Evening star., 1928-11-22
PRESTON KUMLER
KILLED IN CRASH
State Department Official
Dies After Car Spins
Around in Collision.

Injured in an automobile collision at
Twenty-eighth and M streets, where the
other machine continued for about so
feet after striking his car and knocked
a hole in brick wall Preston Kumler
so years old, a State Department Off
cial and prominent clubman of this
city, died last night. three hours after
the accident, at Georgetown Hospital
His skull was fractured.
j. A. Royston, 40 years old, of Oak
land, Va, the driver of the other car,
told police he was proceeding at a
moderate rate of speed, but his foot
slipped off his brake and onto the
accelerator as he attempted to slow
down to permit Kumler to pass
Royston is being held at the seventh
precinct police station pending a
coroners inquest to be held tomorrow
morning at 1880 o'clock at the District
Morgue. No bond has been set.
Thrown From Auto.
Kumler was thrown from his auto
mobile, his head striking the curb. He
never regained consciousness. His car
was struck on the rear left fender and
turned completely around by the i'm
pact.
He was drivig from the Metropolitan
Club, Seventeenth and H streets, to
the home of Mrs Medill Mccormick,
recently elected member of the House
of Representatives from Chicago,
where he was to have been a guest at
I dinner.
Every effort of four physicians at
Georgetown Hospital to save his life
proved unsuccessful and he died at
1915 o'clock. The physicians were DIR.
William A. White, superintendent of
st. Elizabeth'S Hospital, who with Mrs.
White was to have been a guest at
Mrs. McCormick's home; DR.. William F.
Burke of the hospital staff, DR.. Howard
Strine and DR.. Harry H Kerr.
There were three witnesses to
the accident and their accounts con-
f1ict. One said Kumler was going at
a high rate of speed. Another told
police he was proceeding south on
Twenty-eighth street, while the others
say he was driving north. The third
witness did not notice his speed.
Crashed Into Wall.
The physical circumstances together
with Royston's story indicate that
Humber was proceeding north. He
had just turned into Twenty-eighth
street from Pennsylvania avenue which
intersects M street about so yards
further west. RoySton was going east
on M street. His car struck Kumler's
machine as 1t had almost cleared the
intersection and spun it completely
around.
Then. Royston says, he lost control
and crashed into the wall of the Poto-
mac Tire Shop on the northeast corner
OF the intersection.
In the police report of the accident.
written by Policeman M. F. Collins of
the seventh precinct, the collision is
said to have been caused by careless
ness on the part of Kumler Policeman
Clarence Morgan of the same precinct,
however, who arrived on the scene be-
fore Collins, held a different view and
said Kumler appeared to be free from
blame since he clearly had the right
or way and could not have reached a
great speed as he had just made the
turn from Pennsylvania avenue into
Twenty-eighth street.
DIR. White and Mrs. Mccormick were
among the first persons notified They
Immediately went to the hospital.
Served In Army.
Kumler was unmarried and had no
near relatives and Mrs. Mccormick, Ed
WNAN % ouAiulS, d local attorney ana
close friend of Kumler, and William
Hard, writer, arranged for the funeral
services, which will be held at Mr.. Bur-
ling's home Rock Greek drive and Benton
road, at 4:30 o'clock tomorrow after
noon. Interment will be in Mr.. Kum-
ler's birthplace, Evansville, Ind.
Kumler was educated at Yale and
Harvard Universities. He was gradu-
ated from Yale in 1900 and from the
Harvard Law School in 1908.
He began the practice of law in Chi
cago. For is years he lived there and
was the partner of Mr. Burling, for
mer general counsel of the United
States Shipping Board
During the World War he served in
this country and France. first as a cap
tain of Infantry and later as a major.
At the close of the war he became
member of the Hoover relief expedi-
ton TO Russia. AS result of familiar
ity with that country he gained his
appointment in the State Department,
where he was in charge of the investi-
cation of Russian Communistic activ-
tiles and propaganda in the United
States.