HARRIS, Gladys 1907-1925

HARRIS, HESS

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 3/24/2015 at 16:10:12

Gladys Harris Was Killed When Struck By An Automobile

She And Two Primrose Children Were On Way Home From School In Buggy

Reckless Driving the Cause

Three Men in Car Which Struck the Buggy All Live in Eldora

Gladys Harris, the eighteen-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Harris, was killed last Friday evening when an automobile struck and demolished the buggy in which she was riding home from school. The accident happened about a quarter of a mile south of the Harris home on the Third Avenue road. Gladys in company with Tabitha and Gaylord Primrose were on the way home from the Conrad school in an enclosed buggy. The automobile which struck them was an enclosed Chevrolet. In the car were Bob Cummings, Herbert Balvanz and Schultz Williams, all from Eldora. Cummings claims that he was driving. The car was owned by his brother. The men were on their way to Marshalltown. The accident happened about 5:20 in the evening. The evidence seems to show that the buggy was clear to the right side of the road when it was struck. The road was clear, smooth and wide at the point where the accident happened. The driver claims that the falling snow blinded him and for that reason he was unable to see the horse and buggy ahead. The neighbors in that locality claim that it had not begun to snow at this time in the evening.

The car grazed the horse's leg and hit the buggy and smashed it into kindling wood. The occupants were thrown on the east side of the road among the wreck. The car left the grade and turned over on its side and it faced in the opposite direction. The men in the car had to break a glass in the door to get out. When help came, which was within a few minutes, Gladys was carried to her home and she died within a few moments. A blow on the forehead which fractured the skull is believed to have been the cause of her death. Tabitha Primrose suffered some injuries, though they were not serious. Cummings, who claims to have been driving the car, received a scalp wound which severed an artery on top of his head. Dr. George Blaha, from Whitten, who happened to be making a call in the immediate neighborhood at the time gave what aid he could to the injured. Cummings was taken to the nearby home of Jacob Veldt and a car was sent for to Eldora which took the three Eldora men home.

The charge is being made that the men in the car were under the influence of liquor. Balvanz was driving a borrowed car in a reckless manner on the streets of Eldora the same afternoon and on Tuesday he was bound over to the Hardin county grand jury on the charge of driving a car while intoxicated.

The Grundy county grand jury met in special session here yesterday to make a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident which resulted in the death of Miss Harris.

Gladys Marie Harris was born Nov. 7, 1907, on the Fred Hess home place two miles northwest of the Alice church.

She attended the public school until she graduated and then attended the high school at Conrad and was in her junior year.

Gladys was a member of the Alice church in which she was a faithful and devoted member. Always regular in attendance, devoted in duty, loving in service, a leader of the young people in Sunday school and church work, and more especially in the Junior Endeavor in which she took great delight and interest.

She was the second daughter and fourth child of Mr. and Mrs. George Harris, there being four girls and three boys left in the family.

On Friday, Dec. 4th, shortly after 5 o'clock in the evening while on her way home from high school in company with her cousins, Tabitha and Gaylord Primrose, their buggy was struck by an automobile when within a few rods from home. The buggy was wrecked and Gladys was immediately rendered unconscious and died in a few minutes. The Primrose children escaped with slight injuries. Thus a promising and useful life was taken through careless and reckless automobile driving. Her age was 18 years and 17 days.

Gladys leaves to mourn her untimely death a grandmother, Mrs. Tabitha Hess, Conrad; father and mother, three brothers, four sisters, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins and other relatives and countless numbers of friends.

The entire sympathy of the neighborhood goes out to the stricken family in their bereavement.

Funeral services which were very largely attended were held at the Alice church Monday, Dec. 7th, at 2 p.m. in charge of Rev. L. E. Gallagher, of Sauk Centre, Minn., assisted by Rev. Leatherman, pastor of the Ivester church of the Brethren.

The music was furnished by a mixed quartet from the Conrad high school composed of Earl Newton, Carol Saint Clair, Bernice Stover, Charles Lakin.

The pall bearers were Marie Crouse, Cathrine Spain, Maxine White, Irene Clark, Edna Alexander, Hazel Slifer.

The flower girls Mrs. Ivens, Lorene Ralston, Irene Kline, Wanda Clinite, Meve Pitt.

The junior class of the Conrad high school attended the funeral in a body.

Miss Aletha Wagner assisted at the piano.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 10 December 1925, pg 1