The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-19
OLD MEN ARE
HIS HOODOOS
Barney 0ldfield Tells of Mysterious
Accidents.
HIS SEQUENCE OF MISHAPS
STORY OF HIS WRECK IN CLEVE-
LAND RETOLD.
cleveland Plain peaIer.O


To those who have seen Barney OldfieId
rush around the oval in his motor car at
railroad speed, seemingly defyins death at
every turn only 10 bring UP his car at the
finish with his peculiar smile illuminating
ms face u will seem almost ridiculous to
say that Oldfeld is influenced by super
sutton IL - well known thar great ath-
teteS all have their superStitions. but for
me driver OF an automobile to confess
llai simple occurrence should upset him
marl-8bls.
Yes. 2 am Superstitious i'm a way con-
feSSed Oldfield whom asked IL II was true
that his accidents on the track have been
due TO superstition. but h,acx cats.
hearseS and the regular line never affect
me
My superstition is old mon. The sight
OF an old man entering a park in which
/ am about 10 give an exhibition or take
part in a race always unnerves me.
~ was at Detroit that first became
aware OF the fact that the sight or an old
man at a race would affect M, You will
remember how my machine crashed
through the fence, in that CITY one day.
killed man and brought up against a
tree after diSpOSinE of me in such man
her as TO lay me up for several weeks
4 had made the rounds Of the track
several times with the car To SCI how the
motor was behaving As I passed tho
grand stand the last time before the race
1 happened 70 look up There 81 the front
row OF the stand sat misunderstanding
oid man intenty watching me As our
SIdnceS met. / was close to the fence his
race nroKe INTO a smile and he waved his
hand There was something queer about
il all. although il was not an unusual oc-
currence, and from that time until I got
INTO my car my gaze kept wandering To
that part OF the grand stand IN which the
old party sat
Just before 1 got into my car for the
race again looked for the Old man. but
nc had disappeared Il was with feeling
or relief that mounted the car and made
ready for the start.
THE race was one for blood and we
were tearing things up at a lively rate,
when. just as / was about To settle down
to business. an irresistible impulse caused
me to look up at the tand. There sat tho
old party. Even though ! was rushing
around the track at the rate of mile a
minute 7 could see his face plainly He
was watching me intently. A peculiar feel
ing overcame me. and almost lost con-
troll of the machine. But cloud Of dust
hid him from view and 1 started 10 make
up the distance i had lost IN the few
seconds.
''As we neared the stand I felt the same
feeling come over me. and although
called all my powers of resistance into
play my face was again turned III the di-
rection of the stand. I again saw the old
man. this time indistinCtly. for the dust
raised during the former lap still hung
like pail over the track.
Suddenly my ear gave twist. there
was Il deafeuiEg crash. and then all was
darkness. When t came to the kindly
lace OF tne oid man was tne iiIsL 90 NJ L.
my gaze closed my eyes TO smut MN
from my view. When / looked again he
was gone.
''Old men always had a strange fascina-
ton for me after that race ] found my
self DCcrinE uncUuSCiOuSly into the face or
every old man / met on the street. but
why I do not know
The next Incident occurred At Chenille
the same year as the accident at Detroit
Just as I was towing my car into the CrlN-
ing park TO try ii one morning an old man
hailed me and said ne hoped I would
smash some records during ths afternoon
You may not believe il. but ] couidn
keep my eyes from W@uderln~ in the dt-
TeCtiOn of the old fellow all the afternoon
and il was Just after looking at him that
SWeFNed renee
off a few rails I was not hurt but re-
Ccived n bad scare and spill
Il SWOre TO myself that ] would never
look at an old man again, but more or
them than ever before seemed TO cross my
path. probably because ] noticed every
man that looked to be Of mature age.
Il was conSratulatiug myself at the St
Louis meet last summer as I rnoUnted nv
car that no White-haired citizen had
crossed my path. when heard a patter or
feet on the track and an old constable or
something Of the sort hustled up TO mo
and wished me all kinds of luck tell
YOU a feeling came over me then that
something was about TO happen And
when that cloud Of dust Ooscured every
thing from my vision and lost my bear
ings and went through the fence the first
thing ] thought of was the old man
At DAYTON I was certain tt was be
cause an aged dar<ey felt my tres and
asked me for Il ride that 1 lost tire dur.
ing a race and had to run FOR twenty-tlN9
miles on three tires
1T may be that my superstition IS am
normally developed. and that the proml-
nenCe Of old men at meetings IN Whlch
the accidents occurred WAS merely a CO
incidence but that creepy feeling always
affects me when they are around