Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Johnson, Bessie (Gould) 1915
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Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net June 30, 2011, 12:11 pm

Belding Banner, 13 Oct 1915

Tragic Death of Bessie Johnson, Mother and Son

Three of Four Occupants of Automobile Met Death Monday

Struck By Train While Crossing R.R. Track

Bodies Were Brought Here.  Funeral Service at M.E. Church Thursday; Will Lie In 
State.

A most terrible accident occurred at Moseley about 3:30 o’clock Monday 
afternoon, at the crossing of the highway over the Pere Marquette track in 
Moseley village, and, as a result of which three lives were instantly snuffed 
out and the bodies of the unfortunate victims now lie in the undertaking 
parlors of the Miller & Harris company in this city, awaiting burial.

The Grand Rapids flyer, which passes through Belding at 3:08 p.m., making no 
stops between here and Lowell, struck the automobile belonging to Mrs. Robert 
E. Johnson, while running at a speed of forty miles an hour, throwing it from 
the track and hurling all the occupants save one, to their death.  The car was 
thrown sixty feet through the air, striking a telephone pole and breaking it 
down.  In the machine with Mrs. Johnson was her little son, Robert Gould 
Johnson, aged four years, her mother, Mrs. E.L. Gould, sixty years old, and 
Mrs. M.E. Summers, aged 77 years.  

Mrs. Johnson, who lives with her parents on the Fred Purdy farm, west of 
Smyrna, had driven her car to Moseley to do some trading, and it was when they 
were returning home that the fearful accident happened.  Eye witnesses to the 
accident, Glenn Francisco and Gus Wingier, say that as the party neared the 
Pere Marquette tracks just inside the village, Axel Nelson, the crossing 
operator, came out to flag them.  Those in the car did not notice him, and Mrs. 
Johnson, being slightly deaf, did not hear the approaching train.

The machine was struck squarely by the train which was going about 40  miles an 
hour and the occupants were hurled out, the body of Robert Johnson being picked 
up more than 100 feet from the scene of the accident.  His neck was broken.  In 
his hand he still clasped a sack of candy which his mother had purchased for 
him just before leaving Moseley.  The bodies of Mrs. Gould and Mrs. Johnson, 
badly mangled, were picked up less than 50 feet from the crossing.  

Mrs. Summers had both feet badly crushed, and was immediately taken to a 
hospital in Grand Rapids.  She was a neighbor of the Goulds, aged 77 years, and 
was taking her first ride in an automobile.

Undertaker Ben Friedly was called by telephone to care for the bodies and he 
and Homer Unger hurried to the scene and brought them here on the evening train.

Mrs. Johnson was formerly Bessie Gould, a well known and popular young lady who 
worked in one of the silk mills and married Robert Johnson, who died in 
Lansing, where they lived, about a year ago, and whose remains were brought 
here for burial.  After his death she bought the automobile and was considered 
a careful driver.

Much sympathy is felt for Mr. Gould, the husband, father and grandfather, in 
this crushing blow which has come to him.

The funeral will be held in the M.E. church Thursday at two o’clock p.m., 
burial in the Otisco cemetery.  The bodies will be taken to the church at one 
o’clock where they will lie in state until the service begins.


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