Evening star., 1924-12-02
TRAFFIC CRIMINALS
CLAIM -FOUR MORE;
TOV|CT|MD DIES
Two Couples Struck Crossing
Street by Drivers, Who
Speed On.
FATALITY Is RESULT
OF CRASH YESTERDAY
Eleven Injured Is Days Totai
Man and Wife in Serious
Condition.

AS the fervent traffic pleas of ma-
nicipal authorities were beginnin.
today their routine journey througE
the grinding legislative mill on Capi
tol Hill, Washingtons traffic laby
rinth inexorably continued to tax
its toll of dead and injured.
The count overnight included on
fatality and eleven injured. FouI
of the latter were the prey of "traffic
criminals" who fed precipitateil
into the night, while their victims,
some with broken bones and bleed
ing bodies, struggled out of the wa.
of oncoming machines. One of the
fleeing drivers was a woman, who
is said to have resisted efforts OF
one of her two victims to halt heI
And an undermanned police force
methodically wrote on its books two
more accident fugitive" cases for its
Detective Bureau. already staggering
under the seemingly hopeless task OF
bringing to justice the four death
car drivers whose speeding autos
snuffed out the lives of as many
citizens within the month just ended
Victim of Two Crashes.
The one death was that of Bernard
kinard, colored, who succumbed early
today at Casualty Hospital from
numerous injuries sustained early
yesterday in two successive colli-
sions, the first between the truck he
was driving and a street car and the
second between the automobile in
yrrh fol1 \
hospital and another machine.
Those injured by fleeing drivers
were Mr.. and Mrs. Gregory A. Ech-
holm OF 1921 NJ street. and Mr.. and
Mrs. William Brown, colored, of Ais
Sheriff road northeast. Both couples
were crossing the street. arm in arm.
when automobiles bore down Oh
them from out Of the darkness, scat
tered the human barriers like so many
tenpins and left 10 others the duty
of ministering to their wounds.
The tag numbers of neither of the
cars could be obtained, and but bare
descriptions of the recreant drivers
were furnished to the police as
basis upon which to proceec with
their hunt.
Woman Was Driver.
Mr.. and Mrs. Eckholm were cross
ing Massachusetts avenue, near Seventh
street, when a closed car, operated BY
a woman, crashed into them, caromed
them several yards as they sprawled il
the street and then. hesitantly. started
away, police were told. The husband, Il
is reported. managed to regain his feet
in time to grab for the door Of the
sedan, which had been partly opened by
the driver, but lost out when the woman
slammed the door in his face and went
on. Two other women were said to be
passengers.
The pair were treated by Dr. John
J. Shugrue of 1898 Massachusetts ave
nue. for minor bruises and shock.
The colored couple were walking on
Sheriff road, near Forty-second street
northeast, late last night when a tour
ing car knocked them down and con-
tinued on its way. The unconscious
husband and wife were rushed to
Casualty Hospital in a passing automo-
bile. At the hospital it was found bot
We're seriously hurt. the wife having re-
ceived a possible fracture of the skui'
and internal injuries and the husband :
broken leg and bruises
Knocked Down by Taxi.
Edward Burns, 81 years old. of lla
Pennsylvania avenue, was knocked
down early today by taxicab
driven by Fred Craiglow. as he was
crossing Pennsylvania avenue. He
was treated at Emergency Hospital
for cuts and bruises to the head and
body.
Mrs Frank Schepps of Forest Glen.
Md, was cut on the eye when the
car her husband was driving collided
with the machine operated by Will
liam Schythe of liz r street north
east, at Fifth and II streets yester-
day. She was taken to Emergency
Hospital in a passing car.
Frank FrazZano of 52l Massa-
chusetts avenue received a scalp
wound and badly bruised hand when
the automobile he was driving yes
terday afternoon on Fifth street was
struck by a street car of the Wash
ipeton Railway and Electric Com
pany. Frazzano, police say. was try
ing to make a left-hand turn.
Truck Hits Girl.
Anna Shoemaker, IA, of 500 Rhode
Island avenue northeast was taken
to Sibley Hospital yesterday after
noon and treated for bruises to the
nedu ana DOuS itISiNtu "neH sic
was struck by a truck operated By
Felix Stevenson, employed by Fries,
BealI e. Sharp. The girl is said to
have stepped off the curb into the
path of the truck.
Mary Sweeney, SIS, of 127 f street,
was knocked down yesterday after
noon at New Jersey avenue and g
street by an automobile operated, po-
lice reported. by Maurice Jaffe of
1906 Varnum street, who was driving
south on the avenue. Jaffe took tn,
injured woman to Sibley Hospital,
where surgeons found she had been
bruised on the leg and side.
Hercules Boucher, 60, of Forty
second and Yuma street. was badly
cut on the hand and head when tho
automobile driven. police were told
by James E. Stott of 1139 Twenty
ninth street, crashed into the catch
basin on the west side of Wisconsin
avenue near Warren street and
few doors from No. 20 engine house
The automobile and the rim of the
basin were damaged.
William Wiley, colored 237 Third
street southwest, was seriously in
jured and Richard Lock, colored
truck driver, was badly bruised on
the head and knee when Locks truck
collided at Fourteenth and Webster
streets with a Capital Traction Co
street car. At Freedmen's HOSPITAL
1T was found that Wiley had received
severe cash in an artery of his