Five Witnesses Describe Crash

FIVE WITNESSES DESCRIBE CRASH
Driver Also Questioned in Fatal Accident
(Special to The Daily News)

Ypsilanti, May 1 – Five witnesses and the driver of the death car were questioned at length Monday afternoon by Prosecutor Albert J. Rapp in an investigation to determine whether criminal charges shall be brought against Fred Cain, jr., 22, son of Fred Cain, sr., assistant postmaster here, because of the deaths for Mr. and Mrs. Carl Stockdale of this city, who were killed late Saturday night when struck by Cain’s car as they were walking across Michigan Ave. [just] east of the huron river bridge.
Those questioned, besides Cain, were Harl McKenny and Miss Marie Mueller, both of Ypsilanti, who were riding with Cain at the time of the accident; Miss Audrey Riggs and Fred Holley, of this city, who saw the Cain car strike the group in the street; and Darrell Cosgrove, Ypsilanti, who ran out from a nearby building when he heard the impact.
Cain and McKenny admitted purchasing two pints of whisky at the state liquor store in Ann Arbor late Saturday afternoon, but declared that they drank only a portion of one pint, the other pint being taken by a third member of the party, an Ypsilanti man, who accompanied them to Ann Arbor and who left the party when they returned here.
Two Others Injured
Shortly after 10 o’clock Saturday night Cain and McKenny pocked up Miss Mueller and the trio visited a beer garden at Ecorse and Belleville roads, seven miles east of here, and claim to have had one glass of beer each. They were returning from the beer garden at the time of the accident.
Cain insisted that another car had struck the persons in the street and thrown them into the path of his car, but all of the witnesses deny this assertion. All agree that Cain was driving at high speed when he struck the pedestrians.
Besides the two who were killed, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Durham, this city, were injured, the former critically, and are now in the Beyer Memorial hospital.
Describing the accident, Miss Riggs stated that she was seated in a car a short distance east of the scene and was looking toward the west. She saw the car strike the four persons, and declared that the impact threw them high into the air so that “they looked like a flock of chickens in the air.” She estimated that one of the victims was hurled 20 feet into the air, and described how Mrs. Stockdale was dragged along the street on the car. The machine did not swerve either to right or left before striking the party, she said.
Testimony Differs
Fred Holly, seated in the car with Miss Riggs, did not obtain as clear a view of the scene as did the young woman, but corroborated her statements in all major particulars. He estimated that the victim who was hurled so far into the air was probably thrown 15 feet above the ground.
Testimony of those questioned differed radically on the detail regarding the amount of east-bound traffic along Michigan Ave. at the time just preceding the accident. Police Monday evening identified the driver of a car which was just ahead of Cain and who served to the right to avoid the four pedestrians in the center of the street, and also have identified members of an automobile party which passed the place, east-bound, just a moment before the accident and who saw the four persons in the center of the street. These witnesses will be questioned, probably today.
Prosecutor Rapp expects to reach a decision Wednesday as to whether a warrant shall be issued for Cain’s arrest on a charge of negligent homicide.
Funeral services for Mr. and Mrs. Stockdale were held this afternoon in the J. E. Moore funeral home here. Rev. William R. Shaw, pastor of First Baptist church, officiated, and burial was in Highland cemetery.