The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-03
County Coroner Quits Inquests
on Auto Accidents.
Juries VIII Take No RESPONSE
bility, He Points Out.
ONLY CIVIL ACTION IS. LEFT
Unless Complaint Is Filed At
tOrney Cannot Act.
Coroner Decides to Make Own
Investigation.

Fhe habit of passing the buck"
which has characterized coroner's
juries in Shawnee county has resulted
in a determination by DR.. H. L. Clark.
county coroner, not to hold an inquest
into the death of Mrs. r. d. Slower,
1919 West Eighth avenue, who was
killed last Monday when an Essex
motor car. driven by Scott Smith, IL
year-old son of E. H. Smith, sos Hun
toon street, crashed into a street rail-
way pole at Tenth avenue and Van
Buren, street.
His experiences with ccroner's juries
during inquests into the recent fatal
automobile accidents has convinced
Doctor Clark that there is no use in
going to the trouble and expense of
checking the matter up to a jury of
six men. Altho he has reason to be
lieve, he says. that young Smith was
speeding when the accident occurred
and that the accident was .avoidable
he considers 1t useless to attempt to
fix the blame by holding an inquest.
Tinkham Veale. county attorney,
while standing ready, to prosecute with
all the powers of his office any per-
son against whom a complaint for
such an accident may be given, has
also had experience with juries who
seem to regard such matters as out of
the jurisdiction of the courts. The
only remedy left to the injured parties
under the present system in Shawnee
county is civil action. In some cases
this has proved effective, altho it APP
pears not to have been very success
full in thinning out the speeders.
Call Them Accidents
In pointing out the total ineffi-
cheney of coronerS' juries. attention
has been called to many cases which
have occurred in Shawnee county re-
Gently. The last was the inquest into
the death of John Chandler, 10, of 321
Klein street, who was killed December
10 when an Essex car driven by Or
Vile Diffenderfer, 1907 North Quincy
street, overturned near Silver Lake.
Chandler was fatally injured and seven
other young folks hurt, some of them
seriously.
Bat the coroner's jury in this
case. altho there was considerable evil
containing the enlightening informa-
ton that Chandler had came to his
death in an auto accident, when Diff
fenderfer's car turned over.
The ingenuity of the coroner's juries
in searching out and presenting IN
confined to auto accidents alone. An
inquest into the death of Mrs. Jane
Sims Williams. the negro woman who
was killed during q gun fight at the
home of Joe Jennings. $40 North Tay-
/ lor street, December 49, returned Il
NeEuiCI tndJ MIS-. Williams ndQ come
to her death thru bullet wounds in
flicted by parties unknown. Not for
many years, at least. has a coroner's
| jury taken upon itself the RESPONSE
bility of fixing the blame for crime
So Doctor Clark has given it up as
a bad job. He will investigate things
himself, just as he has in the past
and DO what he can to assist the Off
GERS of the law. Anyway, that viii
save the taxpayers money.
As for County Attorney Veale; II
anyone desires to bring a complaint
against the drivers of automobiles
which are smashed when speeding, re-