Two car accidents in Burlington, 1939

-

 New Jersey Mirror 30 Mar 1939

Two persons were killed in automobile accidents in Burlington county during the past few days. 

Elliean Rhodes, 42, an unmarried colored woman, was fatally injured when she was struck by a car while crossing the road at Eighth and Broad streets, near her home in Burlington, on Saturday night. 

Louis Smith, 44, of Creek Front, Camden, died from a fractured skull, received when his car skidded on Coopertown road, near Delanco, late on Tuesday, and crashed into a tree. 

The driver of the car which killed Miss Rhodes is Amos Hope, of Burlington, who was held under $1,000 bail on a charge of involuntary homicide by automobile. Coroner Hiram H. Earnest, of Mount Holly, found that the victim suffered fractures of both legs, a broken neck and fractured skull. He issued a burial certificate. 

Smith, who was pronounced dead when taken to Zurbrugg Hospital, Riverside, was returning from Roebling, where he and his companion had gone to visit a friend. The injured are 

Richard Applegate, 21, of Delanco, driver of the car; Jack Kelly, 21, also of Delanco, and his sister, Mrs. Dorothy Vincel, 24, of Riverside. Kelly suffered a fractured skull and possible internal injuries. The car, owned by Applegate's mother, Mrs. Ivy E. Applegate, was telescoped by the force of the collision and was so badly twisted and damaged that a wrecking crew had to use blow-torches to free the survivors. The driver of the car was placed under bail on a charge of involuntary homicide.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Biegenwald murders

-
About 25 years ago, a string of New Jersey girls were brutally murdered. This page tells the story of the monster responsible. Richard Biegenwald's childhood was as volatile one. His father was an alcoholic and, by the time Biegenwald was 5 years old, his mother could no longer control him. When police were digging up the yard of her Staten Island home, Sally Biegenwald described her son as a hyperactive child. He was prone to lighting fires in his bedroom. Once, he ignited his bed and threw himself in the fire. At the age of 5, he was institutionalized and received shock treatment. He spent most of his childhood in New York state youth detention centers. One medical report said young Biegenwald had a death fantasy and suffered from night terror. He was released when he was 15 and began high school the next year. But about six months later, he dropped out of school and drifted through the South. Over the next three years, Biegenwald had several brushes with the law. In Nashville
Read more

Murder in Manahawkin, 2006

-
Asbury Park Press 10 Nov 2006 STAFFORD TOWNSHIP — Two sisters died minutes apart Thursday after they were shot in the driveway of their home by their mother's ex-boyfriend, who then turned the gun on himself. On most Thursday mornings, 15-year-old Jessica Veitch would be in school. But with school out for the New Jersey Education Association's convention, the Southern Regional High School sophomore was able to spend the morning with her 21-year-old sister, Melissa. The young women were shot before they were able to make it to the front steps of their Mercer Avenue home after returning at about 11:30 a.m. from a trip to a convenience store. Neighbors who heard the shots and screams called 911. "I was in the service, so I knew it wasn't firecrackers," said Thomas Niemiec, 61, who lives a few houses away from the Veitches. Police arrived to find both girls on the ground next to the car, which had its passenger-side window shattered. They were transported to Souther
Read more

Suicide Pact in Forked River

-
The following grim story appeared in the New Jersey Courier on 22 Sep 1939: "A heart rending tragedy touched Ocean County homes Tuesday when Albert J. King, aged 36, and father of 3 small children, and Marie Pirozzi, aged 26, of Bergen avenue, Lakewood, were found dead in the rear seat of King's car in the woods near Lacey Road, about five miles West of Forked River. The man and woman were evidently victims of a suicide pact, as the police and Coroner J. Anderson have found no evidence of violence. The terrible discovery was made by William Cranmer of Forked River, who noticed the car in the woods as he drove along Lacey Road Tuesday afternoon. When he returned about 6:3w0 he again saw the machine and investigated. He found King's body sitting on the side of the rear seat of the car, and Mrs. Pirozzi's body was lying across the seat with her head nestled in his lap. A hose had been taped to the exhaust pipe of the car and pushed through a crack in the floor so as to
Read more