Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-09-13

ter of the road. The W1tham car
was travelling faster than the Haz-
card auto Mt the time. The accident
happened upon q small rise in the
road.
Some discussion over the validity
of an instrument assigning the
claims of Mr.. Hazard to the insur-
ance company was held as this In
strument was signed by Ralph r.
Littlefield for Mr.. Hazard who at
| the time of the assignment was in
Europe. Mr.. Littlefield who is Mr..
Hazards private secretary was call
ed to the stand to testify that the
signature on the instrument was his.
Witham Testimony
| Here the testimony for the insur-
ence company and Mr.. Hazard
| came to a close and the Witham case
was opened.
| Leo Standish was first put on the
stand out of order as he wanted to
! get back to his work. He stated that
he arrived at the scene of the acci-
dent about an hour later. He said
that the tracks of both cars We're
visible at that time and that the
| Witham car had been on its own
side of the road. He declared that
| the hub of the Witham car left an
imprint where 1t fell that was four
| inches inside of the center line of
the road. He had helped take the
! measurement from the place where
the hub hit the road to the rear of
the Hazard car and 1t was IS feet.
Louis Within. owner and driver of
the Earl car. testified that he was
going toward Gardiner at the time
of the accident and that he was NOV
ing at a speed of about 20 miles an
hour. He saw the Rolls Royce anead
of him perhaps two or three hundred
; feet. He was on his own side OF the
road and was very much surprised
| when the collision occurred. He
could not tell what part of the cars
| came together. He marked the place
! where his axle hit the road first and
| measured it and found that he was
four inches from the center OF the
road on his own side. He declared
| that he had heard Chase say that he
I had driven out in the gravel to keep
from getting hit and then heard on
Ger O'Brien say that Chase had driv-
en- out there after the accident. He
declared that the damage to his car
would amount to about S325.
Mrs. Maude Cuskley of Portland.
Williams sister, who was in the car
with him, said that the Rolls-Royce car
looked as If it We're taking all of the
road before it hit them and afterward
It had swerved across the road. She
testified that she had heard the con-
| versation between Chase and O'Brien
as 1t had been Told by her brother Her
brother is hard of hearing and, feel
ing that he did not hear the entire
conversation, she had called the Off
GERS attention to a grease cup in the
road After looking at it. she said
Mr.. O'Brien had declared he felt that
| William was on his own side OF the
road. Charles Witham. father Of Louis
| said that he came to the scene of the
eccident about an hour later and he
testified as to the position of the two
cars.
Edward Taplcy. a garage man. said
that he was familiar with the Withan
car both before and after the accident
and that it would cost S311.15 to repair
it. while the actual value had been de
preciated 5000 or $500.
Ernest Cunningham Of South Gardi
ner testified that while he did not see
the actual accident. he was very close
to it, as Witham had passed him al
the foot of the hill. He was driving
q truck which cannot do over 90 miles
an hour and had been going but slight
ly slower than Witham. After pass
: ing him Whitman had kept to his right
, on the road all of the time He saw
the Hazard car before the accident as
it was coming toward him. and it was
going about 40 miles an hour.
f The testimony was closed here anG
court adjourned until $50 this morning