Allyn Fisher Killed In Accident

It was with profound sorrow that our people heard the news of the death of Allyn Lake Fisher at Crawfordsville, Indiana, Thursday afternoon August 30, 1928, at 1:15 o'clock as a result of an accident on the hard road at that place at 11 o'clock on the same morning.

Mr. And Mrs. Lewis P. Fisher, his parents, left for Crawfordsville immediately after receiving word of the accident but they did not arrive at their destination until after their son had passed away.

Death was directly due to injuries received when Fisher's motorcycle collided with an automobile. He suffered fractures of both legs and internal injuries.

When the accident occurred Allyn was on his way to Richmond, Indiana, with his cousin, Miss Leona Prather, aged 15, whom he was taking home after she had been visiting at the Fisher home south of Cantrall. Miss Prather suffered a compound fracture of the left leg near the knee and other injuries.

Allyn was a graduate of A. C. H. S. in the class of 1928 and was considered a brilliant student who gave promise of a future useful life. His death cast a pall of sorrow, not only over his classmates but also over the entire school group and this community. The death of Allyn was the fact that his death occurred on his eighteenth birthday.

Deceased was the oldest son of Mr. And Mrs. L. P. Fisher. He is survived by his parents and three brothers, Arthur, Charles and Robert, all of home.

Funeral services were held at the residence, Sunday afternoon, September 2nd, at 2:30 o'clock, conducted by Rev. Clark Walker Cummins, pastor of the First Christian church, and Attorney John A. Barber, both of Springfield.

Miss Jane Mason and Miss Ila Mott, accompanied at the piano by Miss Wenona Radiker, sang "The Old Rugged Cross," "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere," and "Beyond the Smiling and Weeping."

Thomas Kenyon, Evans Brittin, Lawrence Cline, Raymond Colliver, Lehman and Malcolm Canterbury acted as pallbearers. Matt Hill, Glenn Brown, Lewis Radiker and Harold Primm were honorary pallbearers.

Marjory Agee, Irene Balster, Mildred Devocelle, Evelyn Shontz, Mary Stott, Mary E. Sawyer, Eleanor Van Meter, Lucile White and Elizabeth Ayers carried the flowers. Interment was made in the Brittin cemetery.

Later - Miss Leona Prather died as the result of her injuries at 5:30 o'clock, Tuesday evening, September 4th.

Transcribed by: Bertha Emmett

Newspaper Unknown - June 24, 1927

This community was shocked last Friday morning when it was learned that Thomas S. Sawyer had cut his throat with suicidal intent. He had appeared to be in depressed spirits for some time but it was thought that he had brightened up somewhat and no one imagined that he contemplated any such tragic move.

For a long time he had been employed by a local produce dealer and through a business change a few weeks ago he was let out. The loss of his job together with loss of considerable money due to him from his employer and other financial losses is thought to have so preyed on his mind that he became temporarily unbalanced and committed the act while in his depression.

He made his home with his son, Melvin. Friday morning he sat down and read the paper as usual and then took a walk. Hen then returned home and shortly after he left the house. Nothing was thought about this as he had the h

About 10 o'clock Mrs. Sawyer had occasion to go to the coal house for a bucket of coal and when she opened the door of the coal house she found Mr. Sawyer lying prone on the floor. She ran for help and a physician was summoned. Upon examination announced that nothing could be done to save the sufferer's life.

He lingered until about 5 o'clock when he peacefully passed away.

Coroner Wilkins was notified and came up and empanelled a jury which after hearing the evidence returned a verdict of death from wounds self inflicted while temporarily insane.

Thomas S. Sawyer, son of Wm. And Cynthia Sawyer, was born at Circleville, Ohio, June 25, 1854 and died June 24, 1927, lacking one day of being 73 years of age.

On September 6, 1876, he was married to Miss Margery Brown. To this union four children were born. One son, Fred, dying in infancy, and one son, Herman died June 9, 1910.

His wife preceded him in death November 10, 1895.

Deceased was for many years a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the K. of P. lodge.

