50 Years Ago

Herald of Oct. 9, 1969

The quick thinking of a son and the timely help of two friends are credited with saving the lives of an elderly Martinsburg couple in a fiery automobile collision at the Clover Creek bridge on Route 164 at Fredericksburg.

Mrs. Beulah C. Bassler of Martinsburg RD 1, and her husband, J. Harold Bassler, 68, driver of the car in which she was riding, both were rushed to Nason Hospital where Mrs. Bassler was reported in fair condition after treatment, and Mr. Bassler was released after examination.

The driver of the other car, according to the police report, was Charles R. Baughman, 23, of Monroeville, also reported in fair condition at Nason Hospital, and a passenger in his coupe, Robert A. Corrie, also of Monroeville, was released after treatment for lacerations and abrasions.

The accident occurred when Mr. Bassler entered Route 164 from a side street at the lower end of Fredericksburg, when the 1968 model Baughman coupe topped the crest of the hill eastbound and rammed into the rear of the Bassler car.