Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-23
SUNDAY AUTO RIDERS
FACE CHURCH CROWD
Machine Almost Wrecked While
Smith Family Are at Services;
"Slackers 7" Church Folks
Shouted.

Philadelphia, Sept. 23.-lncensed be
cause l.. Wager-Smith, his wife and their
two son. rode 10 church Yesterday in their
automobile In def ance of gaslcss Sunday,
residents of Iansdownc almost wrecked
the vehicle and then nearly mobbed the
lowner when he hurled defiance at them
in a speech from the steps OF the cdihoe,
Not in years has the picturesque borough
been so highly excited, and not for some
:, time has there been such a general at
tempt to compel obedience to official re-
quests from Washington
The Wsrer-Smiths have been prom
inent in Red Cross work in Lansdowne,
and Richard, the elder son, rs one Of the
survivors of the T,ppecanoe, which WAS
torpedoed oil the coast of France several
months ago He is now enrolled at the
) student officers training camp at Cornell
University Daniel, the younger son, IL
Boy Scout, but these patriotic sons
failed to save the p arents from the wrath
Of the populace.
Mr. Wager-Smitb, a contracting en-
gineer, said last night that he would
demand an apology from the Common
Council of Lansdowne for what he de
clared to be an outrage.
SIGHT or CAR ARoUsEs WRATH.
The Wager-Snrth family lives about
one and one-hsif miles from st. John
Episcopal Church, where they attended
services Yesterday. and where the resi-
dents vented their ire on the automobile.
On the way the Wager-Smiths, in their
gasoline chariot, passed other worshippers
whose patriotic feet were eating up the
ground between their homes and the
church Several Of the more prominent
residents said they had triIdge d two miles
at least to attend Divine servicc. and
heft their own automobiles at home
Thus the sight of the Wager-Smiths cbuR-
rhurging along while they walked made
their gorge rise, and overflow IN the
demonstration Of the day.
Inside the church there was not the
slightest sign of the work that had been
performed outside The rector, the Rev.
Crcsswell McBee, delivered an eloquent
sermon, IN which he SAID that patriotic
obedience to every request from Nash'ng-
ton was one nf the highest forms Of Chrls-
tian living at the present time As the
sonorous voice of the preacher utterlng
this appeal TO patriotism reached tho Sc
IN the crowd outside. IL spurred them TO
fresh endeavors and TO a higher form
az visible expression of their annoyance,
not TO say their indignation.
WORK DONE IN SILENCE
With expedition and silence the crowd,
IN which were representatives. OF Lans-
downes leading families. performed their
work With diligent hands youthful
patriots poured water into the gas-tsnk.
while Others punctured the tires. Then
to complete the end of the perfect day the
tonneau was made the target for q bonn
bardment of overripe tomatoes.
But the most poignant note OF all
was struck in the signs that festooned
Lpr \ :
Friend d. Hum Walk to Church''
were some of the asperslons aud adj
monitions that were strung on the ma
chine that all the patriotic who walked
might read. During this tame the Wager
Smiths were unconscious OF tho doings
without the edItiee,
The benedictlOn over, tho automo-
hilists went outside to drive home SO
did the congregation, the majority Of
whom had been let into the secret of
the coming demonstration, together with
those outside who had performed tho
actual work The rector, alarmed at
such untoward doings at his place of
worship, tried to pour oil on the troubled
waters by inviting the WagCr-Smiths 10
dinner at the parish residence. But If the
h cad of the Nager-Smith family would
fiaunt the gaSless order, there was nothing
yellow about him when it came to facing
the mob
wAGER-sMITH FACES CROWD.
II He walked out with his head high
and his eyes ablaze. only 10 receive the
full force of a bombardment of Slack
err yelled by the congregation and
those who administered the patriotic
rebu ke.
The men who did this are rotten
skunks, shout ed Mr. Nager-Smith, while
dismal cros k came back to him
from the crowd outside. Here sup
porter Of the harassed Wager-Smith,
Charles L. Evans, OF 347 Owen avenue,
took up the cudgels for his churc h-toring
friend.
'Yes," yelled Evans. "and towards
too"
The crowd and the Wager-Smiths
and their cha mpion began TO handy
words, phrases and some unseemly com
ments. when Mr.. Evans shouted above
the din
''I1l give s 100 10 any one who will
point out on C OF the perpetrators Of TIM:
outrage.
I'm your man, responded "a voice
al Evans elbow Il helped Ia do this
job, and YOU turn that 500 over to the
Red Cross for me. There was no further
cotiouuv betHeen the crowd and the
Wager-smiths and Evans, but that friend
ia need helped the owner 10 strip the
automobile of its placards
During these labors the police force
appeared, for the first time, of course.
Chief of Police MUNICH and half Of his
trusty aides of the department were in
the patrol The policemen assured Mir.
Wage, Smith that if he wanted 10 &c
hone in an impeccable machine they
would stand guard over the vehicle and
protect If with their lives, or words to
th at effect