The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-07-27

country in the Summer time and Will
a feeling of absolute security for M
family while absent from them in the
city during the week.
But this feeling of safety and secur'
ity has received a evere jolt during
eEG mast year or two, due entirely to
the advent of the Automobile into
this mountain country, and the mat
ter has become suddenly so serious
mat IL seems to me it is either up to
the county officials to regulate the
matter, Or the owners of horses must
of necessity trade them for automo-
GlaS or change their Summer location
To some other place either too remote
for automobiles or where the road
authorities have provided roads suit
H6dA f6f their operations, and will en-
ESrce tRe regulations necessary to the
safety Of all concerned.
1t can hardly be possible that L
am alone in the lively experience pas
sed through last season here in the
mountains, and the repetition OF
which had apparently begun again
this season, and, hoping to nhuence
I'm some degree a change In present
conditions, on behalf of my own fam
lily and TIC many others now in the
mountain, : am going to Illustrate my
Ecant by referring to these exper-
fences:
Last year, as uusal, my family came
to the mountains and a good driving
horse was sent across the country
for their Summer use. The horse had
been constantly driven yer the broad
streets of the city without any atten-
ton to or fear of automobiles. A few
weeks later / was met at the Hender-
gonville station on Saturday after
noon by my wife and daughter and
started for home over the Kanuga
road. Just as we were nearing the
ton of the first hill outside the CITY
an automobile served warning that it
was Over-taking us and the horse
was pulled to one side to allow it to
pass. The grade was steep and the
road was wet with a light rain which
was falling, and. without warning,
Just as the machine was passing, the
driver threw on his low gears and
opened wide his muller emitting right
I'm the horses ears the o a and buzz
zing that only an automobile is cap
able of. My horse was off like a
rocket and for three solid miles al
down the road in spite of every effort
to control him, taking the sharp
curves of Osceola Lake at full speed
between the high bank on one side
and the lake on the other, and or the
last sharp curve just beyond the lake
meeting another machine head on and
missing being caught between this
machine and the high bank at the
side of the road by a few few inches.
The horse was finally brought I'M
Ter control, but the narrowness of
Iur escape was manifested when on
examination it was found that an i'm
'ortant piece of the harness had been
fpped apart all but the last three
stitches. If these had gone we would
certainly have been thrown into the
lake or pitched out in the road.
Our esno~a WIS most fortunate, but
we found later that our troubles had
just begun.
The following week the horse was
under the saddle and when between
Hende-sCnVilIe and Fletchers On a
very IA ro-~ section of the road be-
tween two ! .rbcd wire fences, an au-
tomobil" VT; seen coming down the
road at lic speed. The rider fear
ing troI lie. .hrcy u his hand giving
the leg s,n cor the driver of the
automoI 'Ie } stop, bit not the slight
est atte tio:' was paid and the ma
chine c. &c rFt II at high speed, the
result t It : e ri,3er of the horse was
thrown al Under the machine.
while TIE q wheeled violently in.
to the la wiz fence and ripped
himself - O1en across re nhaet
a re- poe : . "uIIv 10 :-o-~- 1870 -
automohiTi-' l tie meanwhile cast ar
Interested --er tic cL~--T- -
die9N3ee~o' own the road as fast
as he had 0me. The horse was
given rro~'~t attention and brought
hero agaiH md for about a month
stc07 up rT7ar the shade of a tree
until his wound could heal, while my
family drove theold farm nag or paid
livery bills.
When able to travel again, it was
decided DO give the horse one more
trial, but it was an expensive expert
ment, for the poor beast could not
forget his injuries. 1t was again
Saturday afternoon and the driver, to
be absolutely safe, had a new curb
bit on the horse and turned down a
side street near the depot to avoid
duIOlI1OUlISS duu avail lily arrival
But on my arrival, both horse and
driver had disappeared, and, on in
vestigation, I found that on account
of the mud on the main street to the
station, an automobile had turned
down this very side street and the
minute the horse heard the sound of
its approach, remembering his former
injuries, he was off like a flash, at
about the third jump the curb bit
broke, the briddle pulled over his head
and, leaving the road, the horse dash
ed down the narrow sidewalk between
a row of trees and the fence for about
two blocks, then, at a cross street
Jumped a high ditch, crashed through
a heavy woven wire fence breaking
the oak posts off at the ground and
raced twice around the vacant lot,
where my plucky driver jumped from
the half wrecked buggy and caught
MIN by the head and held him.