The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-06-07
Exciting Runaway.
Affair on Main Street Tuesday in
Which Half a Dozen Horses and
as Many Vehicles Were Involved
Fortunately. Nobody Hurt.

Quite an exciting runaway occurred
on Main street Tuesday morning in
which about a hall a dozen vehicles
and horses were involved. Luckily
nobody was hurt although there was
more than one narrow escape. A
young man, Mr.. q. R. Davis, repre-
senting the Standard Medicine Com
pany, OF Spartanburg, s. c., was
driving up street in his buggy. His
horse became frightened at an auto
mobile and SHE'D. He struck the
horse a sharp cut with the whip. The
horse made a sudden Jump and broke
the cross bar OF the buggy. He then
started on a wild run. The driver
seemed powerless to stop the animal
nor could he guide him with the
broken shafts. Up the street they
went at a terrible gait and people
scattered to places of safety. In
front OF the Citizens Bank the buggy
struck the rear of another buggy
standing near the sidewalk. The i'm
pact threw the driver forward and
turning a complete somersault he
fell on his back with terrific force.
The horse hitched to the buggy that
had been run into started to run and
for a moment it looked like Mr..
Davis would be run over and tram
pied, in addition to the dreadful fall
he had received The timely pres
ence of a bystander who grabbed
the bride and stopped the horse
averted a second runaway and pos
sibly saved the life of little colored
girl who was seated alone in the bug
gy at the time The buggy from
which the man had been thrown was
turned over and the runaway con-
tinued his course dragging the over
turned vehicle. In front of Powell's
grocery store 3 vehicles were stand
ing, Powell's two delivery wagons
and Charlie Beckham's horse and
buggy. A buggy in which a lady
was seated stood near the centre of
the street.
One of Powell's delivery wagons
was moved down and Beckham' s
buggy was upset. The other wagon
| was run into but not overturned.
Amid all this obstruction the harness
| broke, the runaway became olsen
gagged from the battered remains of
the buggy he was dragging, and thus
freed he ran for all that was in him.
Powell's old ''Buckskin" struck out
right behind him and up the street
they went at full speed. The delivery
wagon contained 500 pound box OF
hams, but the combined weight OF
this and the. vehicle did not phase the
Powell nag, and for four miles they
ran, the lead horse but little in ad-
vance. The wagon was not upset
and the loss of a cent bolt was the
only damage done. 1t is surmised
that "Buckskin" understood that he
had an urgent delivery to make and
he was doing his part to "make
good"
But to 60 back to the other horses
Beckham's horse started to run anG
but for fortunately being stopped
the chances are that he would have
run into the buggy occupied by the
lady above alluded to. She was right
near the scene, and q sister haC
started across the street to the buggy
and was also Immediately in line o
danger at the critical moment. Thu
horse hitched to the overturned de
livery wagon tried to run also but ht
was caught and held. 1t was an ex
citing affair and a bad mix-up al
round not to have resulted NOR,
seriously.
| Mr.. Davis exonerated the automo
bilist from blame in the matter. Thu
horse had run away with him five o.
six times before, but he always helt
him. He said he did not think h
would have run this time if he ha(
not struck him with the whip as HI
did; and if he had run he would have
held him had not the crOssbar brOk,
and he lost control of him when thu
buggy ran on the horse. When ques
toned, he said he had money enough
to pay for having the buggy repaired
and did not ask that this be done fo
him, since he was not altogether
blameless for the trouble: but we un
derstand that he will not be out any
thing for repairs.