The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-08-24
Dives FROM CAR
TO Save FATHER
in AUTO WRECK
Former Bollinger County
g" Judge BE-. Slinkard
Knocked Unconscious
SON LEAPED TOO LATE;
STRUCK HEAD ON ROCK
Machine Going 40 Miles an Hour
When 1t Went into
Ditch.

The heroic attempt of a son to saw
the life of his father as their speeding
automobile dashed over an embank
ment two miles this side Of Marbl,
Hill yesterday morning was the fea
turc of an accident in which B. F
Slinkard, former County Judge in Boil
linger County and Marble Hill mil
man, was badly injured.
When the Judges son, B. H. Stink
ard, saw that the machine was going
into the ditch and knew his father
would be thrown to the ground, he
dove from his seat in the car and
threw his body in such a manner that
he tried to make a cushion for his
father to strike as he was thrown from
the machine.
The father has but one arm, and the
son feared he might suffer a broken
neck as result. His flying leap fell
short, and as the men who were in
the car piled up in the ditch, the son
was astride the fathers legs.
The elder Slinkard was knocked I'M
conscious and he was Immediately pull
ed out of danger by the son as the
wrecked automobile tottered on the
side of the embankment, held back
from falling on the old man and kill
ing him, only by the back of the third
man who was in the machine and had
been driving.
After the son had pulled his father
away from danger, he ran and pushed
the car back on the roadway out of
danger and aided Glenn Burford of
Lutesville, the driver, to recover from
the ditch.
The three men started to motor over
to the Cape to bring a heavy mill cast
ing to machine shop here to be re-
paired. Burford, who is a telegraph
operator at Lutesville, was driving for
the Slinkards. The elder Slinkard was
in the front seat with him and the son,
who is six feet tall and about 25 years
old, was in the rear seat of the car
with the casting which weighs about
400 pounds.
About two miles out of Marble Hill
they had Just finished the descent of a
long hill. 1t was about a quarter of a
mile in length and at the bottom was
the beginning of another hill.
Burford at the bottom of the long
hill threw on the power and got all
the speed out of his machine that it
was possible in order to take the sec
Ond hill fast. The road at the place
narrows and there is but room enough
for one machine at time. On either
side of the road, the ditch is more than
three feet deep and it is abrupt.
The car was going at the rate of
10 miles an hour, when the elder Slim
kard says something became wrong
with the steering gear. The front
wheels wobbled and the machine start
ed to veer toward the left.
Slinkard shouted a word of warning
to Burford, and as the driver wrench
ed the wheels back toward the road,
he car started for the right side. As
the right front wheel struck the side
IF the road the spokes gave way and
he machine started over the edge of
The embankment. At that time the
'pokes of the other front wheel broke
and when the front axle was let down
The car was stopped.
The elder Slinkard went out of the
over the windshield and he
was followed by Burford. 1t was at
hat time that the younger Slinkard
n the rear seat endeavored to dive in
beneath his father.
The elder Slinkard struck his head
upon a flint rock in the ditch, which
aid open his head with a severe scalp
wound and knocked him senseless.
His right shoulder plowed into the
ground and he sustained an injury to
collar bone and he also sus-
aided bruises on the right knee and
elbow. Slinkard believed last night
that his collar bone had been broken
by the fall.
His son sustained an injury to his
hight hip and Burford was bruised on
the head and had slight bruises on the
body.
After the two younger men had re-
Vived the elder Slinkard and learned
The nature of his wounds they sent
back to Marble Hill for a second auto
mobile and continued their journey to
he Cape. They arrived here and went |
70 a doctors Office to have their
wounds treated.
They then took their casting to |
machine shop and got their work done. |
They departed from the Cape for home |
ate last night.
The elder Slinkard is a brother of |
!. W. Sliukard, Cane carpsnfer. /