Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-10-08
A WILD NIGHT
AUTO RIDE
Alderman Lester Makes The AZ
tempt to Run His Car from
Huron Home in 5 l-2 Hours.
s1BAsK' CLAIMS LESTER LOST.

Lester Says He Has thirty Days
to Make the Run and that He
Has the Right 10 Score.
The great automobile race
against time wherein M. r. Bas-
kerville wagered $500 with Alder
man G. H. Lester that he could not
run his Overland car from Huron
to Watertown in three hours and
! a half--stopping half an hour at
Bancroft is still in the air.
AS we understand the wager,
Mr.. Lester was given any time
within thirty days to makes this
race against time. It appears that
there is nothing in the written
contract to specify the particular
date on which the race is to be run
only that it is to be made some-
time within thirty days from the
date of signing the articles, and
that Mr.. Lester was to carry five
passengers in the car including
himself and Mr.. Baskerville and
that the car was to leave Huron
at $50 o'clock in the afternoon.
Mr.. Lester went to Huron last
Monday with his car and in the
car were himself, John Gerhard,
who was taking the place Of Mr.
Baskerville, Clint Bibbins, the
referee and stake holder and an
expert mach mist from the new
automobile garage. with Silver
Hattlestead at the steering wheel.
The party was late on getting
into Huron and before starting
Mr.. Gerhard telephoned Mr.. Bask-
erville at Watertown and asked
him if it was all right if they
lstarted q half hour later and he
| got an answer that it was perfectly
satisfactory to him.
its John Wagner and Ed Hauf went
down in Mr. Wagner's Overland
to run ahead about five minutes
and see that the road was clear
of teams. When the Lester car
got ready to start Wagner and
Hauff could not be found and the
Lester party started off without
them. The Lester car had moi
gone very far when Wagner and
Hauff overlook them and passed
them on the road. 4
The Lester car went like the
lshot out Of q gun and came down
a steep hill near Huron and al
they were crossing a bridge the
engine died from an overfeed o1
gasoline. Four Or five minutes
time was lost in getting the car
Iborator in working order.
The run was again resumed anc
la terrific rate Of speed was main.
ltained. Then another stop wal
made to light the headlights. This
Operation consumed another sever
minutes. Then the machine wa,
started again and the way it raj
made every man in the car thinl
of all the little mean tricks he
Ihad been guilty Of during his en-
4 tire life. They soon overlook til,
/ Wagner car and that car wa,
4 throwing dust in their faces tt
jbeat the band. Lester signalet
\ them to turn out and give then
the road and as the Wagner ca
turned out they struck a stone ant
punctured q tire.
The night was as dark ais stacI
of black cats end the road betweel
Il Huron and Bancroft is as crooked
as q dog hind leg, but that mad,
no difference. On they tore at !,
marvellous rate Of speed and the,
were compelled to slow down an,
turn out several times on accoun
teams. They had taken the muffie
|foff the engine and the popping
noise could be heard for seyera
miles.
The Lester car arrived at Ban
croft about Fifteen minutes behins
their schedule time and after rest
ling a while Mr. Lester informe
n MIR. Gerhard that they would no
make the race thar night ais til
ear was not working ight an
THAT they would turn back an