The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-24
THE RED DRAGON.
William Allen White Describes It's
Crooked Trail.

Just as the State Journal was pre-
pairing an article on an overland trip
to Emporia in an automobile WORD
came that the enterprising Emporla
Gazette had secured half hourly Wire
less bulletins of the memorable pro-
gress of the car over the great divide
between the Kaw and the Neosho on
Saturday evening and was printing
careful and complete itinerary OF the
Journey. The description has since APP
peared in print and is worthy of the
nation wide reputation of its writer
William Allen White. AS White is Of
fered twenty cents word for his de-
scriptive powers, by eastern editors
who do not know him in his native
lair (correct-the letters "a" and II
not being transposed by the printer
and furthermore as there is nothing
upon which White prides himself more
than accuracy, accuracy, accuracy, the
Neosho Valley version of the trip is
given herewith as a substitute for a
better one, and as a typical specimen
of correct and accurate, descriptive
English:
SPEED MAD.
Frank P. MacLennan, the eminent
agriculturist of the Topeka Journal,
who has invented the famous patent
chiropodist for cutting corn, brought
his interesting family from Topeka to
Emporia Saturday afternoon in his new
red automobile Mr. MacLennan is a
accomplishment is the ownership and
control of this red devil Mr.. MacLen-
nan, in spite of the entreaties of his
womankind, started out Saturday to
break the OK team record between
Emporia and Topeka, which was estab-
lished in 1867, by T B. Murdoch, of Ell
Dorado So, throwing caution to the
winds, Mr.. MacLennan turned his
fiendish lust for speed loose, threw
open the high speed clutch and whiZ-
81 a1Y{ 1f olxo ut n
sailed down Eighth street like street
sprinkler in a high wind. An hour la
ter he dashed through Pauline at the
mad rate of seven and three-tenths
miles an hour, and at 4 o'clock he was
feeding distance into his machine at
the awful rate Of ten miles an hour,
allowing four stops to cool the aXleS.
At dusk, the good people of Usage City
heard the roar Of the hungry red devil
eating up the coy and elusive miles,
and rushed to their doors to see the
dragon howl past.
There was a dust storm, a brain
storm and a rainStOrm of undigeSted
bits of distance flying from the car,
and then great silence. 1t is est1-
mated that as the MacLennans passed
Charley Barnes they were going at
the terrific rate of ten miles an hour.
And still on they flew. At Reading
they overlook and passed the Merry
Widow Waltz, which left New York
painting, passionate mechanical demon,
surged by the German car from Olpe,
which had been thrashing some wheat
on Dow creek, and on and on the Mac
Lehman monster flew, down the Bur-
lingame road, caring nothing for dan
ger.
$50 accurately did MacLennan esti-
mate the exact time that it would take
him to absorb all the distance between
Topeka and Emporia that he came
rolling into State street only two hours
and a half late for o'clock dinner at
the Dun1aps. In the meantime first aid
to the starving had been administered
to the other guests, and as Mr.. Mac
Lehman and his family sat down to the
festal board they were recipients of
many congratulations for the swift
Journey from the merry company. The
MacLennans had covered the entire dis
tance of sixty-six miles In eight hours.
Mr. Murdock's best bullteam record
with four relays of buckskin crackers
on two bullsnake whips with two men