Ray and I were in Mexico City on business. At 4 a.m. (2 a.m. California time) the telephone rang. It was Anita, [the Comstock's daughter] telling us of Burton's accident. She had no details. We were too stunned to do any thinking and told her we would be in Mexico City for the day to finish the business. After realizing the facts, we called Anita, telling her we were leaving immediately for Yerba Buena and would call her that evening to get details of what had happened. By the time we wasted about a half hour trying to call our lawyer to cancel our appointment for that day, packed and loaded the car, (without the help of the elevator, which had gone out of commission the night before, leaving us with 4 flights of stairs and a lot of stuff!) and drove to the lawyer's home, it was about 8 a.m. before we were on our way. We stopped only for gasoline.

After trying unsuccessfully in Villahermosa to get an International line to call Anita, we drove on to Pichucalco (our last phone connection with the outside world.) It was two and a half hours later before we got the line -- then only two minutes until we got our party. We spent a half hour at Nela's parents' home in Ixhuatán. There we picked up her mother and brother and brought them with us to Yerba Buena, arriving at l:30 a.m., December ll.

We did not get details here of the accident until December l5, the day that Nela and Anita arrived. Brother Stanley Sornberger (who gave Burton his flying lessons) and his wife flew down, bringing Nela and Anita. They returned to the U. S. the 22nd of December -- Anita returning with them.

The accident occurred at 9:08 p.m., December 9, eight miles South of Willows, California, on temporary Interstate 5. A semi-truck-trailer had been following a car with a trailer. The truck finally tried to pass, four miles before he would have reached the free-way. When he saw Burton's car approaching, he pulled to the left, right into Burton's path. They had to call a special wrecker from Chico to Willows (not Willits) to extricate his body. Four hours were consumed before getting Burton out. The casket was sealed.

God could have delayed Burton a few seconds anywhere along that highway. He is in the hands of a just God and there are many things worse than death. God is right now in the business of winding up this old world's history and is laying away those who are not able, for reasons known only to Him, to go through the terrible experiences of the last days.