Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-26
DISTRESSINGACCIOENT
ON OAKLAND CIRCUIT
FRANK FREES CAR SWERVES
AND KILLS ONL00KER
Thrilling Details of Death of By
stander, Who Was Engaged Talk
ing With His Flancee When
Death Came

Probably no automobile racing driver
| is better known on the Pacific coast
| better liked and has more friends than
Frank Free, the steady. sober, reliable
gentlemanly Frank Free. The dis
| tressing accident whereby his car
swerved in the race and killed an on
locker will be regretted by every per-
son who has the privilege of knowing
! the commendable young driVers
The details of that accident are sad
| in view of the fact that the victim of
te should have been at the moment
standing at the side of his fiancee en-
gagged in undoubtably pleasant con-
Versatlon looking forward to the hap
py event of the future when they
should enjoy the very scenes they were
then looking at as companions on the
voyage of life.
The accident occurred, as is usual in
such cases, by the onlookers standing
too perilously close to the track, for
! 1t seems to be the inclination of human
nature to view automobiles going
down the track at an eighty-mile-an
hour gait much as they look upon the
old-fashioned horse races.
This one was no exception to the
rule.
Otis Johnson, a bookkeeper, was
struck by Frees car and so badly in
jured that he died shortly thereafter.
His back was broken and his body a
mass of bruises from his head to his
ankles
Standing with Fiancee
johnson. together with Miss Grace
Murphy, his fiancee. of Oakland, were
standing at the junction of. Stanley
road and Foothill boulevard, about half
mile to the east of Death curve"
watching the meteor-like cars as they
flashed past. Just before the accident
the Knox car, entry II, driven by
Frank Free and entered by the Reli-
ance Auto company, came down the
long stretch of level roadway fronting
the Alameda county lnfiTmary at
pace of eighty miles an hour, and
swung into the curve almost at the
point where Johnson and Miss Murphy
were standing. Without warning, and
just as Free was trying the curve, the
right knuckle of the steering gear
broke, causing Free to lose control of
the car. The machine swerved to the
right, jumping the bow of the curve
and went headlong into a roadside or
chard, striking a three-inch fruit tree
in its progress, breaking it off close to
the ground, then striking johnson with
a terrific impact, plainly heard for
many yards away. He was knocked to
the ground and the automobile passed
tillllGIy OFtI LIE bOuJs hON AAe%lNAhA6 49,
til 1t had run another fifty feet and
buried it's wheels to the hub in the
softly plowed ground of the hillside.
Tried to Flee
In a way johnson was responsible
for his own death. Seeing that he was
directly in the path of the machine
he became panic-stricken and ran as
rapidly as he could, not away from
fha h1It ahead Of n There
too great a discrepancy between the
speed of the motor and that Of his
rapidly moving limbs There was no
earthly chance for him to escape eX-
cept to run away from the line of the
machines travef, and this his befud-
died sense would not permit him to
do. His only thought seemed to be
to get just as high on the hill as he
possibly could, for he had forgotten to
take Miss Murphy with him is his
flight She stood firmly planted in the
spot on which she had originally stood,
too agonized and terrified to move.
Her terror proved her salvation, for
the laundering machine just grazed
her gown as 1t tore by In pursuit of
her sweetheart.
AS soon as the machine stopped itself
in the yielding earth, Free and his
mechanician, Robinson, were upon the
ground and rushing back to the assist
ance of the PROSTATE Johnson. Robin
son called loudly for the services of a
physician and was responded to by
Drs. Kelley and Smith, who were wit
nesses of the accident. Johnsons
wounds were temporarily dressed and
call was sent to the Alameda county
inf1rmary for an ambulance. In an
ticipation of some such result from the
races, DR.. W. A. Clark, superintendent
M fba iTfiTT1Q had ran1OWnd fhn
neau of his automobile and substituted
therefore a perfect litter. He and DR..
Nitter of the infrmary staff hurried
as rapidly as they could to the place
of the accident and conveyed Johnson
to the infirmary, where he was given
immediate injections Of salt to sustain
vitality.
During the time that DIR. Clark and
DR.. Ritter were on their errand of
mercy, the races were in full prog
ress and they were compelled to make
their way back to the infirmary in the
face of the whizzing racing machines.
1t Is to the credit of every one of the
drivers that they Immediately recog-
nized the Red Cross flag flying from
the hood of the automobile and made
wide detours in the course to avoid
all possibility of running it down.
A critical examination of Johnson's
body revealed that every inch of his
face was bruised and lacerated, that
his body was confused and discolored |
from shoulder to hips and that he had
sustained severe wounds on the left |
knee and the left ankle. Upon the first
inspection 1t seemed that these, with |
probable severe internal injuries, were
the extent of his hurts, but a second |
examination showed that his back was
broken.
He was struck with the full force of
a heaving racing automobile, whose
driver was making every effort to |
make up lost time and win, if possible, |
the honors of the first prize. Free and |
Robinson are, almost heartbroken over |
the matter and great drops of tears |
stood in the eyes of both of them as
they bent over Johnson and did their |
best for him until the physicians |
came.
Johnson's father said to be a min
ister, and his mother reside at Fresno.
So far as is known, these are his only
lear relatives in the vicinity