Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Auto Accident
May
1942
Woodland Child Killed In Car Collision;
One Driver was Fleeing From Police
A year-old Woodland child is dead today, the
mother is in serious condition in the
Phillipsburg State Hospital, and the driver of a
car involved in the accident, who was fleeing
from Clearfield police from whom he escaped, is
injured and under guard at the same hospital.
The dead child was
FRANKLIELIN RAY LIBERATORI, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs.
Franklin Liberatori of Woodland.
The mother is suffering a fractured hip and
lacerations.
The driver of the car, which collided with one
driven by Mr. Liberatori, is
Charles Brigham,
26, former Clearfield resident, wanted for
desertion from the U. S. Army and the theft of
two automobiles. He has a fractured jaw and
internal injuries. State Police from Clearfield
are keeping constant guard over him at the
hospital.
The accident occurred one-half mile west of West
Decatur Route No. 322 at 11:45 p.m. Saturday.
State Police said the collision occurred on a
slight curve and that Brigham was operating to
the left of the center of the highway. Brigham
is also known in Clearfield as
Charles Pickles.
Dr. W. S. Erhard,
county coroner stated the child died instantly
of a fractured skull. He said that there would
be an inquest.
State Police here today said the child was
riding with its parents, en route home from
Philipsburg, when their car was struck head-on
by the Brigham-driven machine. Mr. Liberatori
escaped with only lacerations.
According to police and the coroner here is what
happened:
Several days ago the State Police received word
over their teletype that Brigham, alias Pickles,
was wanted as a deserter from the United States
Army at Lowry Field, Colorado. And on a charge
of stealing a car at Denver. They were asked to
notify the Clearfield chief of police as Brigham
was believed on his way to Clearfield. A later
teletype message said that Brigham was also
wanted in Buffalo, N. Y., where he was charged
with the theft of another car.
Brigham was located in a local taproom Saturday
night and was taken to the Clearfield County
jail by Chief of Police
R. J. McMullen
and Officer Ernest
Woolridge.
Chief McMullen is said to have left Officer
Woolridge, Brigham and the turnkee [sic] in the
jail corridor and stepped around the corner of
the corridor to notify State Police that he had
arrested the man and to get any further
instructions.
While the chief was making the call, according
to the turnkey, Brigham asked Woolridge to get
him some cigarettes before he was placed in the
cell block. When Woolridge went out to get the
cigarettes, Brigham rushed from the jail
corridor and ran to the car parked near the
taproom in which he was arrested. The car
allegedly was the one taken at Buffalo.
Chief McMullen said he was unaware of what had
happened until he completed his telephone
conversation with State Police.
Brigham was apparently attempting to get as far
away from Clearfield as possible when the fatal
accident occurred, police said.
Clearfield Progress, Clearfield, PA 25 May
1942
Transcribed by Dorcas
Moseley.
Thanks Dorcas!
 Search
for more information on the Clearfield Auto Accident and other
disasters in the Historical Newspapers on line
at genealogybank.com. Search over 1300
different newspapers.
Search
for your ancestors from Clearfield, PA among the
billions of names at ancestry.com
Find birth records, census images, immigration
lists and genealogy other databases for your
surnames. Use this
Free Trial to
search for your ancestors.
Search Hundreds of Pennsylvania Family Genealogies and Local History Books
for your ancestors. Use this
Free trial for all US Records at ancestry to
find your ancestors.
|
