RICHESON, John Luther
Date of death: 9 Jun 1955 – Johnson County, Indiana
Franklin Evening Star, June 9, 1955, page 1
Nineveh Resident
Killed In Crash
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Luther Richeson
Dies as Car Hits
Culvert, Thursday
Driver, Passenger
Not Injured; County’s
5th Traffic Fatality
A 55-year-old Nineveh man became Johnson County’s fifth traffic fatality of the year, when he was killed instantly in a one-car crash four miles south of Franklin on the Nineveh Road at 8:43 o’clock Thursday morning.
John Luther Richeson died instantly of a frontal skull fracture while sleeping in the back seat of a 1948 Ford Coach, driven by Leslie Bernard Morris, 22, of Nineveh.
Morris and another passenger, William O. Drybread, of Nineveh were uninjured in the accident.
According to police, the accident occurred as Morris apparently dozed at the wheel while traveling south on the road. Drybread was sitting in the front seat and Richeson was lying in the back seat with his head to the left side of the auto.
Morris stated he dozed at the wheel and the auto veered to the left side of the road, sideswiped a cement culvert and ran on into a field near the Herbert Beaman residence.
The impact of the crash ripped the left side of the auto open and Richeson’s head caught the full force of the crash. He died almost instantly.
Change Plans
The other occupants of the car stated that the three men had started to Chicago Wednesday night but had decided to turn around and head back to Nineveh after getting as far north as Lebanon.
Damage to the left side of the Ford was estimated at approximately $200. Three rods of fence and two posts on the Beaman farm were damaged on the extent of $30.
The accident was investigated by State Trooper Bill Torrance, Sheriff Charles Shipp, and Deputy Garner Wood, Sr. The victim was taken from the scene of the accident by the Flinn and Maguire ambulance.
The body has been taken to the Flinn and Maguire Funeral Home. Funeral arrangements will be announced in The Star Friday.
It was the first Johnson County traffic fatality since the afternoon of Saturday, April 16 when Milton Weddle, 19, of Franklin, was killed in a crash two miles north of Franklin on U. S. 31.
Franklin Evening Star, June 10, 1955, page 1
Services Are Set
For Crash Victim
Announce Rites for
Luther Richeson
Funeral services for John Luther Richeson, who was killed in an automobile accident Thursday morning at 8:43 o’clock on the Nineveh road south of Franklin, will be conducted in the Flinn and Maguire Funeral Home at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon. Burial will be in the Nineveh Cemetery.
Friends may call at the funeral home Friday evening from 7 until 9 o’clock, Saturday afternoon from 2 until 5 o’clock and in the evening from 7 to 9 o’clock. They are invited to attend the rites.
Mr. Richeson was born at Nineveh on May 7, 1899 and his parents were the late Marion and Sarah Coffman Richeson. He received his education in the Nineveh schools.
Mr. Richeson had retired after serving in the United States Navy for 30 years including service during World War II.
According to police, Mr. Richeson, accompanied by Leslie Bernard Morris and William O. Drybread, also of Nineveh, had started Wednesday night to Chicago but had decided to return after getting to Lebanon.
Mr. Richeson was asleep in the back seat of the car with his head on the left side. Mr. Morris, who was driving, stated he dozed at the wheel and the car veered to the left side of the road sideswiping a cement culvert. The Nineveh resident died almost instantly after the crash.
Surviving Mr. Richeson are three brothers, Young Richeson, of Franklin; Welby Richeson, of Nineveh; and Olda Richeson, of Morgantown.
Franklin Evening Star, June 10, 1955, page 8
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Fate played a strange role in Johnson county’s fifth traffic fatality Thursday morning. John Luther Richeson, of Nineveh, was killed instantly in a one-car crash on the Nineveh Road.
Richeson was lying in the back seat of the auto with his head to the left. The car struck a cemen [sic] culvert on the left side and Mr. Richeson felt the full impact of the crash. Officers stated that had he been lying with his head to the right side, he might have suffered only slight injuries to his legs.
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Submitted by Mark Wirey