| Notes |
- Niagara Gazette - 10/12/1933
Struck by an automobile while
walking in Buffalo avenue, about
1,000 feet east of South Military road,
at 7:40 o'clock last evening, Ernest
Whitmire, 17 years old, Niagara Falls
high school musician, was fatally injured.
The youth died shortly after
10 o'clock last night in Memorial
hospital of a skull fracture.
Ernest J. Reynolds, salesman. 43
years old, 201 Glenwood avenue, Buf-
falo, driver of the automobile that
struck and killed young Whitmire,
was arrested by Motorcycle Patrolman
Thomas Wasley immediately following
the accident and held on a charge of
second degree manslaughter. Coroner
W. L. Draper was investigating the
case today.
Whitmire's home is on the River
road near Lynch's park in the town
of Wheatfield. Police said that their
investigation showed that he was
walking west and that Reynold's car
was traveling in the same direction.
The left front fender of the automo-
bile caught Whitmire and threw him
to the right. Reynnolds stopped his
car and waited for the arrival of police.
Patrolman Hugh McClive of the La
Salle station, investigated the case.
He said that witnesses told him that
they saw Reynolds throw something
from the car and Mcclive turned over
to headquarters police a bottle, partly
filled with gin, which he said he
picked up near the scene.
Reynolds denied he had been drinking.
He said that Whitmire was
walking in the middle of the pavement.
The place where the accident
occurred is a dark stretch of road
and Reynolds claimed that he did not
see Whitmire until it was too late to
avoid striking him. He told Coroner
Draper that a car proceeding ahead
of his was zig-zagging along the pave-
ment.
The youth fatally injured was a
son of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar E. Whit-
mire, River road, town of Wheatfield.
His father is a well known mason
contractor. Young Whitmire was a
banjoist of recognized ability and
played in the high school orchestra
and in Evan White's fretted instru-
ment group. He was very popular
with his associates and classmates.
He attended the La Salle Senior high
school and was a member of the jun-
ior class.
Besides his parents, the yough is
survived by four brothers, Howard,
Stuart, Ronald and Oscar, and three
sisters, Mrs. Howard Benjamin, Mrs.
Vander G. Ray and Miss Mamie
Whitmire. The body was taken to-
day to the home of his sister, Mrs.
Benjamin, 3004 Lockport road. Fun-
eral services will be held in the Ben-
hamin home on Saturday afternoon at
3 o'clock with the Rev. Charles Os-
born, First Baptist church, officiat-
ing. Burial will be in Memorial
Park cemetery.
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Abt 1917 - 1933 (16 years)