are the children OF the city to go?
Must they remain indoors or in the
backyards of the families, on the
theory that the pavemcnts as we'll
rs the streets, regardless of the ped
ostrians, belong exclusively 10 auto,
mobile driVcrS--to speed as they
please, reckless of the rights and
lives of others?
Rdchmond has some 1880 automo-
bilcs licensed to use the highways.
Probably 10000 of these are always
driven with the utmost care and
with full regard for the people who
walk. Perhaps an additional 1000
are driven less carefully, but not
always rccklcssly. There remain per
haps 5OO-certainly not more-that
are i'll the hands OF persons who are
contcmptu0usly disdainful of the
man who does not own an automobile.
Quite often as every old AUTOMOBILE
list knows, the most reckless of =. all
are youngsters who are driving their
fathers cars and are Showing off"
for the benefit Of young people with
whom they are riding Indulgent po-
lice and oycrworked courts have
been exceedingly lenicnt with these
persons whom they have been brought
up for speeding or for careless and
reckless driving. AS result, some
think themselves above the law--an
elect class who always have the right
OF way and always are right in what
ever they do. The News Leader does
not put young Llewellyn in this class
because the News Leader knows moth
ing whatever about him. But The
News Leader is satisfied that what
happened yesterday has been in the
making for months-that drivers
have been growing more and more
c1rplpSS that ocai6onfc hovo 1,o,,,