The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-10-25
COMRlDE JUMPS TO SAFETY
John Cess Leaps from Automobile In
Time But Mills Is Caught by Onrush-
ing Victim Was Highly Re
spected Citizen Funeral Tuesday.

A little journey back to childhood
brought fatal injury to Frank e. Mills
on Saturday afternoon, when the car
In which he and John Cess were re-
turning from hickory expe-
dition was struck by a limited car on
the Chicago and Milwaukee line at the
South Kenosha crossing. The accident
occurred shortly before four O'Clock and
was witnessed by none except the oc-
cupants Of the death-car and the motor
mon on the electri Cess saw the train
approaching and jumped just in time
to save himself. Mills, however, did
not realize his danger until it was much
Toe late to stop the car or free himself
from the wheel. In the crash which
followed, he received the full force Of
the onrushing train and sustained in
juries which caused his death just be-
fore midnight on Saturday. Cess es-
capped physical harm of any conse-
quence, but is near nervous prostration
From the shock of his experience.
Death Turks at Crossing.
Mills and Cess left Kenosha about
1880 P. NJ, on Saturday. Following
the McKuehn road they drove south
Of the city to Balm y woods where they
spent the afternoon gathering hickory
nuts. Some time after three O'Clock
they started back to Kenosha, and
reached the interurban crossing just
in time for the fatal collision with the
south bound limited, leaving the local
station at 3:40.
The track is visible at this point for
Ia distance Of more than thirty feet,
but the mon were engage in CONVEX
sation and did not notice the approach
ing car. IF the motorman signalled the
men did not hear it and the deadly ac-
cident was the inevitable result. Cess
escaped injury by matter of inches,
but shouted warning too late to save
his friend.
Mills was caught exactly, thrown
more than ten feet in the air, and
hurled to the ground with force that
broke both arms and both legs and left
a gaping wound in his head. Cess and
trainmen 1eaped at once to his assist
ance and picked his body from the
mass of wreckage that had been his
automobile. The car was smashed to
splinters Only few fragments of
wood and steel and tangled conglom-
Grafton Of tin and wire were left of
the erstwhile machine, which only a
few hours before had carried the men
from Kenosha for an outing in the
woods
Quick Service Is Unavailing.
The train crew telephoned immedi-
ately for the Hansen ambulance, which
responded so promptly as to meet the
returning car at the Prairie avenue
crossing. In this way the wounded man
was brought in an inconceivably short
time to the Kenosha hospital, where
every effort was mado to save his life.
From the first, however, there was lit
tie, if any, hope for his recovery. With
compound fractures of both limbs, both
arms broken, and an ugly opening in
his head, his chances for life were
practically nil. In spite of the serious
ness of his injuries, physicians and sur
geons did everything in their power to
save him and despaired of success only
when he relapsed into that peculiar
coma, so TYPICAL of certain death.
Comment: EFT Can't Make IT,
Only once after the accident did Mills
appear to be conscious. When laid
upon the operating table, he opened
hiss eyes for moment and exclaimed:
CIT It make it'll" Apparently he
was expressing the last thought which
came to him before the car struck him
and hurled him to unexpected death.
After the administration of the anaes-
thetie, he slipped into state Of coma
from which he never rallied, The end
came quietly at 11:4o P. M.
Survivors Are Grief Stricken
Mills is survived by his widow, Mrs.
Hope Mills, one daughter, Miss Evelyn
Mills us moVneF, MIS-. MargareI y.
Mills of Rockford, Illinois, and several
brothers and sisters. The latter in
clude Charles and James Mills of Rock
ford, Benjamin Mills of Chicago, Mrs.
William Williams, and Mrs. Lawrence
Golwitzer, both of Rockford. The re-
latives are gradually recovering from
the shock of the accident, but the
widow and daughter are still near pros
tration from grief. Mrs. Mills before
her marriage was Miss Hope Barnes,
a lifelong resident of Kenosha and a
sister of Mrs. w. e. Cox.
A Citizen Of Character.