Putnam patriot., 1915-06-11
FATAL AUTO
 ACCIDENT
Car Skidded, Two Dead. Three Injured
Ralph Busbee and Wife First to Rescue

The worst automobile aecidenttihat ! has occurred in this section happened sunday afternoon on the state road al a point about one mile east of Phee. i nixVille. As result Mrs. Hugh A. Nichols of Willmantic died within few minutes, and her daughter, Miss Ruth Nichols, ,sdied ruesdsy morning. Mir. and Mrs. Newton A Vaughn are in serious condition and Hugh Nich- ols is nursing slight injuries.
 Just how the accident happened is not known The state road over which 1 Il is believed the car was being driven i at considerable rate of speed had re- l gently been oiled. The ear had just climbed a little incline, passed over the brow of the hill and was coursing downward when it is thought Mr. 1 Nichols, who owned the car and was diving, saw that it was getting be. l yond his control as ii was skidding from side Co side und he was apparent i ly unable to stop it's momentum. IL is believed that he took one hand from the wheel to reach aver 10 throw oil the switch when the ear crashed into | telephone poie with such force as to sfeak the pole efl clean fes feet from the ground. Mir. Nichols and Mrs. Vaughn were thrown clear Of the car while the other three passengers were pinned underneath.
 No one saw the crash as the machine hit the pole and tipped over. Ralph Bugbee and his wife were the first to come along, and they probably reach. ed the spot three or four minutes after the accident happened. Mir. Bugbee first noticed woman sitting beside the road covered with blood and dirt. As he saw her his wife made an ex. clamation and he then saw the over turned car with mans body protrud. ing from underneath. Mir. Bugbee immediately stopped his car and he and his wife got out. He saw Mr. Nichols sitting beside the road dazed and he called to him to help lift the car sTtc running boArtl af tfie GIT was resting lightly upon the mans neek and his face was in the dirt In his efforts to free himself he had tried to dig with his fingers into the macadam roadway and the finger ends were worn of to the bone.
 The three people united their strength in lifting the car and asit rose slowly the mans voice came from under, l aAnother inch for God sake0 and with last effort he was free.
 The man released was Newton A. Vaughan of WillImanlie, former Putnam boy. He was very cool after his experience and said "Hello Bugbee where are the rest of lhem.' When 1t was learned that there were two wo- men pinned under the car IL took but few mini utes for the four people to turn it over. Mrs. Nichols and her daughter were found rolled up in the tonneau of the car. The women were quickly gotton out and meanwhile Mrs. bugbee had gone to a nearby house 10 summon aid Mir. and Mrs. Vaughn were conveyed to the home of Robert
 Weeks. Mrs Nichols and daughter couldn't be moved Doctors were summoned from Wiilimantic, also the ambulance. Dr. Mcknight, the well known Hartford surgeon came along on his way home from call on Dr. Overlook at the Day kimball hospital and immediately gave his aid. Other doctors from the surrounding country responded and soon there were A large number of people on the scene. Mrs. Nichols WAS dead. She lived but Il few minutes after being taken out from under the machine. MT. Bugbee cared for Mir. Vaughn and Mrs. Bugbee gave her attention to Mrs. Vaughn giving them first aid before the first doctor arrived.
 l MT. Vaughan exhibited great cour. age and when the doctors arrived insisted that Mrs. Nichols and her daughter be given first care not know ing that one of them was beyond aid. Mr. Vaughan never lost consciousness | but .once While he was sitting in a chair while MT. Bugbee was attending him he said that things were beginn- ing to look black and asked to be put upon couch.
 peculiar instance of the affair was that while Mir. Bugbee was down the road sum .noniug aid Mrs. Vaughan climbed into his ear. How she did 1t ! unassisled Is mystery. She said that she did not remember doing it. Mr. Vaughan asked that his wife be taken Immediately to the hospital in ] Willimantic but after the ear had gone but q short distance she suffered such pain that 1t was found be inposss- Die.
 Upon examination by the physicians 1t was found that Mir. Vaughan had a [ bad scalp wound and his spine was in- jured but no bones were found broken. ] Mrs. Vaughan was badly bruised and sustained compound fracture of the left shoulder. Miss Nichols was found l to be the worst injured having sustain ed a compound fracture of the left leg, was badly burned about the chest and arms, badly bruised about the body a