In Search of the Artists

by Dino Vlahos

(Non-Fiction)

CHAPTER ONE 

      Tragic Accident in Aledo, Illinois

That same day, across the Atlantic Ocean, another tragic event would unfold in a small town in west-central Illinois.

It was Monday afternoon on a brisk and sunny day in Aledo, Illinois. It was 4:30 pm and Frances Cook Steen, 81 years old, was returning from a shopping trip. She was on her way to the home of Martha Marquis on North Maple Street, where she had been staying.

On that same afternoon, Lawrence Brewer and his father Ed Brewer were driving west along Eighth Street. Young Brewer was behind the wheel of the automobile and having difficulty seeing as he was partly blinded by the sun shining in his face. 

Mrs. Steen was in the process of crossing the street at the post office corner and stepped between a car and a truck parked at the corner. At that exact moment, young Brewer turned south on College Avenue and did not see Mrs. Steen until she stepped from behind the truck directly into the path of his car. Although traveling at a low speed, he was unable to stop before striking Mrs. Steen.

Frances was knocked to the pavement in an unconscious condition. Young Brewer along with his father and bystander Herbert McCleary quickly transported Frances to the office of Dr. G.H. Moore. Dr. Moore provided emergency treatment and had her transported by ambulance to St. Anthony’s hospital in Rock Island.

An extensive examination at the hospital revealed that Frances sustained a fracture of the outer plate of the frontal bone of her skull. Her scalp was torn for four inches and her hands were cut and bruised slightly. She suffered a concussion of the brain. Attending physicians feverishly attempted to ward off serious shock and possible infection. Her actual condition would not be determined until 48 hours would elapse at which time the doctors would be able to tell the extent of the shock.

Frances was placed under continuous observation. She finally regained consciousness on Tuesday morning but remained in serious condition.

Frances Cook Steen was a prominent member of the Aledo community. She took an active part in the civic and religious life of Aledo and for five years she was president of the Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist church, of which she had been a member for many years. For a few years she was president of the Aledo Columbian Club. She was a well-known poet and musician. Several volumes of her poems and a number of her songs had been published.                      

The news of her accident spread quickly and a number of her friends rushed to the hospital to offer their support. Frances’ condition stabilized and slightly improved the next couple of days. She was allowed to have guests and on Sunday, March 5^th   her close friends Mr. and Mrs. Charles Nesbitt, Misses Anna and Ella Johnston, Mrs. Mary Willis and Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Coffland came to visit her at the hospital.

For two weeks after the accident she remained at the hospital. Her condition while stable, did not improve. It was determined that Frances should be transferred to her own home in Aledo. There she would be close to friends who could offer help and support. Margaret Johnson, a private nurse, was hired to monitor and tend to her needs 24-hours a day.

For the past three years Frances Cook Steen had been suffering from a heart condition. Unfortunately the severity of Frances’ injuries was more than her heart and fragile body could take. On Thursday, May 4^th, Frances took her last breath and her heart quietly stopped beating. At her bedside were many of her close friends and her attentive nurse Margaret Johnson.

Two sisters survived Frances at the time of her death, Miss Alice Cook (90 years old) of Demorest, Georgia, and Mrs. Eva Cook Van Hise (76 years old) of Santa Cruz, California. 

Two years prior to her death, Frances Cook Steen had a book of poems published and titled Along the Way. In this small volume was a poem titled The Daily News. How ironic, two years after it’s publication, this poem’s tragic message would be revealed in Aledo, Illinois!!

                     THE DAILY NEWS

                                                     ______

When I take up the Daily,

And glance o’er the pages,

I think I am living

Back in the dark ages.

I read thru the titles

On page number one,

And note its sensations,

Only Glad when I’m done.

It is all about bombing,

And murders and theft,

Till I wonder if humans

Of sense are bereft.

Divorces and scandals

Blaze forth on each page,

As I read them I wonder

What has come o’er the age.

And the toll of the auto

Is growing each year,

And like timid rabbits

We’re haunted by fear.

When we go down the street

We look this way and that,

For fear that some auto

May crush us quite flat.

The auto is good in its place I’ll agree,

But they’re going too fast

For you and for me.

Our life is in danger

We may not conceal

And the remedy, friends,

May the future reveal.  

Dino Vlahos (age 50+)

Contact: DSVlahos@sbcglobal.net

Reviews and comments requested