Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-08-22
CO. &P. CAR CRASHES
into TOURIST PARTY:
2 DEAD; 1 INJURED
Moriarity hill crossing the death highway, just
west of the city had two more deaths added to its

l oIeSt was Struck by an
interurban car. One
member of the party was
instantly killed, second injured SO
badly that death followed five hours
later, while a third is patient at Ry-
burn memorial hospital seriously in
jured.
The dead:
THOMAS M'ARTHUR, 1874 Gale
! St, River Forest, aged 40
MRS. THOMAS M'ARTHUR,
aged 49,
Injured
T. j. SAMPSON, River Forest
aged 81, compound fracture OF
the leg.
Some divine providence evidently
guided the fate of the two daughters
of Mr.. and Mrs. Macarthur, Mrs. Mar
jorie Sampson, aged 10, and Florence
Macarthur aged 8, as they both es-
capped from the wreck without in
jury
The accident occurred about Ills.
as the 10:55 westbound interurban
car, in charge of Mctorman Hide
brand and Conductor John Mcnamara
was making a trip to Princeton.
Did Not See Interurban.
According to the story told by Mrs.
Sampson and her little sister, Flor
ence, who were orphaned by the
4 tragedy the auto party did not see
/ The interurban until they were just
| passing upon the tracks
/ The interurban tracks are lust q
| few feet south CT the Rock Island
tracks, where on March II, 1920.
Albert Windus, his son Ernest and
! Harold Hadlowell were struck and
killed iby two Rock Island trains.
Plans are under way at the present
time to build a long bridge over the
c., o. & p. tracks, the Illinois and
Michigan canal and the Rock Island
tracks
Mr.. and Mrs Macarthur, with their
two daughters and their son in law,
left their home in River Forest early
yesterday morning for q trip to the
Starved Rock State Park Mrs. Nc
Arthur was in i'll health, and her ply
sician had advised her to make q
weeks s0iourn at the park Her two
daughters were planning to remain
with her for the outing, while the
husband and father and Mr.. Sampson.
the husband Of Marjorie. were to re-
turn last night
Weeds Cut off View.
The party passed thru Ottawa and
headed west over the ottawa avenue
road. According to the story told by
the daughter they knew a turn was
to be made some place just west of
town, and were watching for the trail
sign, The girl claims that they did
not know they were travelling paral-
lei to the interurhan tracks. and made
| the turn at Mo4iarity hill without
knowledge Of the fate in store for
them. A growth of weeds along the
roadway and tracks is said to have
cut off the view Of the tracks from
them until they rounded the corner
Mrs Sampson and her little sister
both claim that they saw the tracks
ana the approaching interurban car
a short distance away after thet
rounded the curve They claim that
they all screamed to the father who
was at the wheel Mr Macarthur
slackened his speed, they say, but
did not have time to stop the auto
before running on the tracks in front
OF the approaching locomotive
Here is where we are all-"Mrs.
Macarthur is said to have called out,
but she did not have time to finish
her sentence before the crash
Pushed Sister from Car.
Mrs. Sampson grabbed her little
sister and pushed her from the car.
Just as the collision occurred, and tho
child pulled her older sister after her.
Both girls were in the act of alight-
! ing when the car struck, and we're
| beth thrown free of the wreckage al,
| the side of the roadway Sampson,
who was in the rear seat of the car
| with his wife and little sister was
| thrown free Of the car, and landed
about twenty-five feet down the track
in the weeds His lrft leg was frac-
tured between the knee and ankle.
| and the bones prOtruded thru the
flesh, causing the wound to bleed
freely
Auto Reduced to Wreckage.
The auto Hudson Supersix, was
dragged for a distance of about 300
feet with Mr. and Mrs. Macarthur both
in the front seat The handsome car
was reduced to pile of wreckage.
AS the train was brought to a
stop, the auto was half across the
! tracks and half across the right OF
! way,
The train men found Mrs. Near
thur hanging out Of the front of the
car over the hood, dead She sus-
tsined fracture at the base of the
skull Her husband was hanging out
OF the right side OF the car, with his