Evening star., 1931-06-18
DRIVER Who KILLED
CHILD, 7, IS HELD
FOR GRAND JURY
Hit-and-Run Motorists Con-
fession Is Read at
Inquest.
SAW BOYS, DERBY SAYS,
TURNED TO AVOID THEM
Denies He Was Drunk at Time
of Accident-Arrested
for Speeding,

Charles E. Derby, confessed driver OF
the hit-and-run automobile which killed
william Settle, jr.. 7, on Tuesda", was
held for grand jury action today. fol-
lowing an inquest into the boys death
A statement signed by Derby, who Is
So years old and lives in the 1000 block
of First street southeast, was read to
the coroner's jury by Detective William
Wright of the eleventh precinct.
In his confession Derby said he was
driving on Naylor road near Thirtietn
street southeast Tuesday afternoon
when he saw the Settle boy and William
Won Garrel, also 7, walking toward him
In the middle Of the thoroughtare.
Tried to Avoid Boy.
AS Derby neared the youngsters, he
related, they separated. the Won Garrel
boy running toward the right side OF
the read. To avoid striking the young
ster, Derby explained, he Swerved to
the left, hitting the Settle youngster
and knocking him into a gully at the
side of the road.
Derby was too scared to think about
anything" he went on. and sped from
the scene of the accident, which oc-
CURED near the boys home in Silver
Hill, Md.
Policeman Thomas Hayes, also of the
eleventh precinct, testified he stopped
Derby for speeding a few minutes later
on Alabama avenue near Naylor road
southeast. after a chase of several blocks.
'I saw Derby was too nervous and ex-
cited to drive his car" the officer said,
$50 I had him taken to the eleventh
precinct police station in a patrol.
charged him with speeding and failure
to exhibit registration card"
Denies Drunkenness.
The policeman added, he accused
Derby of being under the influence of
liquor, but the charge was denied.
Derby insisted he had drunk only two
bottles of near beer
The Won Garrel youngster was called
to the witness stand but. apparently, was
too frightened to testify. Despite the
fact that he was permitted to sit on his
mothers knee, he could not make the
jurors hear him. Finally, Coroner J..
Ramsay hewitt. who conducted the in
quest, asked Policeman Chester Smith,
another eleventh precinct officer, to out
line the statement which the boy made
to him short time after the miShap.
Boy Jumped Aside.
The gist of the youngsters state
ment. according to Smith, was that he
and the Settle boy were on their way
home from school when the car ap-
preached at high speed. The Won Gar
rel youth leaped from the road, but
the Settle boy was unable to get out Of
the path of the machine, which was
on the wrong side of the thoroughfare.
The Won Garrel boy said, according to
tRa kIAk ~, 3e
appeared after being struck by the au-
tomobile and that he was unable to
find him.
The Settle youngsters body was
found in clump of bushes in the gully
nearly five hours after the accident, it
was brought out in the testimony Of
other witnesses. Deputy Coroner Jo-
seph Rogers, who performed an autop-
sy on the corpse, declared the boys in
juries consisted of a fractured skull,
broken leg. numerous cuts, bruises
and scratches and internal injuries.
Borrowed Car.
Irving Lumpkin. 125 ATLANTIC street
southeast, owner of the car, testified
Derby borrowed it from him short
time before the miShap. The machine
is new. Lumpkin, an attendant at St.
Elizabeth'S Hospital, declared, and
there we're no scratches or dents on its
body when he lent it to Derby A dent
discovered in the left front fender fol-
lowing Derby's arrest caused police to
question the man concerning the ac-
cident, it was brought out. Derby at
FIRST denied having struck the boy, but
finally confessed to Detective Wright.
Asked If he had any additional
statement to make, Derby said the con-
fession read to the jury by Wright fully
explained his part in the accident, and
that he did not care to elaborate on it.