The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-09
JOTTINGS.
Officers DevOting Considerable
Time to Speeding AutOists.
Eight Drivers Held to Answer
for Speeding.
TALES OF FAST TIME.
Detectives Say One Car Was
Making 40 Miles an Hour.
Story of an interrupted Game
of Craps.

OGOTy O1 an interrupted tame
of Craps.
Eight prominent Topeka autoists
have been arrested by the police in the
last two days for exceeding the speed
limit of 16 miles an hour in the city
| limits. In every case it is claimed the
! drivers were "scorching'' their ma
| chimes at the rate of over 80 miles an
| hour, according to the stop watches
| being held by the officers from whom
| the complaint was made l. w Felix,
| of the Felix Clothing company, was the
| first Violater of the flying gas carts and
| he was caught while speeding up Sixth
| avenue between Clay and Polk streets.
! The officers, Leach and James, declare
| that the big car was going at the rate
| of 40 miles an hour. This is pretty
! fast time for any kind of a car but the
| police have the watches on the spot.
| Frank Smith was arrested at the same
| time and by the same officers. He was
not going quite so fast as Mr.. Felix's
but he received the smoke right off the
muff1er. The two speediacs were fined
the minimum fine of S. and released.
The next double arrest was made by
officer Fribance. the big bIue-eyed
Englishman and the Terror of the Bot
toms. He spied Roy Starr and T. ].
Coughlin with the scenery going by
them at the rate of 80 miles hour
and right on peaceful Kansas avenue.
Third and Sixth streets in about 40
seconds, according to the test of the
officer. These men will be fined the
minimum of IS per.
The next case was a John Doe" ar
rest and not until the officers settle
the matter among themselves will the
real arrest be made. 1t seems that two
police officers were standing on the
corner of Fifth and Kansas avenue and
they Spied a cloud of dust coming
south just between the Melan bridge
and the Rock Island tracks. Before
they had time to comment on the cy-
clone cloud the form of an automobile
was seen to ascend the hill between
Third and Fifth streets on Kansas ave
nue.. But the form lasted but second
and with a swish and a smell the big
car shot over the line at the postoftfce
like a pay car passing bum. Swim
ming through the smoke the officers
chased the car frantically trying to
perceive the concealed number which
was hidden by the contents from an
out of order carburater. One of the Of
ficers claimed the number to be 1876 and
the other 1874. The police have called
the arrest John Doe affair" and the
owners of both cars will be made to
stand a test. Possibly both of them
can be convicted.
After this car had flashed by the Of
ficers on Kansas avenue stood In the
middle of the car tracks with a watch
in one hand and a squint in their eye
for the appearance of other racers.
They were not disappointed. 1t was
truly Vanderbilt Cup race and the
contestants were arriving every min
ute Just after 1851 came screaming
by with muff1ers wide open along came
steamer driven at a breakneck speed
by w. w. Webb. This car was built
high enough to slide over a pedestrian,
if the careless chap happened to get in
the way and the police did not pay
much attention to this racer. His num-
Der was taken, his dust was whitfield
and the car sped on. The race was
getting more interesting every minute
and the crowds on Kansas avenue were
held back by the police in order that !
the nerves of the reckless drivers might |
not be shattered by too frequent dodg- |
ing and too many knockdowns and
tornuOs.
The last division of the race was ia
ken up by w. F. Brown and Harry |
Bubb who were close candidates for |
the BOBBY prize. When they had flown
by the crowd surged in on the track !
and the street cars were allowed to |
run.
1t was an exciting race and luckily |
no one was killed. There were several
excellent exhibitions of lodging on the
part of trespassing citizens who dared |
to use Kansas avenue for anything else |
but a speedway and many of the la1ty |
who drove horses and buggies saved
their lives and their buggies by driving |
I'D on the sidewalk in order to make |
way for the racers.
There has been an epidemic of auto |
mobile racing in Topeka during the last |
month or so and the chief of police has
issued warning after warning to the
auto owners also to the innocent pc
destrians. Several arrests have been
made at intervals but this did not
feaze the cup chasers. The police
court has followed the rules set by the
chief and from this time on all
"scorchers" who drive their cars over
16 miles an hour will receive the maxi
mum fine. Judge Urmy has always
used the minimum fine. hoping that the
drivers would take warning but since
this Wholesale splitting of the atmos-
phere the court will have no mercy.
Louis Maze, the man who made such
a sensational escape from the police
station and the Jail yard about week
ago has been recaptured and will be
fined doubly to pay for his cleverness.
1t will be remembered that Maze made
a pretense to use the telephone and
when the officers were not watching he
Jumped from behind the desk, ran out
into the Jail yard, vaulted some beer
cases and dove through the board /
fence. Maze was caught happily skat
ing on beer ice and he did not care