Kidwell - Paul
Source: Waveland Independent, February 3, 1928
The following account of the killing of the little son of Bud Kidwell, who formerly lived here is from an Indianapolis daily. He was born on the Sam Milligan farm near here. On his way home for lunch after a morning of shoveling coal and cutting wood for a neighbor to earn 50 cents to help his widowed mother, Paul Kidwell, aged nine of 642 S. Missouri St was killed instantly by an auto in the 400 block of W. McCarty St (Saturday, Jan 21). The driver of the death car, Lawrence Kloepfer was not blamed by the police, but he was slated on a technical involuntary manslaughter charge. he stopped his car within three lengths, police said, Orville Minnett, a cousin aged 11 had been working with the Kidwell boy. "It's time for lunch, "Paul told his cousin and they started across the street in front of 407 McCarty St. They did not notice the other car from the East according to Orville. A second before the crash he said he saw Kloepfer's machine and called to his cousin, but the younger boy did not hear Orville said. The front of the car struck the boy's head and threw him to the pavement dead. Paul was in the second grade at school 12, the youngest of 5 living children. Two years ago his father died. A year ago his sister died. Paul was always working, said his mother. I had just gotten over my worst grief from the other two deaths. I don't know how I'll get over this. The family was waiting lunch for Paul when they were brought word of his death. Three brothers, Roy 24, Jesse 18 and Albert 15 and two sisters, Mrs. Florence Marshall and Grace and another survive him. – transcribed by kbz