Barber County Kansas

Barber County Index, October 3, 1938.

CHARLES WILLIAMS KILLED AS CARS SIDESWIPE

A regrettable accident occurred near Medicine Lodge Monday afternoon about one thirty when a car containing a group of vocational agriculture boys, and driven by Roy Kinkaid, collided with a couple occupied by Eugene Winters and his mother, Mrs. Jake Winters, resulting in the death of Charlie Williams who was riding on the running board of the Winters car. The accident occurred on the bridge over the old channel of Elm Creek, just east of the County Farm.

The vocational agriculture boys were starting on a field trip to the Rausch farm, and one carload of the boys, accompanied by their instructor, Mr. Pierce, had gone on ahead. The other car occupied by Roy Kinkaid, Ted Freeman, Elmer McHenry, Ralph Porter, Earl Sanders, Irvin Rausch and Gerald Riggins, came up on the bridge and met the Winters car about the center of the bridge. Mr. Williams was apparently instantly killed when the cars side-swiped, being crushed between them. Mr. Williams had been to the Winters farm to rent a house and was walking back to town when Mr. Winters and his mother came by and picked him up.

County officers notified of the accident were Charley Gordon, coroner, Clarence Frieden, sheriff and J. Lester Orr, county attorney. Mr. Gordon immediately impaneled a jury composed of F. H. Utz, W. C. Freeman, J. K. Wilson, C. A. Groendycke, O. R. McCumber and V. M. Youngers, and following a detailed hearing of the accident, the above jury rendered the verdict that, "Charles Williams came to his death by riding in a dangerous position on the running board of a moving automobile."

Mr. Williams had resided in this community for the past twenty years. He was forty two years of age at the time of his death. A brother and a sister reside at Canton, Kansas, and came to Medicine Lodge for the funeral, which was conducted at the cemetery on Tuesday afternoon in charge of the Rev. R. L. Buckley, pastor of the local Pentecostal church.


 

Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!



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