The Penn's Grove record., 1923-12-28
Struck by Auto
Dying In Road
Merciless Tragedy In Death of
Catherine Lafflin in Carneys
Point On Christmas Eve

Full of all the merrmy, y,at of the ap-
preaching Joy of Christmas little
Catherine Laffine met her death in a
merciless tragedy on Christmas Eve
In front of the Carney Point Post
Offlce, when after being struck, with
terrible impact, was left dying on the
eoge OF the road until some minutes
later she was found by people passing.
Little Catherine aged eight and a
half years had left her home at 2156
Avenue ID, at about $50 to go get a
soda and stop at the Post Office to see
II an expected package from a relative
IN Brooklyn had arrived.
The little tot was beaming over with
the spirit of Christmas and was happy
when she left her mothers sight, to
bring back great big box, SO big it
would take two to carry it" as she ex-
pressed to her mother upon leaving.
She presumably joined some other
children for it is alleged that she was
seen looking in store window.
From then on the tragedy is mys-
terry. At about five minutes of six
the child was found on the trolley
tracks opposite the Carney Point Post
Office by Martin Wolfer, Bertha Baer-
swyle and James and Milton Wolfer
who are said to have been passing
in an automobile.
She had been hit with a terrible i'm
pact, as was shown by examination
and was not dragged, as has been
rumored. The impact must have thrown
her several feet for her skull was
fractured, left leg broken, right leg
crushed, her head and face terribly
mutilated and was evidently seriouly
injured internally.
Immediately after the accident the
police and coroner sent out warning
to neighboring towns and the State
Troopers put on the job. In Penns
Grove and Carney Point cars were
stopped and examined for sometime,
but no traces of the accident found.
Catherine was one of four children
of Peter and Catherine Latin, who
have been living in this community in
termittently for five years having
come from Newly ork For the past
few years they have made their home
at 2156 Avenue D, Carney Point. Mr..
Latin is employed at the Dye Works.
The other children are George aged
16, Nellie aged 5, and Helen aged 10,
who was a constant companion of
CatheI mes. The two it seems were
always together, often having been
taken fot twins. and it seems almost
a miracle that they were not together
ON this occasion.
Burial services took place this Fri
day morning in st. James r. c. Church
with Father Massey officiating. Burial
was in Emmanuel Cemetery.
CorOnOr's Inquest
Coroner, H. F. Ashcraft, held his
inquest of the TRAGEDY in the Borough
Hall, Penns Grove, ON Thursday night,
when some startling evidence was
presented before Edward Coslett, Lem
uel Lounsbury, Peter Meade, Alfred
M. Light, Harry Stout, and John
Blaess, all of Carney Point, acting as
coronor's jury.
Upon the evidence presented the
jury returned after twenty minutes
deliberation with the verdict that
Martin Wolfer, Deep Water, be held
for the Grand Jury.
Wolfer, it seems was driving a car
from Deep Water towards Penns Grove
accompanied by Miss Bertha Baeswyl,
who was beside him in the front seat.
In the back seat of the car were James
and Milton Wolfer, brothers of the
driver.
According to their story, it seem
that they came upon the child lying
on the trolley tracks near the centre
of the road opposite Carney Point
Post Office. There being switch at
this point, the turn out of the tracks
extends well towards the middle of
the road.
Upon seeing the something in the
road they stopped, altho their testi-
mony as to who saw the child, at what
time they saw it and the location of
the body with respect to the position
of the car is more or less confusing
and cnflicting.
Milton Wolfer, the youngest of the
party, aged IA, testified that he first
saw the body from the back window
of the car, that the car did not stop
suddenly, nor did he feel any impact.
These statements were the same by
all of the witnesses who were in the
car.
The child was then carried into the
drug store of Ralph d. Justice, from
where they tried to get in touch with
Penns Grove physicians. Not finding
those in who were called they drove
to Penns Grove and not being able to
get in touch with any drove back to
the Plant Hospital, but the doctors
in charge were only on duty, subject
to call. Charles K. Leonard imme-
diately arrived and found the child
dead, life having probably having ex-
pired on the way to the Plant. They
then took the child to fire headquar-
tiers in Carneys Point where Chief R.
Hurley took charge of the body and
later DR.. o. Baker examined 1T with
the foregoing results and the parents
notified.
Until Thursday morning the. mys.-
terry was no nearer a solution than II
had been the night of the accident for
everything seemed to point toward the
belief that the car and driver who had
committed the brutal act had goiten
awav and that Wolfer and parties had
.,.,.;.,od on the scene several minutes