Obit: Barnes, Baby Son (1940 - 1941)

Contact: Stan

Surnames: Barnes, Weiler, Gunzel, Fechtner, Blake, Hohman

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 04/17/1941

Barnes, Baby Son (1940 - 12 Apr. 1941)

A six months old child was killed in a head-on collision Saturday night of a car driven by his father, Arthur Barnes, of Athens, Rt. 1, and a truck driven by Sebastian Weiler, Jr., 31. Weiler was returning home with two youthful companions from Athens on highway 97 when the crash took place. Mrs. Barnes, 21, who was sitting in the front seat holding the baby, was thrown half through the windshield and the child’s head was smashed against the dashboard. The child died of a basel skull fracture.

The mother suffered deep gashes in the face, head and neck and was taken to St. Mary’s hospital at Wausau, Wis. Barnes, 27, and their daughter, Barbara Lee, 2, were also patients at the hospital, the former receiving treatments for knee and chest bruises and the baby for a leg fracture. Weiler was uninjured but the two youngsters who were riding with him received cuts and bruises.

Weiler is being held in the Marathon county jail in lieu of $800 bond pending his arraingnment in circuit court on a charge of first degree manslaughter.

The warrant against Weiler was issued after Sheriff Ralph Gunzel and District Attorney E. E. Hohman made a thorough investigation of the accident. Dr. H. H. Fechtner, Marathon county coroner, stated that no inquest would be held.

County authorities carried on the investigation, begun Saturday night by M. C. Blake, county traffic officer, after, according to Gunzel, Weiler refused to answer questions pertaining to the fatal crash.