Evening star., 1935-09-02
MYSTERIOUS AUTO
STORY PROBED IN
MRS. |CKES' DEATH
Witnesses Testimony on
"BIack Sedan" Conflicts.
AttaChe Uncertain.
SECRETARY GOES HOME
FOR FUNERAL TOMORROW
Seyfullah Says Victim Told Him
She Had Confidence in Driver.
Allen Dies.
Ry the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
SANTA FE, N. Mex, September a.
Persistent reports of nearby black
sedan" in the isolated area where Mrs.
Harold L. Ickes, wife of the cabinet
member, died in an automobile acci-
dent, puzzled investigators today after
hit-run crash theory was abandoned.
Two witnesses who saw the wreck
Saturday insisted a second car figured
in the tragedy, while a filling station
attendant, who also was a witness,
supplied contradictory details.
Genevieve Forbes Herrick. Wash
ington, D. c., newspaper woman, and
Ibrahim Seyfullah, attache Of the
Turkish Embassy, were recovering
from pelvic fractures suffered in the
crash on the rugged Taos highway
north Of here.
Allen Dies.
Allen died at St. Vincent's Hospital
this morning. He had been uncon-
scious until late yesterday. Offcials
were unable to get statement from
him before he died.
District Attorney David Chavez
hoped to question the others shortly.
The body Of Mrs. Ickes. distinguished
as an author, legislator and reform
leader, was escorted to Lamy. N. Mex,
at the foot Of the Sangre De Cristo
Mountains. by militia. Mrs E H Oak
ley Of Santa Fe, longtime friend, ac-
companied the body toward Chicago,
where it is due tomorrow by train.
Seyfullah was quoted by E. j. House,
State police head. as remembering
vaguely a car so far ahead of their
own that it resembled only a black
spot"
Vary on Second Car.
But J. R. Modrall, an assistant at
torney general. brought a story from
Magdalena Lopez, Of black sedan"
passing her driveway about the time
Of the accident. A. F. Snow, vaca-
tioning from Los Angeles, insisted
there was a second car while Robert
Ferguson, filling station operator, SAID
the Ickes hired machine was alone.
John Irving Pearce Of Chicago, who
was driving behind the Ickes party,
told an undertaken he thought he saw
a black sedan departing from the
scene.
House, in summarizing, said Eve
heard at first it was a case of hit
and-run driver. but there was no evi-
dence the wrecked car had been struck
by another"
A coroner's jury found Mrs. Ickes
died Of fracture of the cervical verte-
brae and possibly a skull fracture.
DR.. r. o. Brown, the attending
physician. said Mrs. Herrick seemed
the least seriously injured of the three
and that she probably would recover
speedily. He said Seyfullah might be
found to have suffered internal in
juries. The physician permitted no
one but House to talk with the
patients.
Offcers estimated the car was travel
ing between so and 70 miles an hour
when it swerved and crashed.
SeyfuIIah's Story.
II remember We went around one
car" Seyfullah told House. and it
seemed to me We met another but I
am not sure. Anyway it seemed the
driver pulled to the right of the road
for some black object went parallel for
so PAGES or so, then cut sharply across
the road.
Then We SVerved and the next
thing knew I was on my stomach
trying to get up.
Mrs. Ickes was riding in the back
seat with me and I remarked about
the speed. She said she had perfect
confidenc in Allen who had been driv-
ing her for IS years. don't know
how fast We actually were travelling
but it was fast"
Ferguson, whose filing station at
Velarde is within 100 yards of the
accident scene, testified he saw the
car turn over four times after his
attention was attracted by the screech
of tires.
Chief House said a black substance
found on the fender of the wrecked
car was determined to be asphalt and
not paint from another car, an earlier
theory.
The Ickes party was travelling from
(see fcKEs. page 81