The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-10
Negro Chauffeur With "Jey Riders" Had Car Out Un-
 known To Owner
INDIGNATION AROUSED
 BY lNEXCUSABLE AFFAIR
Car Belonged to Ben F. Barbour and Negro Had Taken Out Some Men While Owner Was Out
 of the City.

An automobile belonging to Ben F. Barbour and B. c. Hickman of the Ben k. Barbour Plumbing company, ran down Frank Davis, messenger boy for John L. Parker, druggist, last night on Highland avenue at Arlington street. The ma chine was being run by the negro chauf- feur, named Charley" who had kept it out of the garage without the consent of the owners.
 Davis was mounted on a bicycle and from all accounts made desperate efforts to get out of the way of the automobile which came around the curve at a rapid rate on the left side of the street. The car knocked the boy off his wheel, then passed completely over him, rendering him unconscious for a while.
 The affair aroused intense indignation among the spectators who witnessed it because of the reckless driving of the motor car on the left hand side of the street and out of sympathy with the ef- forts the boy was making to get out of the way. He was a plucky little fellow and bore his injuries like a hero. His first words when he recovered conscious ness were, Please tell them I was on the right side of the street."
 Dr. Sibley was hastily summoned and removed the boy to the Hillman hospital. He complained of great pain in his leg, and 1t was first thought that his leg was broken. A careful examination, how ever, revealed the fact that while the leg had been skinned and bruised, no bones were fractured. The shock to his system was great, though, and he was still in a. rather dazed condition at midnight. At the hospital 1t was stated that he would probably be all right by morning.
 Inquiry developed the fact that the motor car was being used for a 'toy ride" without the knowledge of the own CT. MT. Barbour is in California and MT. Hickman Is in Memphis. Mrs. Bar bour, when asked concerning the acci- dent, stated that positive orders had , been given the garage to let no one have the machine other than MT. Bar bour, Mir. Hickman and herself She stat ed that she used 1t ays4a fternoon and sent the chauffeur back to the gar age with it about oclock.
 Charles Denegre, manager of the South side garage, where the machine Is kept, stated that the negro was always sent after the machine when wanted by the owners; that no order was sent, the ne- gro simply stating that they wanted the machine, and that when he came for it yesterday afternoon 1t was turned over to him as usual. He also stated that the negro did not bring the machine back to the garage when taken out early in the afternoon for Mrs. Barbour until after the accident last night.
 The accident created quite an amount of excitement and was the cause of many exclamations against the taking of machines out of garages without the consent of the owners to be used by outsiders for a joy ride" This has be- come quite problem In Birmingham and remedy is being demanded. Through some ruse persons other than the owners will secure an automobile from a garage and use 1t for several hours. They speed the machine to the limit and as a re- rested for reckless running when they thought tnelr InacnlneS were Safe in the garage. The garage men in turn claim that the owners are too loose in their methods of sending for the machines, making it easy for negro chauffeurs to get them out under pretext that the owners wish it.
 Chief Bodeker has ordered the arrest of the chauffeur driving the Barbour ma chine, detailing two men to catch the negro, but at late hour he had not been apprehended.
 The accidnet also caused Chief Bodeker to speak regarding the absolute neces- stiy of the enlargement of his force q should have at least two bicycle or motor cycle officers to look after reckless auto mobilelsts on Highland avenue alone," said the chief. But with the present force 1t is impossible. At least 25 ad- ditional men are needed right now, and even that many more men would still leave the force too small for the amount of territory to be covered. The great number of automobile accidents it seems to me should be evidence enough to con vince everyone of the need of men enough to cope with the situation"