He is survived by one son, Melvin, and one daughter, Mrs. Wm. Mason, both of this city; one sister, Mrs. George Higgins, Cuba, Missouri; two half sisters, Mrs. Ella Longerbon of Williamsville and Mrs. Ida Longerbon of Cantrall; six grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at the residence, Sunday afternoon, June 26, at 3 o'clock, Rev. Elmer Stackhouse of Williamsville officiating.

The pall bearers were: J. C. Powell and John Holscheiser for the Woodmen and Duff Brookins, Frank Wilcox, Louis Cordell and C. P. Dunlap for the K. of P. Interment was made in the Brittin cemetery near Cantrall.

Transcribed by: Bertha Emmett

Newspaper Unknown - July 1919

Ottis Unit W In Charge Of The Ceremonies

The wheels of business stood still last Saturday while business men, their wives and families, as well as many people from Springfield, Petersburg, Greenview, Williamsville and other surrounding towns paid their last respect to Captain Oliver Perry Brittin, who met such a tragic death on the afternoon of July 2.

The funeral was one of the largest ever held in this city and the floral offerings were many and very beautiful - each emblem carrying with it a message of sympathy and respect to the departed physician.

Oliver Perry Brittin, son of John E. and Melissa Brittin, was born January 13, 1884 two miles southeast of Cantrall and left this life July 2, 1919, aged 35 years, 5 months and 19 days.

He received his early education in the schools of Menard County and graduated from the Athens High School with the class of 1904 entering the Barnes Medical University in the fall from which he graduated in 1908. He later served a year's internship in a St. Louis Hospital entering upon his professional career as a physician and surgeon in Athens where he continued until enlisting in the service in December 1917 and received his commission as First Lieutenant in Hospital Unit W. He was called to service at Atlanta, Georgia, on February 15, 1918.

He sailed for oversea duty, May 11, 1918, and was stationed at Liverpool, England with Base Hospital No. 40. During September and October, he was brigaded with the English forces in Belgium. In November 1918, he was commissioned a Captain and in January was detached from Hospital Unit W, and sent on special duty with headquarters at Brest, France. He received sailing order for the States, June 6, and arrived home on a 15 day leave of absence June 28, 1919.

He was a member of the Christian Church of Athens. He was an active member of the Masonic Order, the Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodman. He has been a member of the City Council.

Besides his parents, he leaves to mourn his loss, two brothers, Charles of Blue Island and Harry of Cantrall; and four sisters, Mrs. Nina Klor of Springfield, Mrs. Nana McMurray of Athens, keeper of his home, and Helen and Marguerite at home. His beloved sister Marie preceded him in death January 28, 1915.

Through his uncles and aunts there is a large group of relatives and a numerous host of friends who share with the family the deep sorrow of this sudden and tragic death.

Funeral services were held at his home Saturday morning, July 5, at 10:30 o'clock. Scripture reading and prayer was offered by Rev. J. W. Coleman pastor of the Christian church of this city. Rev. Elmer Stackhouse, pastor of the Christian church at Cantrall delivered the funeral sermon and Rev. C. F. McKown, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church of this city read the obituary and delivered a brief eulogy on the character and patriotic services of Captain Brittin.

Hospital Unit W attended the services. The officers acted as pallbearers and the men of Unit as an escort. A firing squad from Camp Grant, where Captain Brittin was to have received his discharge from the service, fired three volleys at the grave and as the body laid in its last resting place, Bugler Hildred Davis of Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Machine Gun battalion sounded "taps" over all that was mortal of the departed soldier. The echo was sounded by John B. Basso of this city.

The pallbearers were: Lieut. Col. Daniel LM. Ottis, commander of Unit W., Lieut. Col. F. S. O'Hara, Major B. I. Bullard, Captain F. M. Evans, Captain Frank Maurer, Captain Emil Benard and Captain R. E. Smith.

Rev. Chas. J. M'Kown, pastor of the Methodist church, paid a fitting, tender and beautiful tribute to his memory. He said in part:

"Because of my long time acquaintance and friendly relations with Oliver, I have been asked to read this brief obituary and to add whatever personal word I might desire.

