The Dark Side of the Hill
— A Southwick Time Machine Historical Curiosity
A loaded delivery truck owned by the Holmes Transportation Company of Worcester, Massachusetts, got a flat tire while driving on South Main Street in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on Halloween night, 1934.
Just over the brow of a hill, the driver pulled to the side of the road. He then walked off to find a telephone to call for help.
Earlier, Edward M. Ward, a Linotype operator for the Hartford Courant, was driving with Mr. and Mrs. Leslie A. Young as passengers along South Main Street. Mr. Young, a member of the Hartford Times editorial staff, was well-known throughout Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
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| Linotype Machine, circa 1928 |
As the Ward vehicle came over the hill, it struck the Holmes Transportation truck. The car was badly smashed by the impact, which tore off the dashboard and a large section of the roof and threw Mr. Young from the vehicle.
Mr. Young sustained deep cuts on his head and a gash under his right eye. Mrs. Young suffered multiple cuts and bruises to her legs and body. She also suffered a fractured arm.
The Youngs ended up filing separate suits against Holmes Transportation. Their cases were settled after a partial trial in Superior Court on June 12, 1935.
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| Edward M. Ward, circa 1954 |
Authorities were already close by when Ward struck the Holmes Transportation truck.
About a quarter-mile away on the same road, an hour earlier, a car driven by George Fisher of Springfield, Massachusetts, swerved out of stopped traffic and sideswiped an oncoming car driven by Rolfe Kennedy of Suffield, Connecticut.
Kennedy’s car flipped over.
A wheel came off Fisher’s automobile as it careened to the side of the road, crashed through a wire guard fence, and raced out of control down a steep embankment onto the tracks of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad.
Fisher freed himself from the car moments before a southbound train, No. 415, sideswiped it.
Kennedy and Fisher escaped injury.
The train was not damaged and was only slightly delayed, but one side of Fisher's car was torn off.
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| Rolfe M. Kennedy |
Fisher denied pulling out of traffic. Police charged him with reckless driving and ordered Kennedy to appear in court even though they did not charge him.
Authorities were still cleaning up the debris from the Fisher accident when Ward struck the Holmes Transportation truck.
In a bizarre coincidence, all three cars damaged in the two accidents were of the same make.
— Uncovered and preserved by the Southwick Time Machine
Leslie Arthur "Pep" Young
July 1, 1892 — January 31, 1956
Elizabeth K. (Leary) Young
May 10, 1898 — April 22, 1968
Edward M. Ward
July 3, 1877 — September 11, 1955
George Fisher
May 13, 1908 — August 14, 1975
Rolfe Mason Kennedy
August 3, 1910 — February 13, 1985
This article is based on original primary-source research, including official records and documents, census data, various Connecticut history books, and period newspapers and directories.
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Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes
George Fisher's birth and dates need further confirmation, but are believed correct. He is sometimes listed as Fish instead of Fisher.
The first wreck happened around 6 P.M.; some sources say 7. The second accident happened at 7 P.M.; some sources say 8:30.
Alvin R. Holmes owned the Holmes Transportation Company.
Rolfe is sometimes spelled Rolf. His father was Daniel R. Kennedy, Jr. - a well-known reverend in Suffield.
Rolfe Mason Kennedy got married in November 1934.
Rolfe was a golfer. He played in various competitions.
Fisher and Kennedy’s cars were towed to the Super Service Station garage.
Some sources say the accidents were about a mile apart; others say a quarter-mile.
Leslie’s wife was Elizabeth Leary Young.
Some sources incorrectly say that Leslie was on the Hartford Courant editorial board at the time of the accident. This is incorrect. He worked for the Hartford Courant in 1927. Three years later, he joined the Hartford Times.
Holmes Transportation trucks have struck multiple pedestrians over the years. The company was involved in several lawsuits.
Holmes Transportation sponsored a baseball team.
Thieves struck Holmes Transportation trucks, including the 1935 cigar theft. (Looters were striking trucks regularly around this time)
Gasoline was spilled on the hot exhaust of one of Holmes Transportation trucks in 1928 and caught fire.
Leslie got his start in newspapers in Maine, where he was born.
Leslie started dating a co-worker at a newspaper. By the time they married, she was working as a telephone operator.
Leslie was a copyreader for the Hartford Times. He was a former Associated Press sports writer. In 1922, he started with the AP in New York (stayed for about 5 years). He was a radio and television editor for the Hartford Times. He formerly worked for the Springfield Union.
The Youngs lived at 21 Ashley Street, Hartford.
Some sources say Leslie died at age 64; some say 63.Sixty-three is correct.
Edward M. Ward started working for the Hartford Courant on September 12, 1922. He retired on January 30, 1947. He headed the make-up department of the composing room.
Edward M. Ward likely owned the Edward M. Ward Printing Company. (Dissolved in 1908)
Mr. Ward once owned the historic Brace home in West Hartford, Connecticut. He owned it after the town was going to tear it down. (Not to be confused with the other Brace home)
In 1946’s “Slug and Slay” mystery novel, a newspaper publisher named Arthur Leslie is killed. The book was written by a well-known newspaper reporter in New York. (In journalism, a “slug” is a short name given to an article or story)
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