The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1939-11-30
Hagen Grossly
Negligent in
Miller Death
CORONER JURY PLACES
BLAME FOR CRASH
!. NEAR MORTON

Franz Hagen, also known as
Frank Hagen, did drive and oper-
2 ate motor vehicle while he was
under the influence of intoxicat-
ing liquor" was the verdict of a
coroner's jury called to hear testi-
mony on an automobile accident
IN which Miller, &c, sustained in
1urleS from which he died at Red
wood Falls hospital Monday NOR
ming.
County authorities indicated
Tuesday that Hagen will be plac-
ed under arrest but did not state
the charge.
Miller was one of six persons
hurt in a head-on collision at the
foot of the Morton hill on high
way IS five miles east of Red
wood Falls at 2:45 p. m. Sunday.
He was riding with Hagen
when Hagen's 1888 Dodge sedan
and 1888 Ford coach driven by
Hiding Anderson, 81, of Frank
lin crashed. Four persons, Hagen,
Anderson, Mrs. Anderson, 26, and
her sister, Agnes Jean Ruff, 10,
are at Redwood Falls hospital
with injuries sustained in the col
lision. Doctors believe that all will
recover.
8 Men Testify
Investigating Miller's death
which occurred at Redwood Falls
hospital at $50 a. m. Monday,
Coroner A. w. Hubbard called w.
E. Paffrath, Oscar Randgaard, M.
L. Holmberg, Mike Lauterbach,
c. A. Luscher and B. H. Clark,
as a jury to review evidence, at
his funeral home Tuesday after
noon.
They viewed the body and
heard testimony from eight wit
nesses. A vivid picture of the &C
cident which resulted in death
and broken bodies was brought
out by County Attorney Tom
Reed on questioning Orville Rad
ike, Harlan Otto, Victor Kraemer,
Highway Patrolman F. Dolls and
DR.. 0. H. johnson of Redwood
Falls, Harry w. Loken, principal
ard Victor Wartman, coach at
Hancock High school and F. H.
Moldenhauer, operator of store
at Fairfax.
Radtke, %, Otto, % and Kraem-
er, 10 years old, were riding east
in Otto's car when Hagen's ma
chine passed them about a mile
and one-half west of Redwood
Falls and continued down the
highway ahead of them.
The Hancock teachers were also
driving east, behind the Otto car
and Moldenhauer was travelling
west, just ahead of the Anderson
machine which was going in the
same direction, when the crash
took place.
The Hagen car was "careening
from one side of the road to the
other, hitting both the right and
left shoulders" the Redwood
Falls youths said.
1t almost struck their car as it
passed them and swerved to the
right.
Called Authorities
Moldenhauer testified that he
saw it coming down the road at a
high rate of speed just as he
caught glimpse of the Anderson
car pulling out to pass his. So he
pulled over to the shoulder and
had his auto almost stopped when
the collision came. But the An
derson car did not pass and
had already pulled back into the
right lane when the Hagen ma
chine struck it, the Fairfax man
said.
The first to reach the Hagen
car, Moldenhauer said he found a
jackscrew lying on the back of
Miller's neck and that he pushed
it off before going up the hill to a
farmhouse to call for doctors and
the highway patrol. The jack
screw was part of the builders
equipment which had been in the
back of the car.
Fire in the motor of the car
was put out by early arrivals.
Other witnesses said they found
Miller with his head through the
windshield and his body wedged
tightly against the dashboard
with a sheer BOTTLE" containing
LIQUOR in his hand. They said one
bottle of liquor fell to the run
ming board when the door was
opened. Wartman said there was
another bottle containing liquor
living on the seat between the two
men and there was testimony that
there was still another bottle in
Miller's pocket.
Hagen's foot was caught near
the floor of the car and several
of the volunteers worked to re-
lease him. The Redwood Falls
Youths said Hagen told one of the
helpers that his foot was all right.
Some said he mumbled, others
that he was abusive. Most of the
witnesses agreed he was intox-
icated.
The Anderson car was in its
proper lane at the time of the
crash, according to statements by
the witnesses.
Dolls added a report of the skid
tracks left by the Anderson car.
He said that marks showed AN
derson's right tires travelled on
the right shoulder not many feet
from the point of the crash and
that the machine had returned to
the pavement but was still in the
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