The Wilmington morning star., 1943-08-31
NEGRO IS HELD
IN ROAD DEATH
Driver OF Car Says He
Could Have Avoided
Hitting Mrs. Startling

d.
old Negro, was ordered held Tor
the grand jury without privilege
of bond Monday afternoon after a
state highway patrolman had tes-
titled before coroner's jury that
Williams told him that he could
have avoided hitting and fatally
iniuring Mrs. Ruth Startling on the
!. Wrightsvine Beach highway last
Friday night if his automobile had
:, been equipped with proper brakes
- The Jury found that Mrs. star
:. ling. wife OF City Fireman "A. j..
Startling, Jr., "came to her oeath
=, from being hit by an automoDl1e
driven neglgently by Thomas j..
williams. Jr.. without having 1he
nroper brakes, and recommend
that he be held
Mrs. Starring died in Local nos
less than two hours al'ei WI, 1liI
had been crushed between VII
: liams' car and an on-conlng auto-
: mobile, travelling in the opposi'e
direction. at the intersection OF the
new Wrigthsville Beach hlgh"ay
-.:.nd the Masonboro loop road.
:: :: Testifying at the 1nques' @ oa',otv Mo,
-day, DR.. A. H. Elliot, clty-couhey
health officer, told Coroner & 40
w Allen and the six-1nan jury .Ade
the woman died as the result OF
fractured skull, fractured pei
Wis and a fractured leg, with the
f,oct1red skull as the immediate
cause of death.
State Highway Patrolman J. l..
Elo,-.c,s fotai1ed how Mrs. star
ling alighted from a bus at the M
:, ua Will al e4S--.-44-oN .-I-Olc
babv in her arms and was struck
by Williams automobile after she
had reached the center of the high
way. the impact sandwiching her
between the Negro's car and
coupe driven by S. o. Albright OF
Maffitt Village.
He testified that the Negro's
car "swerved" into the woman
who threw the baby to safety, and
declared:
williams stated that had he
kept going straight or had cut to
the right he never would have hit
her. He also said that if his brakes
had been working, he could have
stopped"
Fave King, 11-year-old girl
who was returning from Whining
to Winter Park with Mrs. Startling
told the jury that, after ahghtlng
from the bus, she stopped to ad-
lust her purse while Mrs. Startling
started across the highway.
She said that she saw Williams
car and cried, "'Look out, Ruth"
Just before the accident occurred.
Albright, the driver of the coupe,
testified that he was returning
from Wrightsville Beach with his
wife and two small children. He
said he saw the bus stopped at the
intersection and slowed the car to
see if the vehicle would make a
right or left turn.
He declared that he had put his
vehicle into second gear and was
travelling between 10 and IL miles
an hour when he saw the lights OF
the other car.
II could see an object against
the lights, but couldn't tell whe-
ther it was human or not, just a
second before the crash,'' he said.
Under questioning by the jurors,
Albright said he first saw the
lights of Williams car some 80
to 40 yards up the highway. He
estimated it was travelling, at the
9 time Of the impact, "at least IS
miles an hour
Other witnesses called at the
inquest included w. P. Oakley of
I BIS Orange street, a Tide Water
+ bus driver, who said that Mrs.
Z Startling had ridden his bus from
!. Second and Princess streets to the
!. intersection. He said that he had
I already pulled away from the
scene when the crash occurred