Salem, March 20, 1947

Crossing Crash Injures Four

Four persons narrowly escaped death near Woodburn late Friday when their automobile was struck by a speeding Southern Pacific freight train.

Mrs. Mary Clack, Woodburn, suffered a broken arm and was taken to a hospital. Her husband, William Dean Clack, and daughter Marcena, 4 and Mary Louise Seguin, the latter of Gervais, were treated for shock. State police said the automobile was dragged for a distance of 200 feet and was completely demolished.

Footnote: Mr. and Mrs. Clack stop at the bar and park the car by the train station. When we started across the tracks, Mr. Clack did not see the train coming. I was not their daughter, but the daughter of a friend of theirs who was living in Compton, CA. Do not know why I was with them and not my family. Mother's name Alice Reta Ratigan Jurey Johnson Jurey, step father's name William Thomas Jurey. Bio father's name Clarence Wallace Johnson.

Can someone check to make sure the year is right, it had to be 1947-1948.

Marcena Johnson Thompson

I found a newspaper article very similar to (but not exactly the same as) the one you quote in the Salem Statesman for 20 March 1948, page 2, column 3.
I also found two different accounts of the same accident in:
Salem Capital Journal, 20 March 1948, page 1, column 2, and
Woodburn Independent, 25 March 1948, page 1, column 5

I would love to see it or have a copy. Can you email it or snail mail it to me.

How much do I owe you? What a wonderful fine.

Marcena
NM

I'm not really equipped to make copies, but the Oregon Genealogical Society does a good job of that. They can be contacted at:
ClanDigR@aol.com

Be sure to give them the finding information I sent you.

Thank you so much for your interest in helping me after all this time and I will email Oregon Genealogical Society for a copy.

Thank you again
Marcena
NM