New-York tribune., 1908-08-03
TRAIN SMASHES AUTO
PETERSON LAWYER SLIM
Man Haze Had a PremonitiOn-
FiUe Injured.
by Telegraph to Tn. Tribun.3

HaCkenSack, n. J., Aug. IA shocking auto
mobile accident occurred the Susquehanna
& Western Railroad crossing at Bogota about
o'clock tonight when big touring hired
by DR.. James Curtis. of Church street, Pater-
son. was struck by local train, westbound
Donald Holmes a lawyer. of Paterson, was
killed the top of his head being crushed in.
DR. Curtis had his leg broken between the hip
and the knee. suffered internal injuries and his
head was cut and bruised Wallace Paul, OF
Ellison street. Paterson, had his head and BODY
cut and bruised James Shaw. the chauffeur,
suffered a fractured skull and was injured in
ternally. He is likely to die. ". II. Turner,
of No 394 Fifteenth avenue Paterson, had his
shoulder wrenched and head severely cut He
is also suffering from shock Harry Fernback
was slightly cut and bruised.
The party was heading for New York when
the accident occurred. The was bounding
down a slight grade toward the railroad cross
ing and almost top of the track before
some shouted, MY God. there's trainr'
The auto squarely the westbound track
when the locomotive, which was going slowly,
crashed into and crushed it to pieces Mr.
Fernback hurried to Paterson shortly after the
accident
Mr.. Turner was the only left at the Hack
ensack Hospital who could tell of the accident
and he was so dazed that he at first said it was
Nn~SSo
much confusion. When undertaken returned
to the hospital at 10 o'clock and described the
clothes worn by the dead man. Turner wiped
tears from his eyes and exclaimed: MY God!
Then it must be Donald Holiness"
Turner was kept busy at the hospital tele-
phone telling relatives of the accident, and he
had told some that Holmes in bad way
and that the chauffeur was dead The young
man almost collapsed when he realized the error
Of {I,oT ,Tocra
the chaufeur's head in the operating room he
had been unable to identify him.
Il simply can't tell how this thing happened"
said Turner 1T all sudden We were
chatting merrfly together when the awful crash
came"
1t was dark at the time and there
warning signal at the crossing. There were
houses near the railroad track. and the chauf
feur did not the approaching train
Dr. Swayzee, DIR. White and DR.. Macdonald
hurried to the hospital as soon they found
out about the accident, and gave prompt medi-
cal attendance to the injured men,
Grave doubts were entertained as to the re-
covery of Shaw, the chauffeur DR.. Curtis is in
q precarious conditions. He is one Of Paterson's
leading physicians and is brother of DR.. r. NJ
Curtis, of that city. The party left the North
Jersey Country Club just before s O'Clock. 1t
could not be determined where their destina-
ton was. Mr.. Holmes did not want to go in the
automobile, but finally yielded to coaxing.
The crossing at Bogota,. where the fatal acci-
dent occurred, has long been known as one Of
the most dangerous in this section
The wrecked automobile had been hired by
DR. Curtis from the garage Of Shaw &. Hughes
The injured chauffeur is a part owner in the
garage.
There was great excitement among the pas
sengers the train when they learned the
cause of the delay. Many went TO the head Of
the train and several women tainted.
The party had been playing golf at the North
Jersey Country Club during the afternoon. They
then had supper. after which automobile ride
was suggested. Mr.. Holmes didn't want to go.
He said he had money with him, but when
a friend offered him money, he said: "I have
money, old man, but somehow other 1 don't
feel just right about going for ride" When
news of his death reached the Country Club his
friends recalled his words and wondered if it
was premontion he was laboring under.