HOWARD, Cleo - Edna - Marie - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Nov 26 -- Carlessness, inability to judge the speed of a moving train, overconfidence in his ability to operate an automobile - one of these three things was responsible for a crash at the Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific RR crossing on the Covington Road, just west of the Brewer yards Saturday afternoon in which Cleo Howard, 23, was killed outright, his sister, Edna 20 was so badly injured that she died within an hour and another sister, Marie, 18 was probably fatally injured. At 2 o'clock the Howards - brother and two sisters, half of a happy family of six, left their home, the Fairview farm, about a half mile east of the Indiana-Illinois line to drive to Danville. They wanted their father and mother Mr. and Mrs. Cleve Howard to accompany them. The parents had planned to go but at the last minute decided to remain at home. "You kids run along. I've got some work in the fields to do, " said their father. The three young people drove away in the family automobile, a Chevrolet coach. Cleo was in the front seat at the wheel, Edna and Marie - unusually attractive and healthy young girls incidentally -- occupied the rear seat. The trip, happy in anticipation of their trip to the city were engrossed in conversation when the Brewer yards were reached. The road was crowded with automobiles. When the C&EI crossing was reached, young Howard slowed his machine. The crossing was clear. He increased the speed of his car. It was traveling at about 20 miles an hour when the other crossing was reached.