Online Source: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/ouachita/obits/weems397gob.txt
Extracted from The Monroe News-Star (Monroe, LA)
6 KILLED HERE AS TRAIN HITS AUTO
FOUR GROWN PERSONS, TWO CHILDREN VICTIMS OF PLUM STREET CRASH
Six person, two of them small children, where killed last night when the
automobile in which they were riding was demolished by a north bound Missouri
Pacific train at the Plum street crossing. The impact of the crash threw the
vehicle approximately 100 feet and flung all of the victims from the car.
The tragedy occurred during the heavy downpour, which some witnesses believed
to be the reason Buford Whittington, 3005 Richmond Street, Monroe, driver of
the automobile, did not see the flagman attempting to halt oncoming automobiles.
Victims of the head-on crash were Whittington and his wife, both of 3005
Richmond St. Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Weems, of New Orleans, and the one year-old-
daughters, and the six-year-old son of the latter couple. Mrs. Weems was the
sister of Whittington.
Whittington a mechanic for McCain-Richards and brother of City Policeman M. E.
Whittington, was a driving the car at the time of the crash police said.
Police reported that the impact of the collision threw the car more than 100
feet from the point of the crash and flung the victims from the car. The
passenger train was going to McGee at the time of the crash. Conductor of the
train was J. J. Irving, and Coleman Rush was listed as engineer.
Mrs. W. C. Bell, 1409 S. Fourth Street, who had just left a nearby market was
the closest witness to the tragedy. Mrs. Bell reported that she brought her car
to a stop when she saw the flagman wave her to a halt.
She said that the Whittington car was on the side of the track opposite
her. ``Suddenly the train smashed into the car and I could see the car plunge
into the ditch with an impact that sent the people flying into the air,'' Mrs.
Bell stated.
Police said that Mrs. Weems and her small daughter died en route to St. Francis
Sanitarium. The others were killed instantly. The deaths of Whittington and
Weems were attributed to neck fractures, multiple lacerations and contusions.
Mrs. Whittington died of a crushed chest, and the other victims received
similar fatal injuries.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete Friday morning.
[Note from transcriber: There are several errors in this article. Mrs. Weems
was Lilburne Laura Nicholson Weems and was not related by blood to Mr.
Whittington. The relationship was between Mr. Weems (Hector Clayton) and his
sister Mrs. Whittington. The Weems had two daughters killed in the crash with
them, not their son. These facts were corrected in the follow-up article
printed on July 5, 1952 below.]
Extracted from The Monroe Morning World (Monroe, LA)
RITES FOR CRASH VICTIMS WILL BE HELD TODAY
Funeral services for the six victims of a pre-holiday traffic tragedy here will
be conducted in the Mulhearn chapel at 2 p.m., today. Rev. M. D. Felder, pastor
of Gordon Avenue Methodist Church, will be assisted by Rev. R. L. Clayton of
Oak Grove.
The services will be conducted for Mr. and Mrs. Buford Whittington; Mr. and
Mrs. Clayton Weems, also of New Orleans, and Cheryl Ann Weems and Sally Kay
Weems, also of New Orleans.
All six met their deaths Thursday night when the automobile in which they were
riding was demolished by a north bound Missouri Pacific Train at the Plum
Street crossing.
Internment of Mr. and Mrs. Whittington who resided at 3005 Monroe street here,
will be in Memorial Park cemetery. Bodies of the Weems family will be taken to
Forest for burial in the New Forest cemetery.
Mr. Whittington is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Burton Russell, and a son
Jimmie Whittington, both of Monroe; his father Alvy Whittington, of Gloster,
Miss; five brothers, Carmen, of Gloster; Cecil and Menton of Monroe; Wendell,
of Gloster, and Oddis, of the U. S. Air Force in Germany.
Mrs. Whittington is also survived by her son and daughter and two brothers,
Tracy Weems, of Tallulah, and Floyd, of Oak Grove, and a sister Mrs. Hugh King,
of Lake Providence.
Mr. Weems is survived by a daughter, Carol Weems, of New Orleans; a son, Neil,
of New Orleans; two brothers, Floyd Weems, of Oak Grove, and Tracy Weems, of
Tallulah, and a sister, Mrs. Hugh King, of Lake Providence.
Mrs. Weems is survived by the two children; her parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. D.
Nicholson of New Orleans; a brother, James Nicholson of Baton Rouge, and a
sister, Mrs. Russell A. Gunderson, of Deloit, Wis.
[Note from transcriber - Lilburne Laura Nicholson Weems was the grand daughter
of Col. James Wm. Nicolson former President of LSU & Tulane Universities, She
was also a grand daughter of Jeremiah Jackson Stovall and daughter of Juanita
Galdys Stovall Nicholson and Malcolm Dudley Nicholson.]
Friday, July 4, 1952
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Saturday July 5, 1952