Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 100, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1911 — WILL PAY DEARLY FOR SHAMEFUL INDIFFERENCE. [ARTICLE]

WILL PAY DEARLY FOR SHAMEFUL INDIFFERENCE.

Chicago Auto Driver Who Didn’t Care Given Limit for Cansing Accident ) To Two Ladles. Arthur M. Robbins, president of the Centuar Motor Co., of Chicago, was fined SSO and costs in the circuit court Wednesday, that being the limit that could be given him for reckless driving on the public highway. On February 26th, Robbins and his mechanician, George Miller, were en route from Chicago to Indianapolis in a big Abbott-Detroit automobile, for which car Mr. Robbins’ company is the Chicago agent. The car was being taken to Indianapolis to participate in the automobile races and demonstration. Just south of Virgie the car passed Mrs. Joseph A. Lucas and Mrs. Fannie Baker, the former from Union township and the latttr from Frankfort. The ladies were driving in a buggy and Mrs. Baker testified that she signaled for the automobile to stop, but that no attention was paid to the signal and the car brushed past them so closely that it forced them off into the ditch, overturning the buggy, throwing the women out and badly breaking the buggy. The women claim that the autoists paid no attention to their plight but rushed right ahead. Both Robbins and Miller testified that they stopped their car, the former claiming that they stopped it within two car lengths of the accident, and Miller that they stopped it about 100 to 150 feet away. Both say that the rig was tipped over and that a woman climbed out and went toward the horse’s head, but they did not get out to offer any help nor to see whether any one was hurt. The autoiets seemed to be trying to make their getaway, but providence interfered and a few miles ndrth of Rensselaer the auto was disabled in such a manner that it could not proceed until repairs were procured from Chicago. In meantime Mrs. Lucas .and her companion had been taken to the home of the former, some two miles from the scene of the accident and Mr. Lucas had got Jack Reder and they had come to town to try to have the auto driver arrested. Sheriff Hoover went to the place where the auto was broken down and placed the men under arrest. There was considerable parleying that night about how to proceed. Lucas had not seen the accident and could not identify the parties and Mrs. Lucas could not get here until the next day. Lucas wanted Robbins to pay for the damage to his rig, which he placed at $25, probably a very reasonable amount, but Robbins said he “was not going about giving money to people.” On the early train the next morning the repairs for the automobile came, and as soon as the car was put into condition, Robbins and his machinist left town. They left cussing Rensselaer, so it is said, and City Marshal Mustard says that, they left town like “a streak of greased lightning.” He therefore filed a charge against them of exceeding the speed limit in the city. The warrant was served on Robbins Wednesday and he gave a bond in the sum of SIOO for his appearance for trial in September. Lucas was unrelenting and determined to apprehend the man and he went to Indianapolis in company with Sheriff Hoover. The men were found and placed under arrest. The case was set for trial in Rensselaer, Robbins being under SIOO bond for his appearance.' The testimony of Mrs. Lucas, Mrs. 'Baker, Mr. Lucas, Jack Reder, George Cover and Will Wiseman all showed that Robbins had not swerved from his course one bit when he passed the women and that instead of passing on the west side of the road, as he claimed, he had passed on the east side of the road and so closely to the buggy that there was not room for the buggy to pass without being forced into the ditch. The women also testified that the men never stopped their car, but went past them at a rapid rate of speed. The men claimed that they were driving at a rate not exceeding 5 or 6 miles an hopr and passed the buggy on the opposite side of the road. The car owner said he was en route to Indianapolis to demonstrate his car, but that its limit of speed was not to exceed 45 11 tnile8 an hour. The plaintiffs showed on cross examination that he had driven a car 58 miles an hour in the demonstration at Indianapolis for 120 miles and sought to connect this car with the one used in that demonstration. It was found that the defendant had come from Chicago to the point where the accident occurred in 6 hours or a little less, and that the distance was 80 miles. The defendant testified that he left here on the morning of the 27th of February at 6:30 o’clock

and arrived in Indianapolis at 2:00 p. m., that distance being about 120 miles. The worst feautre of the case was the failure of Robbins to do what he could to ascertain whether the ladies were hurt and offer to make settlement for damages. The evidence seemed to show conclusively that Robbins did not care a bit what happened. He had a fast car and relied on making his escape and he would doubtless have done it but for the fact that his car broke down. It took the jury only about a half hour to decide that Robbins should be given the limit of the fine provided by law, and they assessed SSO against him. The action of the jury seems entirely proper. Rensselaer or Jasper county does not want to fall-out with automobilists. We are glad to have them come through our city and county, notwithstanding the fact that they do much toward destroying our roads, but we should stand ready to punish severely any man of the Robbins sort, who would run away from an accident, the extent of which he had no idea. It is now stated that Mrs. Baker has a dislocated or broken knee cap, a result of the accident, and that she will be permanently crippled. Robbins has been made the defendant in a $14,000 suit for damages, in the Marion circuit court, the plaintiffs being Joseph A. Lucas, Mrs. Jos-

eph A. Lucas and Mrs. Fannie Bakery Robbins left his bond stand here until he makes settlement on the fine imposed. The fine and costs will probably amount to $l5O.