Evening star., 1941-01-09
Two Drivers Held
For Grand Jury in
Deaths Of Women
Eight Other Persons
Injured in Accidents;
Sufety Drive Asked

Two Washington motorists were
held for action of the grand jury
| yesterday in the traffic deaths of
/ two women. Eight other persons
were injured in the District in less
serious accidents.
After a coroners inquest Louis
Bonnett, 40, of 1918 Whittier street
NV, a merchant here for many
years, was held in the death of Mrs.
Marie SchWertner, 10, who was
struck near her home, 200 Rhode
Island avenue NE, December %
and succumbed to her injuries sev-
eral hours later
Mr.. Bonnett, who denied knoWl-
edge of the accident, was arrested
after another driver had stopped
him shortly after the accident and
after police had found silver of
glass on. the running board of his
machine. At the inquest Ernest
EoWarth, manager of a local optical
company, positively identified the
glass as coming from the spectacle
lenses he had ground for Mrs.
Schwertner about 10 years ago
Raymond M. Young, %, colored, of
GIT Florida avenue NV. was blamed
at the second inquest for the death
of Mrs. Olive E. Edwards, 40, of 1927
Fifteenth street NV, who died De-
cember % after being struck by car
while she was standing in a street.
car safety zone at Fourteenth and
U streets NV.
Inquest Today in Dent Death.
The driver of the car told police
he became unconscious shortly be-
fore the accident and did not recover
until he arrived at a hospital A
Gallinger Hospital physician testi-
fed that the youth had previously
been treated for epileptic fits.
Today an inquest was to be held
in the death of Andrew T. Dent, jr,
81, of 1912 Buchanan street NV,
who died early Sunday as the result
of traffic accident.
Six colored men were hurt yeSter-
day after the truck in which they
were riding collided with a sedan at
New York and Fairview avenues
NE. and overturned. All were
treated at Providence Hospital.
Accused of Hitting Barricade.
Henry Pinckney, "a, of 1921 Lin
coin place Sc, who suffered a dis
located shoulder and cuts, and Lee
Davis, So, Of 734 Third street S.W.,
who sustained a fractured collar
bone, were admitted to the hospital.
Treated for less serious bruises and
sprains were John Moody, "a, of 1918
Twelfth street NV; Shellie Roche,
"a, of As Florida avenue NV; Silas
Adams, 38, 1922 l street N. w., and
William Watson, g., of 2432 Vir-
ginia avenue NV.
James William Brown, jr., of 1847
Monroe street NV, was released on
S45 collateral last night after being
charged at the No. II precinct sta
ton with speeding, running into
lighted barricade and driving on the
wrong side of the street.
According to Pvts. Phillip Burton
and H. w. Neff, they had started
after Mr.. Brown in their scout car
in the 500 block of Minnesota ave-
nue. NE when he crashed through
lighted barricade that had been
placed around a plumbers ditch to
house. The car mounted 4-foot
pile of earth before coming to rest.
Cleveland Asks Action.
Meanwhile, Washington I. Cleve-
land, member of the Traffic Ad-
visory Council and manager of the
District of Columbia Division of the
American Automobile Association,
today described as appalling the
fact that five traffic deaths have so
far been recorded in 1941, equaling
the entire traffic death toll for
January last year.
None of the five persons killed
were riding in automobiles" he de-
clared. "One was riding a bicycle
and four were pedestrians. Two of
the pedestrians were over 10 years
of age. The driver of one of the
death cars was charged with driving
while drunk. Two drivers were
charged with reckless driving and
another was motorman operating
street car.
THE situation is one which calls
for stern and prompt measures.
Pedestrian protection should be en-
forced with the utmost vigor. The
major and superintendent of police
should be called upon to make spe-
cial crusade to this end. Every avail
able avenue of public appeal should
be used to inform the citizens of
Washington and motorists Of the i'm
perative need for extreme caution
in operating vehicles and In using
the streets as pedestrians"