SOWERS, James Manley - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Covington Indiana Thursday, Aug 5, 1948 (picture of smashed up car -- James M. Sowers, 77, loses life in freak accident; crash involving 3 cars puts 3 persons in hospital, 2 cars total loss).  

Last Sunday Fountain County chalked up another tragic days a freak accident took the lives of one Covington resident while 3 others, occupants of a two vehicles involve d, escaped uninjured and 3 others landed in the hospital with injuries in another crash in which 3 cars were involved.  The freak accident in which James M. SOWERS, age 77, a retired carpenter lost his life occurred shortly after 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon about 4 miles so. of Covington on the blacktop road in front of the Fred Walters home.  Mr. Sowers w as riding in a car owned and driven by his son-in-law, Forrest Bowen also of Covington who with Mrs. Bowen were enroute to Cates to attend the funeral of Mr. Sowers' cousin, Milt Lindley.  A truck, owned by Gerald Boy er of Kansas, Ill and drive by his nephew, Roy Boyer, age 20, resident of Stringtown was headed north and sideswiped the Bowen car as it was going over a knoll in the road.  A steel band, which encircled the bed of t he truck pulled loose, scraped along the left front fender of the Bowen car and crashed through the same just back of the driver's seat was bent at an angle and embedded in about the center of the back seat on the left hand side. The steel band was said to have struck Mr. Sowers in the chest throwing him aside and then injuring his left side.  He died enroute to a Danville, Ill hospital. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bowen escaped injuries and the only damage tot he Bowen car -- a 1946 red two-door Buick 8 w as on the left side where the steel band rammed through the car body. M r. Sowers succumbed to his injuries, which consisted of a crushed chest a nd internal injuries in a Bodine & Shelby ambulance before he reached t he hospital.  Funeral services for Mr. Sowers were held at 2 o'clock Tu es aft at Bodine  & Shelby. The Rev CE Stanley Seymour, Ind brother to Mr s. Bowen, and the Rev. Earl Sowers, Crawfordsville, a cousin, officiated and bu rial was in the Mt. Hope Cemetery here. The pall bearers were: Clarence Hurley; Alfred Keller; Byron Lindley; Volney Furr; Herschel McCoy; Melvin Tower and john Smith.  Mr. Sowers was born Sept 10, 1870 the son of Andrew and Elizabeth Lindley Sowers, near Kingman in this county. He married Lydia Bodine Oct 9, 1903 who preceded him in death March 16, 1948.  Surviving are the daughter, Mrs. Bowen with whom he made his home since the death of his wife; a brother, Elmer Sowers of Kingman; two grandchildren and 3 greats. Among those from out of town who attended the Sowers rites we re: M/M Melvin Tower and Mrs. Ruth Boucier of Indianapolis; Mrs. Ella Bodine & Son, George of Shelbyville, Ill; Elmer Sowers, Byron Lindley and Mrs. Paul Mann of Kingman; Mr. and Mrs. Herschel McCoy of Tangier; Mrs. Stanley & daughter, Dorothy of Seymour; Mrs. Earl Sowers and M/M Everett Sowers of Crawfordsville. ...


Source: Indiana Certificate of Death #23846

James Manley Sowers
Died: in route to hospital - fatal auto accident 4 miles west of Covington
Lived: RR #1, Fountain, Indiana
Male - White - Widowed - wife Lydia Bodine
Born: Sept 10, 1870 Fountain Co Ind
Occupation: Retired Carpenter
Age: 77 Years 10 Months 21 Days
Dr. C. B. McCord
Died 2:20 a.m. Aug 1, 1948
Auto fatality - compressed left chest - crushed
Father: Andrew born NC
Mother: Elizabeth Lindley Unknown birthplace
Informant: Mrs. Forrest Bowen, Covington, Indiana
Buried: Mt. Hope, Covington, Ind by Bodine & Shelby Covington

James M. Sowers, 77, Covington, retired Danville carpenter, died at 2:20 p.m. Sunday enroute to a hospital, of injuries suffered in an auto-truck crash.  The accident occurred about 2 p.m. Sunday, when Mr. Sowers and his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Bowen were enroute to a funeral at Kingman. They were four miles south of Covington.  Mr. Sowers died in an ambulance of a crushed chest and internal injuries. A steel bar, part of the truck bed, entered the Bowen car and pierced his body.

The truck, owned by Gerald Boyer, Kansas, Ill and driven by his nephew, Roy Boyer, 20, Covington, Rt 1, attempted to pass the Bowen car.  Bowen said he swerved to the side of the road and failed to miss the truck bed.  Boyer and the Bowens were not injured.

Mr. Sowers was born Sept 10, 1870, near Kingman, son of Andrew and Elizabeth Lindley Sowers.  His wife, Mrs. Lydia Bodine Sowers, preceded him in death March 16, 1948.  He was a member of the McKinley Methodist Church in Danville. Surviving are a daughter, Mrs Forrest Bowen, Covington; a brother, Elmer Sowers, Kingman; two grandchildren and three great grandchildren.   --- transcribed by kbz - thanks to Betty D.