The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-08-16
Or. Warner Causes
Chauffeur'S Arrest
Allegation that Driver Was
Speeding and Making Mil
lionaire. Eat His Dust
Driver Said He Had Eaten
the Doctors Dust Until
He Passed Him-Judge
Foster /" Soaks !" the
Chauffeur.

Spite because he made DR.. I. DeVer
Warner teat his dust was the occa-
sion of his arrest, yesterday morning,
stated Albert Lucas, chauffeur for a
rich New York banker and importer,
after Judge Foster fined him in the
city court today for violation of the
automobile law.
Lucas was not charged with speed
ing, but simply with operating his car
with muffler open inside the city hm-
it's Under the law, during the day
season, it is lawful to run a car with
muffler open, through the country,
but in the city it is unlawful to run
an unnluffied car at all times.
Lucas pleaded guilty to the charge,
and made no effort to evade respon-
sibility for his offence. Motorcycle
Policeman Gorgas, who made the ar
rest, testified that he was about 500
feet east of Ash Creek bridge when
two automobiles approached. One
was that of 1. DeVer Warner, he said,
and the other that driven by Lucas.
Lucas slowed up as he drew near
Gorgas and was running only moder-
ately. However, Warner drove up
and demanded the arrest of Lucas
''for speeding"
l.
testified Gorgas, as he told the cir
cumstances of the arrest, $50 1 took
him it for running with his muffler
open.'
Lucas admitted that the engine was
unmuffled, but explained that it was
necessary for him to run the car that
way because the mechanism was out
of order. He was driving from New
York to the factory, at Hartford-hfs
car is a Columbia-to have adjust
ments made, he said. If he were to
shut the muffler, under the disar-
ranged conditions of the engine, the
back pressure would be so great that
the engine would be overheated and
the radiator would boil over and flood
him with hot water.
1.-The car is in the factory today,
judge he continued. "I never make
a practice Of running with my muffler
open. did it only because if I kept
the muffIer closed I'd have to stop
everv mile or two. L simply wanted
to make the factory" go
Judge Foster said that he consider
ed the violation of the law wilful and
that the explanation of the driver did
not exculpate him. He imposed a
fin of $40 and costs, altogether $14.97.
ST wasn't running fast when the
officer arrested me-" he said later. Il
had the engine running slowly and
there wasn't any racket made by my
open muffler. There wouldn't have
been any trouble but for Mr.. War
ner
Il followed him through Fairfield
for about four. miles. 1 had to eat
his dust all the way. Every time
I'd go to pass him, he'd speed up, and
then when I'd slow down. so would
he. I got tired of it just before I
got to Bridgeport, and 1 thought I'd
vl,o
car is a Columbia. He had a Pan
hard 1 knew I had the car, so I
let it out, and passed him. He got
sore because he had to eat my dust.
He was speeding just as much as I
was, but 1 got by him and that made
him so sore that he complained to the
officer He didn't complain about my
muffler. but about my speeding. The
officer said he couldn't arrest me for
speeding, because I was going slow.
But he took me on the muffler
Charge
AS he paid his fine, Lucas remarked
that this came out of his own pocket,
not that of his employer, for he had
been given special instructions to
drive slowly so as to avoid trouble.
But when he started from New York
with the car, he said he knew nothing
of the muffler provision of the Con-
necticut automobile law.
Warner was speeding through Fair
field, but he complained about my
speeding to the officer continued
Lucas Il didn't break the speed law
any more than he did,"
Prosecutor Redden told Lucas he
had no jurisdiction in Fairfield, and
that he couldn't consider any charge
of speeding against Warner
I'm not complaining against War
ner," interrupted Lucas with a show
of impatience, I'm not that kind Of
fellow"