Automobile Jumped From Boat Into River

Driver Was Inexperienced

Accidentally Started Car With His Foot

Ghent, Ky., July 2 - Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Griffith, of this city, met death in the Ohio river at 11 o'clock this morning when their automobile jumped from Kentucky and Indiana ferryboat, Eva Everett.  It appears that Mr. Griffith, who was driving his machine for the first time without having a chauffeur with him, placed his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake.  The machine shot forward into the water, and before assistance could reach them, the couple drowned.

The water is twenty feet deep at the ferryboat landing and as there were no divers present, hooks and ropes had to be relied upon in the attempts to rescue.  All efforts to save their lives proved futile, however, though the bodies were recovered an hour later.  The machine will be brought to the surface as soon as the necessary machinery can be secured.

Mr. and Mrs. Griffith were on their way to Lawrenceburg, Ind., where a family reunion was to be held at the residence of their son. N. T. Griffith, cashier of the People's Bank.  Another son is Willie Griffith, of Williamsburg, Ind.

The tragic accident  has spread gloom over Ghent and the vicinity.  The news spread rapidly and hundreds of people hastened to the river to assist in finding the bodies.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Griffith were well known and highly respected and had a wide acquaintance.  Mr. Griffith was a contractor and an active member of the Masonic fraternity.

from the Hartford Herald, Hartford, Ky., July 5, 1916