The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1947-07-24
BLUFFTON MAN
DIES FOLLOWING
HIGHWAY CRASH
Eli Augsburger, Retired Farmer
Succumbs At Hospital
Here
Car Crashes Into Wagon In
Unusual Accident Near
a. Beayerdam

Eli Augsburger, 70, prominent
retired Richland township farmer
living on South Jackson street died
in Bluffton hospital Monday night
at 11:15 o'clock from injuries
received three hours earlier in a
highway accident when car struck
a wagon which he and his two sons
were pulling out of a roadside ditch.
The body is at the Paul Diller
funeral home where it will remain
until time for services to be held at
the Ebenezer Mennonite church west
of Bluffton of which he was a mem
Der. His pastor Rev. Howard Lands
viii officiate and burial viii be in
the church cemetery.
Time for the funeral has not been
set awaiting word from his son
Hiram of Ft. Wayne who is on a
motor tour thru the west.
Unable to Locate Son
The son and his wife are believed
to be in the vicinity of Yellowstone
National park. However, all attempts
to reach them have been unsuccessv
full, it was reported Wednesday
forenoon.
A daughter, Mrs. Elvina Esau is
expected to arrive here Thursday
from Wolf Point, Montana, where
she has been for the past two
months with her husband, Rev. ]. J.
Esau, evangelist, who is engaged in
services there.
The accident in which Mr.. Augs-
burger was fatally injured occurred
at dusk, one mile north of Beaver
dam on Route 696, known as the
Napoleon road which intersects the
Bluffton-C Columbus Grove road four
miles west of town at the former
Hilty school corner.
Working On Wagon
Augsburger and his two sons, Paul
of Riley street and Alvin living on
a farm not far from the scene of
the accident were preparing to
hitch a four-wheel wagon to the
fathers automobile when a car
driven by Gerald Weaver, Is, of
Lima Roue 5, rammed into the
wagon which ran over Augsburger,
crushing his chest.
Weaver told the state highway
patrolmen that he was blinded by
lights of the Augsburger car which
was parked some forty yards farth-
er down the road on the opposite
side of the highway. The cars head
lights were on to provide light while
the father and two sons were work
ing on the wagon.
Earlier in the day Augsburger
had borrowed the wagon from Ralph
Vermllion of Lima Route 5 and
while taking nc home hitched to his
automobile. the wagon broke loose
and ran into a roadside ditch.
Wagon On Road
Summoning his two sons to help
him, the three returned to the wagon
in the evening and had succeeded in
getting it out of the ditch onto the
road when the accident occurred.
Alvin who was at the rear of the
wagon narrowly escaped injury by
jumping to the side of the road out
of the path of the oncoming car just
before the crash.
His two sons brought their father
to the Bluffton hospital in his car.
Former Insurance Head
Mr.. Augsburger was formerly
president of the Richland Township
Farmers Mutual Insurance associa-
tion and active in the Ebenezer
Mennonite church west of Bluffton.
He was born June IA, 1875 the
son of Henry and Barbara (Moser)
Augsburger. He was married to
Dina Amstutz who preceded him in
death and afterward to Fannie
Steffen. Following her death he was
married to Lydia Kindle who sur
wives.
Also surviving are five daughters:
Mrs. Eva Steffen, Dalton; Mrs.
Elvina Esau, Mrs. Helen Steiner,
Mrs. Martha Burkholder all of Bluff
ton and Mrs. Dina Herr of Pandora;
six sons Hiram, Ft. Wayne; Paul
and Alvin, Bluffton; Victor, Boston,
Mass; William, Wheaton, ILL.,, and
Ray Elias of New York. 4 step-son
is Herbert Kindle, Bluffton.
Two brothers surviving are Walter
and Memo Augsburger both of
Bluffton; three surviving sisters are
Mrs. Jesse Welty and Mrs. Jesse
Steiner both of .Bluffton and Mrs.
Jacob Haas, Pandora.