Evening star., 1934-12-26
YU[E AUTO DEATHS|
TOTAL 115 IN ]. ST.
Christmas Tragedy Victims
From All Causes Make
1853 Grand Total.
Nv fhA Associated A PreSS

By the Associated Press.
Grim tragedy stalked about the
North American Continent Christmas
to bring death to at least 1853 persons.
Fires, motor car accidends, drown
ings, suicides and other tragedies
turned the day from joy to sorrow for
scores of families throughout the
United States.
AS is usual on holidays, the heavy
traffic on highways caused most Of
the fatalities, at least lis of the
dead perishing in motor mishaps.
Motor Toll by States.
The auto death toll by States
showed:
Indiana, 8; Pennsylvania. g.; Mis-
souri,, 13; North Carolina, 3; Louisi-
ana, S: New York, 5; New Jersey, 2;
Ohio, 6; Arkansas, 10 (since Sunday;
Michigan, IA (since Sunday Texas.
S; Washington State, 7; Idaho, 3;
Utah, 2, Oklahoma, 4; Georgia, 3;
California, IA; Illinois, 2; Massachu-
sets, 2, and one each in Florida, Ala
bama, Kansas, Maine, Connecticut,
Oregon and the District of Columbia.
Fires in Missouri and other sections
helped considerably to swell the death
total. mother and her three chill
dren perished in flames at Sedalia,
Mo. Another mother and her three
children were burned to death at
Joplin, Mo. Chicago counted two dead
in fires. A 4-year-old girl was burned
fatally at San Diego. Calf, and
farmer perished in the same manner
near Madison, MINI. At Albany,
NY, a woman was asphyxiated while
preparing her Christmas breakfast,
and an Albany man was burned to
death in his shack.
Tree Lights Short Circuit.
A blaze in New York City which
started from a short circuit in
Christmas tree lighting system caused
injuries to four persons. Three were
hurt in an explosion and fire IN
Newport, R. l., tenement, and three
others were injured in a fire which
DESTROYED their home at Beldlng,
Mich.
Gunplay was responsible for several
deaths A South Carolina farmer was
accidentally killed by a shotgun IN
the hands of his 15-year-old daugh-
ter. A prowler was shot to death in
Chicago. Rex Pyle, owner of a jewel
ry store in Chicago, was shot and kill
ed in the home of Fred Feiner. An
11-year-old boy was accidentally kill
ed at Shreveport, La, by rifle he re-
ceived for a Christmas gift. Louisiana
also reported a fatal stabbing. One
ehNf 10
KY. Alabama gun fights accounted
for three deaths. A bank robber was
slain in Nebraska. Fatal hunting &C
cidents were reported from Mississippi
and Missouri.
Discovery of the body of Mrs. Loret-
ia Wilson, in thicket at Port JeHer-
son, N Y, and the death of Rene
Katz, 6 monts old, who was strangled
to death in his Little Rock, Ark,
home when his sleeping suit twisted
about his neck, were among the
tragedies reported.
Sylvia Stredman, 18, of Preston,
Idaho, was drowned when her car
skidded on an icy highway and over
turned in shallow stream. Two
young girls were drowned when they
broke through the ice on the Blue
River near Crete, Nebr. Leroy Maple,
II, Of Brownsville, Pa, a farmer boy,
gave his own life in saving two boys
from drowning while skating. Two
persons were drowned in Ohio.
More than a dozen persons chose
Christmas to end their lives. In the
Nations metropolis eight persons kill
ed themselves. One of them left a
note on which was written:
Merry Christmas"