OBIT: Mary (KOENIG) WOLF, 1925, Altoona, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Jennifer Sigmon November 26, 2007 Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _______________________________________________ WOMAN KILLED IN TRUCK COLLISION Mrs. Mary Wolf of 2911 Seventh Avenue Is Fatally Hurt When Hit by One of the Wrecked Machines. J. G. SCHAEFFER ESCAPES WITH SLIGHT INJURIES Hildebrand Bakery and Burke Coal Trucks Collide in Fog at Fifth Avenue and Twenty-ninth Street. Mrs. Mary Wolf, aged 58 and wife of Jacob Wolf of 2911 Seventh avenue, was fatally injured, dying at the Mercy hospital at 1.40 o'clock this afternoon, as a result of a collision of two automobile trucks at Fifth avenue and Twenty-ninth street at 10 o'clock this morning. J. Guy Schaeffer, an electrical contractor of 1701 Eleventh avenue, was slightly hurt. The collision occurred between the Hildebrand Bakery delivery truck and a big truck owned by William J. Burke of 901 Twenty-sixth street and engaged in hauling paving material. Mrs. Wolf was rushed to the hospital where an examination revealed the serious nature of her injuries. Schaeffer was able to walk away from the scene of the accident. Mrs. Wolf took the occasion of her husband, who is a worker at the Altoona Iron works, remaining home, to go on a shopping trip to the central section of the city. She went to Fifth avenue and Twenty-ninth street to take a car and was standing on the southwest corner when the accident befell her. Schaeffer was standing on the curb a few feet from her, also awaiting a car. The Hildebrand Bakery truck, driven by Charles Fisher, of the Buckhorn, was coming out Fifth avenue, at a good rate of speed, according to H. W. Coyle and C. J. Brandt, while the big Burke truck, driven by Paul Moyer of 2612 Seventh avenue, and engaged in hauling paving material for the Graham company, doing street paving in the Columbia park district, came down Twenty-ninth street. The fog obscured their view and at the corner they came together with a crash. Both Knocked Down. Fisher endeavored to swerve around the front of the big truck and in so doing went close to the side curb where Mrs. Wolf and Schaeffer were standing. He failed in his effort to avoid a collision. The Burke truck struck him broadside, threw the lighter truck over on its side and striking Mrs. Wolfe and Mr. Schaeffer, knocked both down. Mrs. Wolf received the full impact of the overturned truck and was caught under part of the wreckage. Schaeffer was hurled a few feet into a pile of soft earth and this saved him from serious injury. He got up and lent assistance to Coyle and Brandt, who hurried to the assistance of the woman. They succeeded in quickly extricating her, placed her in Coyle's automobile and rusher her to the Mercy hospital. Schaeffer left the scene after the accident, returning to his place of business. Other than slight bruises, he escaped. An examination disclosed that Mrs. Wolf had been rightfully injured about the head. She sustained a severe and long laceration of the scalp running from the forehead to the back of the head, her left eye was almost gouged out and the orbit fractured her right ear almost torn off, in addition to slighter lacerations to the face and body bruises. Husband is Summoned. Her husband was notified of the accident and was taken to the hospital by Earl Y. Saylor and on arriving found his wife conscious. He was informed that the injuries sustained were serious and he summoned the children of the woman to the institution. The Hildebrand truck was badly wrecked while the bigger Burke truck escaped damage. Fisher was caught ** the wreckage, crawled out the side window. He escaped injury but suffered greatly from shock. He went to the Brandt store at the corner and there he collapsed. Fisher and Moyer were both taken in custody by Officers George Savage and R. N. Ickes and taken to the police station, where they wrote out their respective versions of the accident and then they were held pending word from the district attorney's office. Moyer in his statement says that he was driving down Twenty-ninth street, running at the rate of ten or twelve miles an hour. "I did not see Fisher at first," says Moyer, "and when I did he was going too fast for me to get out of the way. I turned, but not far enough to get out of his way. He then saw that he could not stop and he gave his truck the gas and tried to get around me and hooked my truck and upset on the woman." Fisher in his statement says that he was running about twenty miles an hour. "When I approached the corner I blew the horn and then saw the other truck coming out in front of me," says Fisher. "I blew the horn again and then turned. He apparently didn't see me until I was opposite and I swung around to avoid hitting the woman whom I saw standing there. Then I was hit and the truck turned over on its side and struck the woman." Commonwealth charges of aggravated assault and battery are being brought against both Fisher and Moyer. Moyer was released and no city charge was preferred against him, as in the judgment of Lieutenant Ickes he had the right of way. Fisher entered bail for a hearing. Altoona Mirror, December 2, 1925 INQUEST TONIGHT IN MOTOR TRUCK DEATH An inquest into the fatal accident that resulted in the death on Wednesday morning when Mrs. Mary Wolf of 2911 Seventh avenue when she was caught under a Hildebrand Baking company truck as she stood on the curb at Fifth avenue and Twenty-ninth street, will be held this evening. Coroner Chester C. Rothrock has investigated the accident and has consulted with a number of witnesses. All connected with the case have been summoned to appear at the N. A. Stevens Memorial funeral home at 7.30 o'clock this evening. Altoona Mirror, December 4, 1925 Note: Wording of the first sentence is an authentic transcription of the original. DRIVERS ARE HELD FOLLOWING DEATH Charles Fisher and Paul Moyer Charged With Manslaughter After Mrs. Mary Wolf Dies at Hospital. Following the death of Mrs. Mary Wolf of 2911 Seventh avenue at the Mercy hospital yesterday afternoon at 1.40 o'clock as the result of injuries sustained earlier in the day when two