James E. “Jim” Clark (1947)
AYERS, BIRDSALL, CLANTON, CLARK, HOFFMAN, HOOD
Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 11/8/2023 at 18:04:40
Atlantic News Telegraph
Atlantic, Iowa
Wednesday, April 2, 1947
Page 1, Column 4JIM CLARK, NIGHT OFFICER, FATALLY INJURED IN FALL
James E. (Jim) Clark, 71, night police officer, died at 12:00 this morning at the Atlantic Memorial hospital from a fractured skull, suffered when he fell onto the pavement as he stepped out of the police car on East Seventh street about 10:15 last evening. The police car, driven by Officer Albert Huhnerkopf, had overtaken a car driven by Pen Pruitt of Earlham and Clark fell as he got out to notify Pruitt and his brother, Vincent, that the condition of their brother, a patient in Jennie Edmundson hospital in Council Bluffs, had taken a turn for the worse.
Upon being notified by the Bluffs hospital to give the message to the Earlham men, the two officers parked near the court house to watch for their car, en route back to Earlham. When the car driven by Ben Pruitt came along, the police car gave chase and when the Earlham-bound machine pulled off to the side of the highway, Huherkopf pulled around it.
Evidently believing that the police car had come to a full stop, Clark stepped out backwards and fell, striking his head on the pavement. His fellow officer and the Earlham me rushed him to the local hospital.
Mr. Clark was the second oldest member of the Atlantic volunteer fire department and had been serving as police officer for several months. He had acted as relief member of the police force for a number of years and had been a faithful member of the fire department since March 11, 1906. For many years he was employed with the Green Bay Lumber company here.
Mr. Clark, the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Ellsworth Clark, was born at Macksburg, Ia., Sept. 6, 1875, and grew to manhood there. He married Myrtle Clanton on Sept. 3, 1896, at Winterset, where they lived until moving to Atlantic in 1902.
Surviving are the widow and four children, Bud Clark and Mrs. Lois Hood of Atlantic, Mrs. Dorothy Hoffman and Mrs. John Ayers of Omaha; a brother, Frank Clark of Kansas City, Mo.; nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A daughter, Mrs. Venus Birdsall, died several years ago.
Funeral services will be held Friday afternoon at 3:30 at the Roland, Peacock & Baxter funeral home, the Rev. L. D. Thomas of the First Methodist church officiating. Interment will be in the Atlantic cemetery. The remains will be at the funeral home until the service hour.
Gravesite
Madison Obituaries maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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