Bristow News
Bristow, Creek County, Oklahoma
April 1945
MOTORCYCLE DEATH
Eddie Smith, Traffic Officer in California, Killed
Family is Notified Here Eddie Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Claud (sic)
Smith, was killed Sunday at Salinas, Calif., in a traffic accident.
He was a traffic officer and was riding his motorcycle when the accident
happened that caused his death. Efforts to ascertain details were futile.
The family contacted the officers of California, who were vague in
their reports. Family of the officer insisted no publicity be given
of the man's death because of brothers in the Army who would be shocked
if they read it in the newspapers.
The family said plans were being made to bring the body to Bristow
for burial, but no details were available. [He died 04-01-1945]
Bristow News
Bristow, Creek County, Oklahoma
Thursday, April 12, 1945
HOW EDDIE SMITH DIED CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC WRECK
Traffic Officer Eddie C. Smith, 29, Salinas, Calif., son of Mr. and
Mrs. Claud Smith of Bristow "came to his death due to injuries
received in a collision between an automobile and the motorcycle he
was riding," a coroner's jury reported after an investigation of
the accident. The death of the traffic officer was reported in the Record
last week, but many of the details were missing pending a report from
Salinas.
Smith was killed on the night of April 1 when his motorcycle crashed
into the side of an automobile driven by Mrs. Pauline Looney of Salinas.
Four women in the automobile were injured in the accident. The coroner
had an eyewitness account of the accident who testified as to the details.
According to the testimony Officer Smith had been out in the country
to get a mechanic to do some work on his motorcycle, and returning:
the accident occurred.
Mrs. Looney, it was told, made a turn in front of the motorcycle. Smith,
the witness said, seemed to be confused and attempted to avoid the accident,
but ran into the side of the automobile. He was killed instantly.
Smith was born in Oklahoma September 27, 1914. He had been a resident
of Salinas for six years. Two years previous he lived at Paso Robles
where he was employed by the Elks club. He joined the Salinas police
department in September of 1943.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Ruby Cleo Smith, and two children,
Billy Dan, 8, and Eddie Lea, 5. Surviving also are his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Claud (sic) Smith, Bristow, Okla.; four brothers, Earl with
the U. S. Army in France; Emerson and Ernest with the Army in the South
Pacific, and Joe with the U. S. Navy in the South Pacific. Two sisters,
Mrs. Edith Sanders and Miss Theda Smith.
NOTE: Claud should be spelled Claude
10-2004 Family Researcher: [an error occurred while processing this directive]