Evening star., 1940-08-05
Delays Probed
In Answering
Ambu|anceCa||s
Greuves Inquest
Begun; Police Blamed
In Another Case

AS a coroner's jury opened a
probe of the ambulance delay and
other factors incident to the traffic
death of William E. Greaves, 60,
at the Morgue today, police head
quarters officials were investigating
accusations of a childhood friend
OF Mr.. Greaves that police were
negligent in response to her call
on behalf of man who had COL
lapsed in front of her home yester-
day.
Mrs. Elizabeth Hartung, of 1647
Wisconsin avenue NV, who said
she and Mr.. Greaves were neigh
bors as youngsters, charged that
seventh precinct police were 80
minutes answering her request for
help when she discovered an un-
conscious man in the street while
returning home from church.
The inquest in Mr.. Greaves' death
got underway with two key witnesses
absent, and Coroner A. Magruder
Macdonald ordered police to sum-
mon them Immediately.
Said to be among the first to call
for an ambulance following the ac-
cident in which Mr.. Greaves was
fatally injured, the missing wit
nesses were w. F. Cusick of 1928
Quincy street NE. and S. P. Bailey,
2224 Quincy street NE.
Lay in Street Nearly Hour.
Mr.. Greaves lay dying in the street
at Twenty-second and Quincy streets
N. E. for nearly an hour Friday be-
fore an ambulance arrived. DR.. Mac
Donald said he wanted the two
absent witnesses to appear i'm
mediately, if possible, as he was
determined to air all the facts con-
corning the ambulance delay.
Detective Sergt. William Liver
man of the homicide squad said all
witnesses known to police had been
ordered summoned to the inquest,
but that apparently Mr.. Cusick and
Mr.. Bailey had not given their
names to police, as they were not
on his list of witnesses.
Policeman E. E. Dewey of the
twelfth precinct, first witness to
take the stand, said he arrived at
the scene of the accident about 3
minutes after scout car radio call
was heard at 7:30 am, and he was
informed that an ambulance had
been called.
Ambulance Dorfor TeSfifoS
DR.. Warren Fletcher, who was in
the Casualty Hospital ambulance
which picked up Mr.. Greaves, testi-
fed he first received a call at the
hospital at 1855, left on the call
minute later, arrived at the scene
between 8:15 and $40 and was
back at the hospital at $50.
In describing yesterdays incident
In Georgetown, Mrs. Hartung said:
When I saw the man lying there
I Immediately thought of poor Mr..
Greaves and I rushed to my tele-
phone to call police"
Mrs. Hartung said she looked at
her watch when she called and it
Showed "a minutes of r."
IL was Il 10 WIltll GIle pdITOl
wagon arrived to pick the man up"
she added. "and, meanwhile, my
neighbors had put in two additional
calls for help"
Mrs. Hartung said she put her
call through directly to the seventh
precinct station for a patrol wagon
because she knew the nearest hos
pital-Georgetown-had no am
bulance.
Police Deny Delay.
Seventh precinct police emphati-
cally denied they had taken any
more time than was necessary in
answering the call.
The police report said merely that
AL Wesley, 35, colored, of Mclean,
Va, was treated for heat exhaustion
about 1925 at Georgetown Hospital
and was released.
Inspector L. l. H. Edwards at po-
lice headquarters said he would
have no comment on the George
town incident until he received
complete reports.