Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-20
TWO MEN FIGHT
IN AUTO WHICH
RUNS INTO CAR
MACHINE DEMOLISHED BUT
COMBATANTS NOT HURT
ELECTRIC COACH MUCH BAT
TERED BY COLLISION
Chauffeur Attacked by Man Who Was
Struck by Motor Truck-Spec-
tators Thought Assailant
Was Insane
desperately with one wi

NIGHTING desperately with one VINO
seemed to be a mad man, Howard
Il Hamer of 207 North Broadway
driving one of Newberry's large auto
trucks, heavily loaded with groceries
at IL o'clock yesterday morning Crap
pied and struggled furiously with a
man who had climbed on his vehicle
and attacked him, while the machine
uncontrolled, ran down Pico street
toward a rapidly approaching inbound
car
Passengers on Pico Heights car NO.
461 were terrified and Gazed as they
saw the big machine bounding toward
the car, the two men on the DoX APP
parently oblivious to the approaching
catastrophe, struggling and swaying as
they struck and fought each other.
At the corner of Elden street the
machine ran against the rails of the
car track, the huge truck sWerved dl-
rectlv toward the street car, men
jumped to safety, women screamed
the motorman applied the brakes with
full force, but it was too late There
was a grinding crash, man shot oul
from the truck as If thrown from d
catapult and landed in the street
twenty I66L DIV dys L LAC AeeCN -
driver of the machine, who was PIN
ioned beneath the steering wheel OF
his machine and who realized too late
the greater danger which menaced
him, lost the scarlet of anger and LOOK
on the ashen pallor Of fright.
Death Was Near
The man III the street was lying stlll'
The man pinioned beneath the steering
wheel his arms raised as if to ward
off a blow, sat with his face pressed
close against the side of the street car
Had the auto gone few inches tar-
ther his life would have been crushed
out.
In a, second all was activity. Men
Jumped off the car and lifted the man
from the street. Others assisted the
driver to disentangle himself from the
Wreckage 1t was soon found that
neither was hurt seriously That either
ESCAPED instant death. is considered a
marvel by all who witnessed the near
tragedy.
road is the man who had been strug-
Cling with Hamer and who had been
thrown into the street by the concus-
sion He was not insane, as the pas
sengers mad supposed, but was puih-
melting Hamer for fancied' wrong.
According to witnesses who saw the
beginning of the trouble, McAleer was
standing by his bicycle in the street
talking to some friends on a sidewalk
of Pico street near Elden, when Hamer,
driving tie truck, approached. With
out sounding his horn Hamer is
charged by McAleer with running intu
the latter and severely jolting and
throwing him to one side of the street.
McAleer, infuriated. ran after the
automobile. climbed upon the box and
began to pound the driver, who, he
claims, intended to run him down.
Hamer, on his part. asserts McAleer
should not have been standing in the
street. He admits having seen the
approaching street. car, but says Nc
Aleer held him so fast he could not
turn the steering wheel
Groceries, vegetables and supplies
We're scattered on the street and soon
were soaked with oil and gasoline
from the nearly demolished automobile.
No arrests have been made, but dam
age suits probably will be instituted.