Medina County OhArchives News.....Theodore Francis Is Killed While Riding Horse On Route 42 July 27 1934 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/oh/ohfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Robert C Johnston Jr rcj@elmore.rr.com January 15, 2005, 9:42 pm Medina County Gazette FATALLY HURT IN AUTO CRASH Theodore Francis Is Killed While Riding Horse On Route 42 IMPACT SENDS HORSE AND RIDER OVER CAR Horse Instantly Killed - Francis Dies Later In Lodi Hospital "A tragic and unusual accident took the life of 27-year-old Theodore Francis, Tuesday night. Francis died in Lodi hospital of injuries which he received when he was struck by an automobile while horse-back riding on Route 42, north of Medina. The accident occurred about 100 feet north of the Ideal farm, operated by John Bohatty, where young Francis stayed. Francis was employed on the Bohatty farm and according to his employer had taken the horse to ride down to the river to take a swim. DRIVER BLINDED The car which collided with Francis and the horse was driven by H. E. Bartells, of Cleveland, and in addition to Bartells, contained his wife, her sister and sister's husband and eight-year-old boy. According to Bartells, whose car was going north towards Cleveland, a car coming south on Route 42 passed him just before the crash and the lights had blinded him so that he never realized what he had hit untill he saw the horse's head sticking through the windshield. The shock of the impact shook the people in the car up so that it was about 200 feet before they could bring the car to a stop. Dr. and Mrs. H. P. H. robinson were out for a drive and arrived at the scene of the accident immediately after the crash. the doctor rendered first aid to the injured and sent Francis to the hospital at Lodi. AN EYE WITNESS Mrs. E. A. Stevens, of River Styx, was an eye witness to the accident. Her story is that Francis was riding the horse at a gallop on the wrong side of the road and the horse apparently did not sense any danger in the approach of the automobile. at the crash, the horse reared up in the air, and the car crashed into the horse and rider with such force that both went over the top of the car. The horse's head struck the windshield, shattering the glass. The horse was killed instantly. MOTHER NOTIFIED Mrs. Maude Kerner, the mother of Francis, was notified of her son's accident, but not in time to reach his bedside before he died. A brother and sister in Akron also were notified of the fatal accident but arrived too late to see their brother. The funeral arrangements were completed Thursday. Francis will be buried Friday, at 2 p.m. from Waite's funeral home. Rev. George W. Bates, of the First Baptist church, will have charge of the services. The body will be laid to rest in Medina Center cemetery." Additional Comments: Theodore Francis, my great-granduncle, was the son of Alonzo Francis and Maude Beckwith Mann of Cleveland, Ohio and brother to Virginia Lucille Francis and Dorothy Francis. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/medina/newspapers/nw53theodore.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ohfiles/ File size: 3.4 Kb