I feel that I can scarce trust myself to go on. Sudden and shocking and so utterly sad is the event to my heart and to you all. Words seem so empty, so inadequate. It is the heart that must speak. Our deepest emotions are inarticulate. I would gladly pay tribute to his memory; to his character and manhood, his professional and business ability, his friendships and genial comradeship and to his patriotic loyalty and devotion as evidenced in his early and eager enlistment among those heroic physicians and gracious nurses who in hospital service, went forth upon their helpful ministry of healing. We all join in deepest sympathy with these stricken ones of the family and the inner circle.

We are met to lay their loved one away with military honors. Captain Brittin had so brought himself in touch with life and with his fellows that he could properly be laid to rest by numerous bands of comradeship. But it seems eminently fitting that this honor should be accorded his comrades in arms headed by the Ottis Hospital Unit, in which his name was among the early enlistments. I recall that I chanced to be in his office when he opened the mail containing his commission from President Wilson as First Lieutenant. How proud he was and how proud we all!

Thus are our hearts touched with many emotions this hour. If it be that we must commit his body to the grave how glad we are that we lay him away in his own, his beloved home-land. How glad we were to have him home, to see the familiar form of Dr. Oliver Brittin in our midst again!

And how glad indeed was he! "Everything and everybody looks so good to me" he would exclaim. And how fine he looked in his uniform--so youthful and yet of such military grace and dignity.

He arrived home but last Saturday. Late Saturday night Elmer Primm and myself came to his home to greet him. He was unpacking his army souvenirs gathered in France, Belgium, etc.

Ah! How little can we see ahead!

I would draw two lessons from the circumstances of his sudden death. The one illustrates the kindliness of his nature. Enroute from Springfield, Wednesday about two o'clock, he overtook little Katherine Strode on her way to her grandmothers, Mrs. B. B. Brown. He picked her up and carried her to the grandmother's door and sent a kindly message to Mrs. Brown. Whether it be in France or the familiar by-ways at home, his kindly nature and his love for children would prompt him to do the same.

The other thought is this: How trivial the circumstance in itself that is the final factor in bringing a conjunction of events. Whether he turn at Strode school house corner or pass on west to the Brown homestead and beyond became a matter of life or death. But who would have reckoned it such in advance!

We can but leave this Providence, disturbing, distressing and to us so inscrutable to Him who knoweth the end from the beginning and who doeth all things well. That he should have journeyed so far and through so many dangers and return safely home to meet a death so sudden, so tragic, is strangely sad to us all.

May this Gold Star we must forth hence use for Captain Brittin here be an earnest of the Crown of Gold he shall have given unto him There."

Transcribed by: Bertha Emmett

Newspaper Unknown

Ottis Hospital Unit to Have Charge of Services

Military funeral rites for Capt. Perry Oliver Brittin of Athens, who was instantly killed at 12:15 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, when the automobile in which he and Miss Nellie Courtwright, were riding, was struck by a Chicago & Northwestern freight train, eight miles northwest of Springfield, will be at 10:30 o'clock tomorrow morning at the family residence in Athens. Rev. Elmer Stackhouse, pastor of the Christian church at Cantrall, will officiate, assisted by Rev. C. F. McKown, pastor of the Methodist church of Athens, and Rev. J. W. Coleman, pastor of the Christian church of that city. Burial will be made in Brittin cemetery. Dr. Ottis' unit, of which Captain Brittin was a member, will have charge of the funeral.

Miss Atta Courtwright, sister of the injured nurse, who resides at Athens, is in a critical condition at St. John's hospital as a result of the shock from learning of the accident. It is not known whether she will recover.

Victim of the Crash

Miss Nellie Courtwright, it was thought at first, had sustained a fracture of the skull. A more minute examination later showed that she was badly injured about the head. It was also found necessary to amputate the toes of her right foot. Favorable reports for Miss Courtwright's recovery were received from St. John's hospital late last night.

Skull Believed Crushed

Captain Brittin was to have left today for Atlanta, Ga., where he expected to marry Miss Constance Berry, his fiancee, within two weeks.

After a lengthy inquest, the coroner's jury returned the verdict yesterday afternoon that Captain Brittin met his death at 2:15 o'clock, July 2, "from injuries accidentally received in a col- [rest of article is missing]

Transcribed by: Bertha Emmett