Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-07
REMARKABLE RUNAWAY

Dragging after It a light top buggy to
which 1t had been left hitched In the
street, a frantic horse plunged full speed
through the big storeroom Of the York
Vile Hardware store yesterday even
ing, going in at the front door and
coming out the back, and knocking
things right and left but doing remark
ably small damage, considering the ex-
traordinary circumstances of the wild
rush.
The incident occurred between and
| 6 o'clock, Just after the lights had been
turned on. The turnout belonged to
Mr. T. B. Hambright of Smyrna, who
had left it standing before the store Of
the York Furniture company in charge
of friend, while he was attending to
some business with the Smoak- Brown
Mule company in their office adjoining.
The hardware people were busy
about their business attending to GUS
toners and oblivious Of anything out OF
the ordinary, when suddenly there de-
veloped at the front door a big commo-
ton; the nature Of which they were un-
able to define, for almost at the same
instant the lights disappeared and ev-
erything was In darkness. Then their
followed a terrible clatter that seemed
to combine the noise Of stampeding
trains, runaway automobiles and STALL
ed freight trains. Nobody knew what
was happening except that what SEEM
ed an eternity of apprehension passed
in less than fifteen seconds and came to
an end with tremendous crash at the
back door, followed by rattling OF
pots, pans, tools and various articles OF
merchandise as they rolled along the
floor.
There Is more than hundred feet Of
counters on either side of the big store
room while running from front to back
in the centre there Is a row Of heavy
hardware, including stoves, ranges
forges, cream separatQrs, laundry ma
chinery, grindstones and numerous
other articles. On either side Of this
row Of heavy hardware, are narrow
aisles or passage ways, averaging only
about three or four feet in width. At
ter the commotion had subsided, sufh-
c1ently to admit Of an investigation, 1t
developed that the horse had been able
to bring the buggy into the front door
without much obstruction; but in some
way the light switch had been turned,
with the result Of throwing the room In
darkness. Then as the horse continued
to rush forward, the wheels of the bug
gy mounted the heavy hardware on
and passed along without doing a great
deal of damage beyond the dragging
down of an occasional projecting OBJ
ject on either side. The contents Of
big revolving case Of assorted bolts
were scattered some toy wagons were
broken and few other articles were
damaged. The back door was only half
open, one Of the twin doors being ajar
and the other closed. The horse went
out of the open door and the buggy
tore the closed door from its hinges,
leaving the protecting iron bars twist
ed and hurt.
No one was hurt in the store. The
several customers escaped without in
jury as did also the clerks. The horse
which was easily caught in the lot out
side was unhurt, and the buggy show
ed no sign Of being the worst for the
unusual experience, except that the
framework Of the top was bent where
it had come in contact with the back
door, Mr.. Hambright was able to go
home in the outfit last night without
haYing to suffer any delay on account
of repairs.