In a collision of an automobile and a truck on Highway 61 a mile south of Kelso at about 7:40 a.m. today two persons were killed and three others were injured. Light rain was falling at the time.

Victims of the crash were Mrs. Lloyd Armstrong, 58 years old, of Painton and her daughter, Miss Geraldine Armstrong, 17 years old, also of Painton. They were wife and daughter of a farmer of the Painton community.

Those injured were drive of the soda water truck, Sherman A. Rettig, 45, of Sikeston and two grandchildren of Mrs. Armstrong. The children were Sharon Armstrong 3 1/2, and Janice Armstrong, 2, children of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Armstrong of near Kelso. The children were brought to Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Mr. Rettig, driver of the northbound Pepsi-Cola Co. truck, sustained a cut on the left wrist and said at scene of the accident that his left shoulder was paining him. He told officers making the investigation that he was starting down the hill, near the Louis Robert barn and the 1950 model Armstrong Sedar was going south, up the grade. There is a slight curve at the scene.

Mr. Rettig, who had a full load of soda water cases, said when he was about 50 feet from the automobile, which had been traveling in its normal position, started to skid on the pavement. He said the truck did not skid. He said the rear end of the southbound auto came around, and he tried to turn toward the right shoulder and in direction of a graveled road which angles into the highway from the northeast.

He said he could not avoid the car and it came into his truck almost broadside. The front of the truck was damaged and the entire left side of the sedan was smashed.

Scene of the accident was about 300 yeards north of the Delta service station, on the east side of the highway. The accident was near a private drive which leads from the Robert house and barn, both buildings on the west side of the pavement. The location is four miles north of Benton.

Frank Armstrong, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Armstrong, operates the Delta station. Mrs. Armsgrong and her daughter operated the cafe divisions of the same business.

Sgt. Glenn Lampley told the Missourian this afternoon that he learned that Mrs. Lloyd Armstrong and her daughter had driven to the service station early this morning and had picked up Mrs. Frank Armstrong and the two children. They then had taken Mrs. Frank Armstrong to her work at Chaffee and were returning to the Delta station when the accident happened.

Mrs. Armstrong and Miss Armstrong, together with the two children, apparently were driving from Painton to the service station-cafe.

Frank Armstrong, father of the children, was at the station when he got word of the accident, which was just over the crown of the hill to the north. Mother of the two children had a factory job in Chaffee.

Mr. Rettig said after the machines crashed together his truck could not be steered or braked and it went off the highway to his left or to the wwest. Dozens of the soda water bottles were broken and some landed on each side of the highway. Rettig said the sedan came to a stop partly on the pavement and it was heading in a northeasterly or easterly direction. It was badly smashed, and about all of the glass was broken out.

Four State College students from Sikeston, Charles Bailey, Jack Edwards, Jim O'Leary and Robert Allen, came on the accident immediately after it happened. They brought the youngsters to the hospital and remained there with them until after their father arrived.

It was said that from position of the bodies Miss Armstrong had been driving. One of the children was knocked out of the car and was on the pavement. The other and the two bodies, were in the auto. Mrs. Armstrong aparently had been sitting at the right hand side of the driver of the car. The two bodies were placed in a Walthers ambulance from Cape Girardeau. After the bodies had been viewed by members of a coroner's jury, which was officially named at the service station, the bodies were brought to Cape Girardeau. Then they were transferred to the Morgan Funeral Home at Advance.

Prosecuting Attorney Weber Gilmore of Scott County, who was at the scene, said a formal inquest may not be conducted. Members of the jury were Garland Waldo of Illmo, Louis Robert of near Illmo, Herman Graves of Kelso, Wade Brock and Marvin Ferrell of Benton and Leon Lux of Illmo. Officers making the investigation included Sheriff John Dennis, Sgt. Glenn W. Lampley and Trooper H.C. Logsden of the Highway Patrol.

Condition of both the children was described as serious at the hospital. Both suffered cuts, abrasions and bruises, and Sharon received a broken leg. Janice was to be x-rayed today to determine if she might have a fracture of her jaw.

The automobile, a Dodge, was said to be property of Lloyd Armstrong. Mr. Rettig said the truck belonged to the Pepsi-Cola Co. at Sikeston.

Mr. Rettig said the automobile did not seem to be traveling at an excessive rate of speed.He estimated speed of his truck at about 35 miles an hour. Rettig said he had come from Sikeston and had made a stop at Benton, shortly after 7 a.m. He then had stopped at the Delta station near scene of the accident, and had just traveled far enough after leaving there to have shifted into high gear with the truck. He said light rain was falling at the time.

Frank Armstrong had been running the service sation about five months. He and his family l ive on the nearby Bud Ledure place.