100 years ago: $2k in damages to be awarded to famiy of pedestrian in April accident
From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Sept. 17, 1913:
- “In the District Court of Leavenworth County yesterday Ross Phenicie confessed judgment for $2,000 in favor of Mrs. Martha Creel of this city. On April 25 of this year Phenicie, driving a car in North Lawrence, ran down and killed George L. Creel, husband of the plaintiff in a $10,000 damage suit filed in the Leavenworth court. The judgment is to be equally divided between the widow and the guardian of her six minor children…. It will be remembered that Ross Phenicie was driving from Tonganoxie to Lawrence on the date of the accident. At the corner of Bridge and Locust streets he struck Creel, a laborer, and that death was almost instant. The coroner’s jury held Phenicie for the man’s death and he was tried on a charge of manslaughter in the District Court. The jury acquitted him of the charge. Several efforts at making a settlement with the widow were attempted but proved to be unsuccessful and suit was brought in the Leavenworth court by Mrs. Creel. In her petition she asked for the sum of $10,000. The action of Phenicie yesterday probably closes the case.”
- “The work of preparation for the Douglas County Fair next week at Woodland Park is now well under way. The Fair Association now has men at work on the buildings getting them ready to accommodate those who will display next week…. Considerable work is being done on the race track to get it into the best possible shape for the speed events, which promise to be among the big features of the week. The racing committee has succeeded in booking some of the best horses in this section of the country and promises a good racing program each day…. The rain this week is welcomed by the Fair Association as it will get the spirit back into the residents of the city and county. The atmosphere will be more fair-like.”
- “‘Everything coming along nicely’ is the way County Superintendent Hawley expressed himself today when asked concerning the district schools of Douglas county. The superintendent has just returned from a three days’ tour on which he visited a number of the country schools. ‘All the schools with the exception of one are in operation. The school in District 67, known as the Columbia school, has not yet opened owing to a lack of drinking water. However, it will be open next Monday and this time next week every school in the county will be in session.'”
- “When the University opens tomorrow morning for the first day of classes it is estimated that more than 1,800 students will be ready for work. At noon today the registration had reached the 1,800 mark. According to George O. Foster, registrar, this figures shows an increase over last year of about 400 students. ‘This is a fine showing,’ said Registrar Foster this morning, ‘and I think by the end of the week when all the stragglers have come into the fold the total enrollment will be close to 2,600.'”
- “A number of things of importance to High School students will be taken up at a meeting of the student council this afternoon…. A high school orchestra may be one of the student activities this year. Another that is talked of is a girl’s glee club.”