trucks collided, Charles Fisher and Paul Moyer, drivers of the trucks, were charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault and battery. The informations were sworn to by City Detective W. A. Davis before Alderman Harry McClelland. Mrs. Wolf had been standing at the corner of Fifth avenue and Twenty-ninth street when a truck belonging to W. J. Burke and being driven by Moyer collided at the corner with such force that the bakery truck was thrown over toward the sidewalk and Mrs. Wolf was knocked down. J. Guy Schaeffer, also standing at the corner, was slightly injured. Mrs. Wolf was badly injured about the head and suffered greatly from the shock of the accident. At noon hopes were entertained for her recovery but a short time later she began sinking, growing gradually worse until she passed away. Both Fisher, the driver of the Hildebrand truck who lives along the Buckhorn road, and Moyer, operator of the Burke truck residing at 2612 Seventh avenue, were arrested after the accident by the police and made statements regarding the accident and were released pending the outcome of Mrs. Wolf's injuries. City Detective Davis after the death of Mrs. Wolf went before Alderman McClellan and made information against Fisher and Moyer on the charge of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault and battery. Bail in the manslaughter charges was fixed at $2,000 and in the aggravated assault and battery charges at $300, making $2,300 for each. Bail was secured during the evening and the two accused were given their liberty. A hearing in the cases is to be given on the afternoon of Dec. 15 at 3 o'clock. Coroner Chester C. Rothrock this morning announced that he would conduct and investigation and in all probability would conduct an inquest in the case. Mrs. Mary Wolf, the victim of the fatal collision, was the wife of Jacob J. Wolf of 2911 Seventh avenue, and had resided in the city for a period of thirty-seven years. Her maiden name was Koenig and she was born in Germany, being aged 58 years. She came to America and settled in this city when she was 21 years of age. Four years later she married Jacob Wolf and for many years they resided in the Sixth ward where she had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church and besides her husband is survived by ten children as follows: Mrs. Mary McCusker of Johnstown, Henry of Angelica, N. Y., John, Fred, Paul, Caroline, Margaret, Anna, Herman and Martha, all at home. She is also survived by one brother, John Koenig of Altoona and two other brothers and a sister residing in Germany. The funeral will take place Saturday morning from the home, 2911 Seventh avenue, at 8.30 o'clock and proceed to St. Mary's Catholic church where mass will be celebrated at 9 o'clock. Interment in St. Mary's cemetery. Altoona Mirror December 3, 1925 FISHER HELD FOR MRS. WOLF'S DEATH Coroner's Jury Following Inquest Last Night Rendered Verdict Charging Careless Driving. Charles Fisher of the Buckhorn road and a truck driver, was last evening by a coroner's jury held responsible for the death of Mrs. Mary Wolf of 2911 Seventh avenue, as a result of a collision between the Hildebrand bakery truck, driven by Fisher, and a big dray truck operated by Paul Moyer and owned by W. J. Burke, at Fifth avenue and Twenty-ninth street Wednesday morning. Coroner Rothrock impanneled R. B. Woods, S. L. Ergler, William N. Reed, E. P. Graffius, M. W. McBride and Hewitt A. Louder as a jury to inquire into the death of Mrs. Wolf. The inquest was held at the Stevens' mortuary where eight witnesses gave testimony in the case, including Moyer, the driver of one of the trucks. Fisher was also present but declined to testify. The other witnesses were C. J. Brandt, D. C. Good, J. Guy Schaeffer, John Howard, G. L. Diamond, W. J. Cooper and J. H. Johnson. Messrs. Good, Howard and Cooper testified to Fisher's running out Fifth avenue and it was stated that at Twenty-ninth street he endeavored to pass the Burke truck, driven by Moyer, after it had entered the intersection from Twenty-ninth street, and in swinging around the front of it was struck, knocked toward the curb where it hit and fatally injured Mrs. Wolf, awaiting a trolley car at that point. The evidence of Cooper was to the effect that he was about two blocks away and saw Fisher coming out Fifth avenue at a good rate of speed and that the weather was not responsible for the accident. Moyer in testifying repeated the statement he made to the police following the accident. The jury after deliberation rendered the following verdict: "Mary Wolf was struck by an auto truck driven by Charles Fisher, who by not exercising the proper precautions and driving his truck in a careless manner, came in collision with a truck driven by Paul Moyer, the impact of which caused the truck driven by Fisher to strike Mrs. Wolf and knock her to the pavement, causing injuries which resulted in her death." Fisher and Moyer were both arrested following the accident on charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault and battery, the charges being preferred by City Detective W. A. Davis. They entered bail before Alderman McClellan in the sum of $2,300 each for a hearing. Altoona Mirror December 5, 1925 HUSBAND OF ACCIDENT VICTIM ASKS DAMAGES Jacob Wolf of Altoona has filed trespass suit in the county court against Charles Fisher, Paul Moyer, William Burke and Frank Hildebrand as remuneration for the death of his wife, Mrs. Mary Wolf, who was struck and killed in an automobile accident in which the four men figured. The fatality on the morning of Dec. 2, 1925, at the intersection of Fifth avenue and Twenty-ninth street, where Mrs. Wolf was waiting for a street car. A motor truck owned by Hildebrand and operated by Fisher was proceeding west and at the corner collided with a truck owned by Burke and operated by Moyer. The Hildebrand truck was turned over on its side on the sidewalk and it struck Mrs. Wolf, as a result of which she was injured and died three hours later. It is charged in the bill that the cars were being operated in a reckless manner. Altoona Mirror, March 19, 1926 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/