Last night a sad fatality occurred at Rushden, a little child named Hilda May Woods, six years of age, being run over by a motor car, with fatal results. It appears that at about 7p.m. deceased, who is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Woods, of 24 Roberts-street, Rushden, was playing with other children in Newton-road, near the allotments. Suddenly she got up and started to run across the road. Mr. Harry Selwood, son of Mr. Geo. Selwood, boot manufacturers, was motoring down the road at the time, and was exercising every care, but the little girl apparently did not notice the car and ran right under the vehicle. In a second Mr. Selwood pulled up, and with assistance, the girl, who was badly hurt, was placed in the car and driven straight to Dr. Owen’s surgery, but the victim of the accident was beyond aid, and she died within a quarter-of-an-hour of the time she was knocked down. The body was taken to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Jaques, in Grove-street, the grandfather and grandmother of the deceased.

There are several pathetic incidents connected with the fatality. The mother of the deceased was in poor health at the time of the accident, having given birth to a baby as recently as the previous Sunday evening. The father of the deceased girl was a Reservist, and was called up on the outbreak of war. He was captured by the Germans at the Battle of Mons in the early days of the war, and was very badly treated by the enemy, who for 14 months refused to allow him to communicate with his wife and family. It was believed he was killed, and one comrade went so far as to say he saw him shot on the battle-field. Mrs. Woods, however, refused to give up hope, and after 14 months of suspense she heard from him that he was a prisoner of war. On the signing iof the Armistice in November last Mr. Woods was liberated, and in due course reached Rushden. While he was a war prisoner Mr. Woods’s father died, and his own little lad who was only about six weeks old when Mr Woods was called up, also died during the same period, being a victim of tuberculosis. There are two other children living—both girls. Mr. Woods has served in India, in Canada, and in other parts of the world. It is an unfortunate fact that within three weeks of resuming work on his return from captivity in Germany he met with an accident at the factory of Mr. H. Jaques in Harborough-road, his arm being caught in the shafting, and he has not since then quite recovered the use of the limb.

Further details of the sad fatality show that the deceased child, at about 7p.m., was playing with other children near the top gate of the first allotments on the Newton-road, at the crown of the hill. Mr. Harry Selwood was driving his motor car towards Newton, and was exercising due caution. At the same time Mr. J. W. Watson, of Queen-street, was coming in his trolley towards Rushden, with som cans of milk. Mr. Watson’s son, Frank, was driving, and Mr. Watson himself was sitting at the back of his trolley, looking towards Newton. Just as the trolley and the motor car passed each other Mr. Watson, to his horror, saw the child between the two front wheels of the car, and a second afterwards he distinctly heard one of the back wheels of the car give a bump, so that evidently the child was run over by a back wheel. The car pulled up almost instantaneously, and at the same moment Mr. Watson called on his son Frank to pull up the trolley, which he did. Jumping out of the trolley, Mr. Watson ran across to the child, who was then lying in the gutter face downwards, and bleeding profusely. The spot where she was lying was only two yards from the back wheels of the car, so that the driver of the motor had brought the car to a standstill in a second or two. Mr. Watson saw that the little girl was severely injured. Mr. Coleman, of Harborough-road, on the call of Mr. Selwood, jumped into the car, Mr. Watson handed the sufferer to him, Mr. Selwood then driving with the utmost speed to Dr. Owen’s surgery, picking up Mr. Woods (the father of the deceased), who had been working in his allotment, and who, with others, had been attracted by the cries of the spectators of the sad mishap. Almost immediately after they had reached the surgery the child, whose neck was broken, passed away.

It appears that just before the car reached the spot where the youngsters were playing they were warned of its approach by Mr. F. Smith, who was passing on his hand-propelled tricycle. All the circumstances of the casualty point to the fact that the motorist was not in any way to blame.

Naturally the terrible occurrence caused profound sorrow in the district, and groups of people gathered in the streets, discussing the sad circumstances surrounding the case. The police took the matter in hand, and the Coroner was informed, and inquest being arranged for. Mrs. Jaques, the deceased child’s grandmother, had been assisting to prepare a tea held last night in connection with the Rushden Women’s Adult School, and she was present at the social gathering which followed the tea, being called out during the proceedings and informed of the lamentable occurrence. The utmost sympathy is felt for the bereaved parents and friends in their sore trial. The victim of the accident was a scholar at the Newton-road infants’ school.