KAITAIA SMASH

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 31, 29 April 1927, Page 11

KAITAIA SMASH

FINDING OF CORONER MOTOR DRIVER CHARGED PLEADS NOT GUILTY (From Our Oun Corespondent.) KAITAIA, Thursday. An inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mrs. Elizabeth Spender, who was killed in a collision on the Ninety-mile Beach during the Kaitaia motor sports on February 17, was held in the Magistrate’s Court to-day. George "Washington Moore said that previous to going to the sports he met Eisenhut, who drove the Hudson car. with Molloy and Pearson at the hotel where they had a few drinks. On the beach, after lunch, they were invited by Eisenhut to join them to “try out” the car. They drove toward Ahipara and tested the speed on the return journey, reaching about 60 miles an hour. The Dort car, which collided with them, seemed to come right across their course from the direction of the spectators. James Taaff, a sports official, said he foresaw the collision and ran out to warn the Hudson ca£ by waving flags, but with no effect. He collected some broken bottles on the scene of the accident and one full bottle, but he did not know the contents. Patrick O’Gorman, constable at Kaitaia, said he was on duty at the sports and foresaw the collision and ran forward with both arms up to warn the driver of the Hudson. He also saw Taaffe signalling to the Hudson to stop. Joseph Thomas Evans, barman, at Kaitaia Hotel, said Eisenhut and partyhad a few drinks in the hotel on the morning of the accident, but no hai i stuff—only shandies and beer. All were perfectly sober when they left the hotel. Dr. Hubert George Rix said he attended the injured persons and started out for the scene of the accident before the collision, as he saw it coming. All cases were suffering from severe concussion and were quite unconscious. There was no smell of liquor about the patients except the brandy ordered by himself to be administered. Several other witnesses covered the same ground and the magistrate found that the death of Elizabeth Spender was caused by injuries received in a collision between a Dort car, driven by one Fitzherbert, and a Hudson, driven by Eisenhut. He decided there was a prima facie case to answer, and Ferdinand Eisenhut, who was committed to the Supreme Court, pleaded “not guilty” to a charge of recklessly driving he car and causing the death of Elizabeth Spender. He was admitted to bail on two recognisances of £IOO each.