Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-14
SCREAMS START PURSUIT
Hello Girls Insulted, One Beaten and
One Bowled Over.
CABS FOLLOW FLEEING CAR
Police in Taxicab Never Near
Enough to Get Number Of
Offending Auto.

NEW YORK. August 14.-Three drunken
autoists stopped their flying red touring
car at 10th street and Broadway at 4
o'clock this morning. just as three tele-
phone exchange girls. on their way home.
started to cross the street.
One of the men sprang from the auto
and with leer approached the nearest
OF the girls. He made some remarks, at
which she drew herself up scornfuly.
He laid hands upon her. Then she at
tackled him furiously. scratching his face
until there were long deep burrows In the
flesh.
Angered at this resistance the man
knocked the girl down with his clenched
fist. AS the girl fell she screamed.
The man jumped back into the machine,
which set off south along Broadway so
suddenly that 1t knocked over another
one of the girls. Her screams were
joined to those of her companion.
1t doesn't take much to stir up Broad
way at any hour. But screams of a
else. The screams Of three girls raised In
concert quickened the entire neighbour
hood.
Hot Pursuit Begun.
Those on foot set out In hot but vain
pursuit of the rakish red car. Night
hawk cabbies cracked their whips over
the backs of the sleepy horses and ratified
along i'm the rear at a furious pace.
Taxicabs fell in all along the line. and
before a quarter of mile had been COW
cred the big thoroughfare swarmed With
closed cabs. hansoms. taxicabs touring
cars. hangers-On. police. late homegoers
and the rag tag and bobtail of the tender
loin.
A chorus of wild yells arose from the
pursuing Cables.
When the red touring car shot past
the Hotel Astor such a clamor filled the
air that many guests of that exclusive
hotel arose from their beds and peered
out Of windows. The miscellaneous pro-
cession they saw awakened their wonder.
When the Flatiron block. on which the
Times building is. was reached, the red
auto. several lengths In advance of the
nearest competitor. swept around from
ner sharply while hands were waved de-
risively from the tonneau. At 7th ave-
nue. another sharp turn was made. the
auto doubling back instead of going
south.
The Broadway characters behind near.
ly came to grief. The nearest cabby was
going so fast he overshot his mark and
went. some distance down Broadway be-
fore he could stop his horse. while the
others became involved in q confused
some skillful maneuvering to keep wheels
from interiocking and cab sides un-
scratched.
For a few moments each cabby had to
think some to tell his own horse from
that of his neighbor. But the snarl finally
untansled ITSELF Away they all went
again. looping the loop from Broadway
into 42d. then north on 7th avenue again
quite handily, considering the circum-
Police Never in Sight.
Policemen Felt. Mahoney and Nelson
comma ndered the taxicab at 42d street.
Making way through a narrow channel
which opened for them between the press
of vehicles, they quickly jumped into the
lead.
The red touring car was not a bit
'winded'' although cab horses were
wheeling with the speed. 1t began to
widen the gap. At 5Oth street 1t was
running like a cup racer. and the moving
police station behind was hard pressed
to keep 1t in sight,
At 10Th street the auto turned to 9Th
avenue and went north on 9th avenue
to Central Park. where 1t shot into the
drive and disappeared among the trees
The taxicab was worsted. 1t did not get
near enough at any time to distinguish
the number on the red car.
The three policemen went back to 10th
street and broadway to interview the
girls. They had gone.
Broadway had a tired look this morning
Some of them. which leaned heavily
against the shafts. had dark circles under
their eyes. 1t was thought that Il would
take several hours for them to recover
from the Broadway Marathon.