Evening star., 1949-05-03
Rockville Doctor
Given Year in
Traffic Death
Dr., Morris, Director
OtCIinie. Convicted in
FotoI Injury TO Girl

A. kNSANN4@ ray FAs&N -. ~. ~
Rockville director os the Me7t-
sesnery County Mental Rygaene
IlInAc yesterday was srnteycrS! IA
one year n prison uhea cor
Nieted on charges arising srasn
Palm Sunday isaf+ae accident il3Al
~aS fatal 10 a young g!fl
Trial Magistrate Warren Rtc~ e.
ins convicted the paschtAtrtsi IN
Bethesda roller Court af asAn.
AauGhteT, reckless driving ard
h!t- and-run The doctof noted Az
appeal 10 MONTGOMERY County
Circuit Court and nlA bond ~As
continued al 81 500
Magistrate Browning save Ds
Morris concurrent one year terms
on the ulanSlaughtey and hli-t4n
charges, 20 be served In the May.
land House Of Correction. lie sus.
pended sentence In The reckless.
driving case
Feur-Car Coiit>ien.
DR. Morri& who also Is a mem
Der Of the stan OF Chestnut Lodge
Sanitarium, Was involved IN
foar-car collision on the Rock
vile pike. near Georgetown Pre-
paratoFy School. April 10 Miss
Juliet,e Anne F1eck, II. Of Touns
wood. Pa. VAS fatally hurt Six
others received minor injuries In
the collision.
According TO the police report
DR.. Morris. travelling ,oaATd
Washington, vas passing t~o
other southbound automobiles
but on the wrong side ot the
double white road lines The re-
port said his bumper struck the
left front fender Of u nofthbound
car driven by Robert q Peoples.
Is. OF Youngwood. Miss F1eek
was IN Mr Peoples automobile.
The report stated that the I'm
pact threw the Peoples car oa!t
OF control 80 that II crossed the
highway and hit one ot tho tao
Southhound vehicles, In turn. this
car rammed the other southbound
automobile which aas Just ahead,
The report did not specify which
bumper OF the doctors car had
struck MIR, Peoples vehicle A
bumper introduced at the trial,
however. was identified as ore
taken from the rear OF Dr. Morris
convertible. At the left end Il
was bent backward States At
torney Thomas N Anderson said
this indicated a blow came from
a direction opposite TO that from
which DR.. Morris was travelling.
rather than from a car in the
/ rear.
Arrested In Bethesda.
| Or. Morris was arrested In
Bethesda several days after ihe
accident when policemen observed
damage TO his rear bumper and
/ fender.
| The doctor declared he Was un-
aware that his car had been in
collision with any vehicle exeep.
one driven by Miss Irene Starr,
34l5 Wisconsin avenue NV. He
said he struck that car in the rear
when trying 10 move from the
center lane to the rieht.hand lane
| In a line OF YafYic.
Apparently, Miss Starr did no.
notice the impact. Dr. Morris Gald,
for she kept driving.
As soon as he got her attention.
he testified. he signaled her 10 stop.
| DR.. Morris failed 10 ascertain
Miss Stars name at the time.
After his arrest, he appealed
through the newspapers for an
elderly gray haired lady" 10 come
forward and verify his account.
Miss Starr read the story and
notified the defendant. She. a
sister and q friend. all OF shon
were In the car. went 10 court as
witnesses and substantiated the
incident.
Sefw Held Unsecured.
AT one point In the trial the
question was raised rs 10 why
neither DR.. Morris nor Miss Starr
observed the three cara, includ-
Ing the death vehicle. about two
city blocks back toward Rockville.
II was testified that trees along
the road partly ohscured the view
back 10 the scene. and also that
the view was further ohsclIred
because both DR.. Morris and Misa
Starr had pulled of the highway
on the road shoulder. Mias Starr
testified that when she got out
Of her car and faced In the
direction Of Rockville she did not
see the three cars involved in thu
collision farther back UP the road.
| Miss Starr noticed the Peoples
car across the roadway only after
she had re-entered her car and
saw the Peoples car through her
rear-vision mirror. abe said.
Called "Prepestsrous.
States Attorney Andersen la
beled the defense 'preposierous "
He presented several witnesses
who said a convertible resembling
DR.. Morris was In collision with
the car In which Miks F1eck rode.
The State said the physician did
not stop for . distance Of about
two blocks. Then he vent on
without investigating the pstn-
cipal crash
Magistrate Browning Eslc he
vas convinced beyond al rea-
sonable do1bi" that Dr. Morris
waa guilty on ali charges. lie
asserted the defendants failure
TO stop waa especially repFehesa-
kible." In view Of the fact he In
a doctor and might have ren-
dered medical assistance 10 the
injured.
Or. Morris. wi1o 10 not married.
served 10 months NJ o medical
oshcer aboard o troop Transport