The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-12
DEAD IN SMASH
Charles Terbush Killed in Race
Wreck Wednesday.
John F. Case Seriously Injured
When Trampled UnderfOot.
RACES WENT ON-ALL FORGOT
Drivers, Took Fewer Chances
on the Remaining Races
One of the Most Unusual Acct
dent in Race Horse History.
RACES WENT ON-ALL FORGOT
BY "wILYUM" WOLFE.

WILLY WO4II
Hardly were the races at the Free
Fair under good Roadway Wednesday
afternoon, when the crowd in the
stands was brought to its feet by an
accident on the east turn into the
home stretch. Charles Terbush. 70
years old, of Moline, Kan, and a vet
eran driver of the Kansas tracks, was
instantly killed in the accident ana
John F. Case, another driver, OF Mar
lin. Texas. was seriously injured: -Four
horses and drivers figured IN the
wreck.
How 1t Happened.
1t ALI happened in the first heat OF
the 2:I7 pace the third event on the
DAYS card. Colbert Awtell, driven by
Mervin and Judge Lerrlc, driven py
Davis. were near four lengths ahead OF
the field when the horses came sweep
ing into the stretch on the mrs. nan
mile. About fifty yards in the stretch
CLAY Patch stepped into his own hob
bles'an went down. Starboy Ingles-
nv. with Terbush up, hurtled into the
wreck and went down, throwing FER
bush into the inside rail OF the track
Terbush's neck was broken ana ne
was dead before his body touched the
ground. Foxy Ann. driven by Garri-
son. hardly a length behind Starboy
Inglesby and on the inside or the
track, trampled horses and men under
foot, went down herself, disentangled
herself from the struggling mass OF
flesh and went careering around the
track with sulky swinging dangerously
from one shaft. DR.. Hal, driven by
Carpenter barely missed the pile-up.
and was enabled to finish in third
place.
The Crowd Groaned.
The crowd in the stands was on It's
feet instantaneously the women groan-
ing and screaming or watching with
horror stricken eyes as the dead and
the injured were carried from the
track Conwelrs ambulance was called
and the men were taken from the
grounds within fifteen minutes after
the first horse went down.
1t was asserted by persons who were
close to the scene of the accident that
Case, the driver of Clay Patch, re-
ceived his injuries-a broken shoulder
and. collar bone and internal hurts
when the horses behind tore into the
wreck of the sulky. The witnesses
said that Case had started to get to
his feet when Starboy Inglesby and
Foxy Ann came slashing into the
wreck.
Lay No Blame. tlt;-
=. 1t was no fault of any person con-
nected with the race, according to the
judges-.s When Clay Patch went down
heels that the drivers had no chance
to turn out. In fact the accident all
happened so. quickly that persons in
the stand had hardly time to realize
the scene when it was all over.
The effect of the smash on the other
races was Immediately apparent. 1t
was quickly noticed that the drivers
were taking fewer chances of mixups
on the turns and in the stretch. But
this wore off after a time and except
for one or two heats the horses and
drivers put on as fine an exhibition of
horse racing as has been seen in To-
peka.
First Fatal Accident.
Speaking of the accident after the
races o. P. Updegraff, veteran starter
of the Kansas tracks, stated that ''the
accident today is the first one in my
experience where a harness horse
driver was killed outright in a race
accident" Updegraff said that he had
known Terbush for nearly fifty years
and said that when he came to Kan
sas in 1879 that Terbush was then
racing horses on Kansas tracks. Ter