Lee Barbee, One of Tom Smith Girls Not Expected to Survive Car Crash, Feb. 13, 1926

Locust

This is fine hog weather.

Mrs. Temple Jenkins and two children, of Baltimore, are visiting relatives here.

Mr. and Mrs. Artie Smith of Concord spent Sunday in the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.S. Smith.

Mrs. C.C. Honeycutt spent several days of last week in a Charlotte hospital undergoing x-ray examinations.

Mrs. Herbert Lipe and four children, of Albemarle, were week-end visitors at Mrs. C.L. Smith.

Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Turner are the happy parents of a son born on February 3rd. Mother and babe are doing well. They are at the home of Mrs. Turner’s parents near Louisburg.

Rev. A.A. Hathcock will preach next Sunday afternoon at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jno. W. Hartwick.

Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Hartsell and sister, Mrs. J.N. Hartsell of Kannapolis spent Sunday here with their father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Hartsell.

One of the most horrible wrecks—a head-on collision, occurred Sunday evening about dark on the Charlotte Highway near the residence of J.W. Starnes, when a truck headed east was run into by a Ford car going west. The car struck the loaded truck with such force that it was knocked clear across the road and jammed into the opposite bank. The car was smashed into flinders. It was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Bradly Simpson and brother, Lee Barbee, and two daughters of Mr. Tom Smith of Brattain school section. At first it was thought all were killed and so much blood was on the ground that persons remarked later “it looked like two or three hogs have been killed there.” A car going to Albemarle chanced to pass and took the girls at once to the hospital there, then one going in the other direction picked up the men when it was found they were still alive, and was taking them to the hospital in Charlotte, but when out a few miles they remonstrated so much that the man brought them back to the place of the wreck. The next morning, they were taken to the Albemarle Hospital. The latest report was to the effect that it was feared Simpson and one of the girls would not live. We are informed that liquor was the cause of the trouble—that Simpson was drinking and his wife had her brother go and drive the car and just where the wreck occurred someone caught Barbee’s arms and caused the car to swerve.

No blame is attached to the truck driver as he was on his own side of the road, although he offered himself to the sheriff.

From page 3 of The Concord Daily Tribune, Feb. 13, 1926

"The car was smashed to into flinders" is an expression I've not heard since my mother died. The Merriam Webster's online dictionary says "flinders" means splinters or fragments.

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-02-13/ed-1/seq-3/