Bonners Ferry herald., 1919-10-14
FATAL AUTO
ACCIDENT
,,rRED EDWARDS KILLED WHEN
.rTo PLUNGES OFF GRADE AT
RAILWAY CROSSING
seven PEOPLE IN THE AUTO
c.mpanions Escape With Few Slight
Bruises and Sprains

Alfred Edwards was instantly killed
sunday night about 1880 o'clock in
~ automobile accident which hap
nsned at the Great Northern railway
crossing in front of the DR.. E. E. Fry
home.
An hour or so before the accident,
Fdwards and six companions, A. C..
paulson, Howard Kent, Alva Bush.
Leonard Butler, Alfred Stillman and
rlarence Skaurud, went for an auto
ride in Skaurud's Overland car. They
drove to the boom camp of the Bon
ners Ferry Lumber Company and then
mrned around and came back home.
lust as the car crossed the railway
crossing the electric lights went out
and Skaurud, who was driving, at
tempted to switch them on again and
At the time steered the car with one
hand. One of the men in the front
seat with him called out, Look out,
you'll go into the ditch" just as the
car went over the bank, turning COM
pletely over and pinning all the occu-
pants under it with the exception of
stillman, who was in the front seat
and who jumped in time to clear the
car. The place where the car landed
is eight or ten feet below the grade of
the road.
Edwards was caught under the rim
Of the seat, it is believed, and his neck
was dislocated at the third vertebra.
The other members of the party es-
caped with slight bruises and sprains
| and a severe shaking up although
| Bush was pinned under the car in
| such a manner as to cause suffoca
| ton and was saved by the action of
| Kent who, while under the car was
| able to hold it partially of Bush's
. neck
Everett Luse was on his way home
and was walking in the vicinity OF
the Bonners Ferry Lumber Company
Office when he heard the car go into
the ditch. He hurried back and
helped the men out from under the
car while Skaurud went for doctor
Drs. Fry and Faucet were both al
the Fry home but Edwards was dead
before they could reach the scene oi
the accident.
Kent, Paulson. Butler and Busf
we're riding in the back seat while
Edwards and Stillman were in the
llUul seat Will lnC QliNCi. Jill 'AA>
way the car landed it is miracle tha
the companions, of Edwards escaped
his fate or at least serious injuries.
A coroner's inquest was held yester
day afternoon at two o'clock, Prose
cutting Attorney Wilson conducting the
examination of the witnesses. Be
sides the men who were companions
Of Edwards, DIR. Fry, o. R. Stoke,
and E. B. Stookey were called to tes
tify. The testimony showed that a
the time of the accident the car wa
travelling at speed of about eight Il
ten miles an hour Skaurud SAT-
that when his lights went out he at
tempted to drive to one side OF tn
road to stop the car and went to-
close to the edge of the bank. IN
car went off on the left side OF tn
road.
The coroner's jury adjourned a
four o'clock until seven in the evenln
to hear the testimony of Leonard Bu'
ler
The verdict of the jury was tha
Edwards had met his death in an ur
ayoidable accident caused by defectiy
lights.
4nC DOuN VI 1<u W dio Nco es'tN~-
Copeland where the funeral service
were held this afternoon at one ocloc
at the Copeland schoolhouse, Rev. M
Gibson, of this city, conducting u
services. Interment was had In u
Copeland cemetery.
Alfred Frederick Edwards came
this district about ten years ago fro
Saxon, Wis, and made his home Il
many years with his father and brot
ers at Copeland He was 81 yea
old the 18th of September and WI
born at Cumberland, Wis. He is su
slved by his father, H. l.. Edwards,
copeland, four sisters, Mrs. JOSEF
Schwaiger, Mrs. E. ]. Wilson, MI
yolney Washburn and Mrs. Harv'
Washburn, and three brothers, There
Edwards, Vernon Edwards and Da
rel Edwards. For the past sever
months he had been in the employ
he Bethlehem Gold Mines, Ltd.
Edwards was likable person, qui
and unassuming, generous and OF
genial disposition and he has scor
friends in this district who W
mourn his untimely death and syl
Hthize with the relatives in the
grief.
rxI