The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1955-09-02
Accident Takes
Three Lives
Here Saturday

The most tragic accident that
has occurred on the reservation
in many years happened early
Saturday morning of last week
nm Highway 80, about twelve
miles south of Browning, in
which the lives of three promi-
nent young people were snuffed
out: a third was quite seriously
injured and a truck driver mirac-
ulously escaped death when a
passenger car and truck collid-
ed
The dead were Merlin Racine,
10, driver of the passenger car,
Theda Faye Pepion, 10; Thelma
Pepion, II, daughters of Mr.. and
Mrs Polite Pepion, of the Black
tail community. The only pas
senger in the car to escape death
was Allan La Plante, who was
thrown from the wreckage and
is now in the local hospital, suf-
fering with a broken arm, cuts,
bruises and shock.
The accident occurred early
Saturday morning, at the bridge
across the irrigation canal, a
short distance north of the Two
Medicine bridge. The car, driven
by young Racine, was coming
north. toward Browning, and in
meeting a heavy truck just north
of the bridge, struck the side
of the truck, throwing both cars
and truck out of control, and
both overturned and each rolled
over several times before conf
ing to stop, completely demol-
ished
The truck driver, William Da-
hindein, saved himself by drop
ping to the bottom of the truck
cab and grabbing hold of the
steering wheel post and hanging
on, rolling with the truck as it
turned over at least three times
and rolled from the place of i'm
pact across the bridge, taking
-, part of the bridge with it. COM
ing to a stop a considerable dis
lance south of the bridge. Da-
linden came out of the wreck
age with only minor injuries, a
black eye, strained back and
bruises. He was not hospitalized.
Investigating officers report
that the crash was caused, appar-
emily. by too much speed on the
part of the car driver. He had
come down the rather steep
grade on the south side of the
Two Medicine bridge, and had
started on the upgrade on the
north side, and in crossing the ir-
rigation bridge evidently got too
far over the center line and
crashed into the oncoming truck.
The truck driver reported that
he pulled over as far as possible
to the right shoulder of the high
way but could not avoid the col
lision.
The party of young people was
coming into Browning to meet
the special bus that was leaving
Saturday morning for Fland-
reau, South Dakota, where the
two Pepion girls were to have
enrolled as students at the In
dian school there. The girls in
tended to send their baggage on
the bus, but their father was to
take them to the school by car
the first of the week.
Another car ahead of the car
which was crashed, waited for
some time at the top of the hill
out of the Two Medicine breaks,
and sensing something might
nave happened, went back and
discovered the wreckage They
then came into Browning and re-
ported the accident, and Coroner
Beck. Deputy Sheriff Colbert and
other officers rushed to the
scene.
Victims Prominent
Young People
Merlin Racine, driver of the
car. was one of the well-known
young men of the reservation,
and was a grandson of Mr.. and
Mrs. William Spanish. He was
IN the graduating class of Brown
ing high school in the Spring
OF 1855. The two Pepion girls
were also students in Browning
nigh school and had intended to
enter the Flandreau Indian
school this fall to continue their
education. The Pepion family,
making their home near Black
talI creek at the southern edge
OF the reservation, not far from
highway No. 50, is one of the
nest known families on the res
erVation and have many rela-
yves and friends in the commun-
ity.
News of the accident spread
rapidly and was a shock to the