The Holly chieftain., 1923-06-28

Denver.-Sumner Curtis, representa-
tive of the Republican national COM
mittee, with President Harding party
In Denver and Thomas A. French, 442l
Decatur street, employe of the Great
Western Sugan Company, were killed
and two other members of the party
were critically injured when their auto
plunged 100 feet over an embankment
into Bear creek canon at the second
looking-glass curve, half mile above
the c. G. Gates home.
Thomas F. Dawson, Colorado state
historian and nationally known news
paperm who was seriously injured,
died at 10 o'clock the following morn
ing.
Donald Craig, Washington, cores
spondent of New York Herald, suf-
fered lacerated scalp, possible inter
nal injuries and is in critical condition
The accident occurred during trip
planned for the newspaper men of the
Harding party by the Denver Press
Club.
The cars were following each other
closely and travelling behind pair of
motorcycle officers who were clearing
the road. AS they came around what
is known as. the upper looking glass
turn, the caf driven by French had
! only fairly started on the straight
away when suddenly and sharply it
darted over the embankment 1t fell
a sheer fifty fent The other members
Of the party II K4 with horror us the
machine turned end over end.
When rescuers reached the scene,
Craig was lying about fifteen feet from
the top of the steep incline. Dawson
was three-quarters the way down and
French only a few feet away. Curtis
was pinned underneath the car and 1t
was necessary to turn the machine
over to rescue his body.
| Craig was carried to the top first
and placed in an automobile. Daw-
son was carried up the slope and put
in another car. At the country home
| of the Denver Motor Club stop was
made and first aid administered to
Dawson, who was suffering from a
| badly wrenched spine and a cut in his
forehead.
First aid treatment was given Craig
ut Starbuck and the trip to Denver
with the two men started.
When the rescuers reached French
he was still alive but UNCONSCIOUS. He
was carried to the top of the embank-
ment and placed in the automobile of
]. L. Alumbaugh, grocery store keeper
of Fiftieth avenue and Quitman street.
| Alumbaugh started down the canon
| with French, but before he could reach
| Starbuck, French died. The body was
brought to Denver by the Roche Am
bulance Company, while the body of
Curtis was brought to Denver by the
ambulance of the county hospital.
One of the concrete posts imbedded
at the apex of the curve was broken
off at the ground as the car plunged
| over the embankment.
Curtis was killed Instantly, it is
thought. There was gaping wound
| In his head when other members of the
party reached him. The body was first
removed to the G. G. Gates home, to
await the arrival of the coroner, and
later brought to Denver.
A short time before starting the
trip Curtis called his wife over long
distance telephone to Washington, D..
c, He told her about reaching Denver
safely, about the reception at the depot
and OF. the plans for the mountain trip.
He told her he was looking forward to
the mountain, trip and expected it to
be the crowning feature of his journey
with the presidential party.
For many years Curtis was Washing
ton correspondent for Milwaukee and
Chicago papers. He received his early
newspaper training in Milwaukee. AT
the time of the Spanish-American war
he was connected with the New York
Herald and served as war cores
pondent for that paper.