Statewide County AZ Archives Obituaries.....Balsz, Caroline 1901
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Elizabeth Burns burns@asu.edu and D. Joshua Taylor http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00006.html#0001358 July 4, 2005, 6:21 pm

Arizona Republican-July 10, 1901
CAROLINE BALSZ


Caroline Balsz, aged six years and two months, the little 
daughter of Fred Balsz, was run over by a street car 
yesterday morning about 6:45 o'clock near the corner 
of Sixth and East Washington Streets and so badly 
injured that she died before she could be taken home.

The incident was one filled with distressing featuares 
that appealed to the sympathy of all who witnessed any 
part of the scene as well to every properly constituted 
person who heard the facts related today.  C.E. Hafford 
was in charge of the car that did the work of death and 
though no blame attaches to him so far as known, he has 
suffered the most acute mental anguish, resulting from 
his connection with the circumstance.

The mother of little Caroline died a few years ago and 
she has been cared for since by a half sister, Mrs. M. 
Zepeda who resides on Adams Street, between Fifth and 
Sixth.  The little girl had been sent to Mr. Williams' 
grocery store on the southeast corner of Sixth and 
Washington Streets wihhc necessitated her crossing 
the street from the north to the south.  The street 
car track merges into one just east of the intersection 
of thses streets and an east bound car was stnading on 
the south track waiting for the west bound car to pass 
while the little girl was making her purchase.  By the 
time the two cars passed each other the little girl 
had started home and was standing on the north rail 
of the south track as near as Mr. Hafford can remember.  
He was at his post, with one hand on the brake and the 
other on the regulator, as he had just passed the 
switch and at such times the motor man is necessarily 
at his place.  There was no other person on his car.  
As he approached the little girl she stepped in front 
of his car, an act that caused him great surprise as 
he supposed she was waiting for him to pass.  Though 
the car was running slowly, before Mr. Hafford could 
stop it, it was over the child, whose little body was 
frightfully mangled. It is said he had to back the car 
a little to extricate the child, whom he took at once 
to a little grass plat in the shade by the roadside and 
summoned help from the neighbors in the immediate 
vicinity.  The little one was moaning pieously at the 
time but before a delivery wagon could be brought from 
the grocery across the street, her spirit had taken 
its flight and all was still.  Mr. Williams recognized 
the child at once, and placing her tenderly in the 
wagon, accompanied by Mr. Hafford, he took her to the 
home of Mrs. Zepeda on Adams Street.  Then followed a 
scene words cannot describe.  The poor woman was almost 
distracted and gave way to the most violent expressions 
of grief.  Neighbors arrived almost immediately, anxious 
to be of some service, but it was some hours before Mrs. 
Zepeda became reconciled to the situation and calm enough 
to restrain her sorrow to silent sobbing.  The tragic 
event was so sudden and so unexpected it was the more 
unnerving.  Mr. Hafford was himself almost prostrated 
and it was a long time before he could really calm 
himself sufficiently to tell of the accident. He 
refused to take the car back to the barn, in fact, 
could not do so, then went to his room and took off 
his uniform.  His suffering was equally as touching 
as that of the relatives of the little one.

It is said that the child had an affected vision and 
frequently could not see any great distance and that 
fact probably accounts for her stepping in front of 
the car.  This move on her part was a startling one 
to the motor man as he was so close he had no idea of 
her attempting to cross.  She probably did not note 
the approaching car when she stepped over the rail.

It was generally reported yesterday that the little girl 
stepped from behind one car in front of the other one, 
and while she did in one sense it is believed the east 
car was so far ahead it would not interfere with her 
seeing the other one.  Mr. Hafford called to the motor 
man on the east bound car as soon as the accident 
happened but he was then nealry to Seventh Street 
and did not hear the summons.

The remains of the little one were taken to the undertaking 
parlor of Mohn and Easterling where they were viewed by 
Coroner Burnett and the following jurymen: John Hurley, 
Jake Davenport, A.S. Mills, H.A. Haribut, Milt Cork and 
W.H. Black.  It was found that the skull was broken and 
the legs mangled.  The remains were embalmed and the 
funeral will be held this morning at 10 o'clock at the 
Catholic Church.  Interment will be made in the Odd 
Fellows Cemetery.

The Inquest
July 11, 1901

The inquest concerning the death of little Carolina Balsz 
was concluded last night.  The verdict was a very carefully 
drawn one. It exonerates the motorman, C.E. Hafford of any 
charge of negligence or failure to do what he could with the 
means at hand, to avert the accident.  On the other hand it 
contains no allusion to the defective eyesight of the little 
girl as a contributory incident and altogether leaves the 
friends of the little girl and the company in precisely the
same realtion they were to each other at the beginning of 
the inquest.

The verdict on this point is as follows: Death was due to 
an accident, the said Carolina Balsz having been struck by 
car number 14 of the Phoenix City Railway Company in charge 
of motorman and conductor C.E. Hafford said C.E. Hafford, 
in the opinion of this jury, having exercixed every means 
within his power and control to avert said accident.

The inquest was resumed in the morning but was not 
concluded unitl 8 o'clock last night in order to give 
Motorman Hochderffer of Car No. 16 time to be heard.

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