Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-10-09
DEATH CAR DRIVER
GETS FIVE YEARS
Final Chapter Written In Frederick
County Tragedy-killing Caused
Big Sensation

Inc maj chapter III the hlllinS o
Oscar Dodson and Calvin Finchan
and the serious injury of Miss Emm;
Pingley by being run down by {
speeding automobile on the Martins
burg Pike early in September, was
written late Wednesday Afternoon
when John Jones, colored, driver Of
the death car. confessed in the Cir
cult Court that he was driving the
ear which killed the two men.
Upon the recommendation of Pros
ecuting Attorney T. R. Gather, Jones
was sentenced to serve five years il
the penitentiary on one of the three
charges against him, while the re,
naming two charges were dismissed
in the Frederick County Circuit Court
at Winchester
Jones, who is a thick-set, stolid
negro, was crying when sentence was
pronounced upon him. but as he was
led from the courtroom he seemed to
breathe freer since he knew the
worst had happened to him, and he
accepted the leniency of the court
with Indifference.
Companions Are Released
Two of the companions of Jones or
the fatal automobile ride-Dixon and
Crist-who have been held in jail as
witnesses against Jones, were ordered
to be released from custody after
Jones was sentenced They left fol
their homes in Martinsburg at once
The killing of Dodson and Fincham
and the wounding of Miss Pingley oc-
eurred late at night on September 2
During the Winchester Fair. The trio
together with Miss Nellie Brill, met
by chance at the carnival being held
al night at the fair grounds and a
drive was proposed The quartette
drove as far as Ridgeway, w Va, on
the Martinsburg Pike and were re-
turning home when tire trouble de-
veloped.
AA[ BetA ~ NCAC III TIC pihCs bnCll
car at the western edge of the road
way, when an automobile, driven al
4 terrific rate of speed, and north
bound, ran into them. Dodson and
Fineham were struck by the speeding
car and intantIy killed.
Left Victims In Roadway
H. L, -.
to the air and dropped at the road
side. Miss Brill escaped injury by
leaping under the protection of their
own car.
The death automobile continued its
flight, leaving the dead and dying in
the roadway The car then collided
with two other automobiles, damag-
ing one car badly.
1t was learned that the car was
filed with negroes, and various sus-
poets were mentioned in connection
with the case.
1t was not, however, until Sheriff
Pannett received an anonymous let
ter from Martinsburg that the officers
got hot on the trail. This letter ad-
vised Sheriff Pannett to sweat" two
negroes he would find working in g
stone quarry near Martinsburg.
The two negroes were rounded W
and they confessed that they had
been in the car and both men de-
clared that Jones was the owner oil
the automobile as well as the driver
of the car when the killings occurred
The car was located and it was
found to have been repainted to cover
over the bloodstains Jones disap
peared but was finally located ant
brought back to Winchester At frs
he denied even having been in the
car Finally, when he saw that al
of his companions were against him
he admitted being in the party blu
denied he was driving the car. Al
of the negroes were drunk at thu
time.