The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-01-23

squirting the victim to seek the unat-
tainable.
Supplies Humanity's Great Craving.
Il don't mean to rail At the auto
mobile. I am not even saying that
in itself. used in moderation. it is q
harmful factor. It is the old story Of
abuse"
There have been many automobile
romances and not few tragedies of
the whiz wagon in Chicago and Its
suburbs as well as in the smaller
cities of Illinois and Indiana. There
have been so many elopments to
Crown Point by automobile that one
Of the machines in auto row is still
pointed out as the clippers car.
Among Chicago society people who
have gone honeymooning by automo-
bile are Joseph Letter and his bride.
Mr.. and Mrs. Watson Armour, the
bride being Elsa Parker, and Miss
Clara Herrick. who married Arthur
Hevemeyer. cousin OF the late sugar
king. While the Letters were on their
honeymoon their chauffeur was ar
rested at Keniiworth for speeding and
was fined In the local court.
Miss Natalie Duell's romantic elope-
ment with Mr.. Douglas has not been
forgotten. The couple went all the
way from Cleveland to New York In
a touring car and thence to Europe
in liner The wireless message
which came back announcing their
marriage was the FIRST word that was
received.
Among the tragedies of the automo-
bile are the hundreds Of deaths that
occur every year, most Of them being
due to the carelessness of the drivers
or the high speed at which the ma
chimes are driven. The millionaire
automaniacs who 20 plunging through
the country not only kill and main
the strangers passing along the road
but themselves fall victims to their
own craze for speed.
Tragedies Have Been Many.
One of the latest tragedies Of this
kind was that which caused the death
of G.. Winthrop Sands, q stepson of
w. X. Vanderbilt, near his country
home, 20 miles from Paris, ON July 30,
Of this year. Mr.. Sands was driving
HIS own machine, and his chauffeur.
who was with him, estimated the
speed at rs miles an hour. One of
the tires blew up, the machine
skidded and struck tree, bounded
against another tree, which 1t literally
climbed, falling back with its unfor-
tunate owner beneath it.
Almost instantly the car burst into
flames, and Mr.. Sands was frightfuily
burned before he could be rescued.
The chauffeur was not seriously In
jured. but Mr.. Sands was killed
This is another story that is retold
almost every day in the newspapers
with infinite variations, but always
the same sad theme-reckless speed
ing. Sometimes there are women in
the car, sometimes children, sacrificed
to the craze for going faster.
The automobile also has been the
central figure in many criminal AZ
fairs, one of the most notable being
the Dove" case Of Chicago, which
still remains an impenetrable mystery
and which is familiar to all newspa-
per readers
One of the oldest cases Of automo-
bile stealing was that which occurred
in Chicago this summer. A man here
who seemed determined to 60 to the
Pacific coast stole $4,000 machine
from q Chicago firm and two months
later they caught him, still with the
machine, in Independence, Ore. He
was jailed in the Oregon town while
reQuisition papers were being pro-
cured. The Chicago firm was waiting
for his return here when word came
that he had broken out of jail, re-.
stolen the machine and whirled west.
ward. At the last report he had not
been heard from, but doubtless sue.
ceeded in making his way to the
coast.
Some Notable Victims.
During the year 1907 there were re-
ported q total of 1858 automobile
casualties-324 deaths and 1924 seri-
GUS injuries. AS in previous years
there was a large number Of notable
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