Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 249, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1917 — Five Killed'When Interurban Strikes Auto Near Lafayette. [ARTICLE]

Five Killed'When Interurban Strikes Auto Near Lafayette.

In one oL the most terrible catastrophes that ever occurred m Tippecanoe county, Hugh Ellis, his mother, wife and five were killed and maimed, just east of Lafayette at 10:06 o’clock Sunday morning. Five dead and three seriously, perhaps fatally injured, was the awful toll taken when a limited car, enroute to this city, on the T. H., I. & E. traction line struck the Regal touring car, in which the party was riding, at the point where the Concord road crosses the interurban track, two and one-quarter miles? east of the c'ourt house. The dead are: Mrs. Mary Ellis, city, aged 56. Jehu Ellis, Frankfort, aged 35. Mrs. Elia Ellis, Frankfort, aged about 32 years. Maxine Ellis, Frankfort, aged 8.! Edith Ellis, Frankfort, aged 6. The injured are: Mary Ellis, twin aged 4 years. Ruth Ellis, twin, aged 4 year§.

. Evelyn Ellis, aged 16 months. The Ellis family were on their way from their home at Frankfort to this city to take Sunday dinner at the home of Mrs. Mary Ellis, 22 Grant street. Mrs. Ellis had gone to Frankfort on Saturday to spend a few hours with her son and family and they were bringing her home. Hugh Ellis and his little daughter Maxine were killed outright. Mrs. *Ella Ellis, wife of Hugh, lived but a lew minutes and Mrs. Mary Ellis lived probably twenty minutes. Edith lived but a few moments and died in the arms of Oscar Johnson, who lives nearby, - Just how the accident occurred or what prompted the man driving the car to -attempt to cross the interurban tracks at the point where the accident occurred will never be known. Passengers on the lim'ted car due here at 10:35 a. m. tell different stories. 11. Vandever, of Tipton, said that the automobile raced along the Dayton road parallel for some distance with the children in the automobile waving their hands nt the passengers sitting on the west side of the car.

The motorman told Coroner W. F. Mcßride and the police that he sounded warning blasts from his whistle. This is borne out by statements of others who claim to have heard the blasts. On the otlier hand there are others who say that no warning sounded; c