St. Johnsbury Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-1920, 1920-10-06
ESCAPE DEATH
AS AUTO PLUNCES
DOWN EMBANKMENT
Machine In Which two Lit
tletOn Men Riding Leaves
Road In Dark

- ". 1 tti hCl anu "a. w MuISH vi
Littleton, N. H., had a miraculous -es.
cape from death when the Hudson
Super Six automobile in which they
were riding left the road on the Blod-
gett turn just outside the town of St
JOhnsbury, crashed through heavy
board fence and drove half way down
a steep embankment. the flight OF
the machine ending only when the cal
smashed into huge tree. Both men
were pinned inside the front seats
unable to jump as the machine start
ed its mad dash down the hill. They
were forced to remain injured and
cramped up in their places for several
minutes before Il passing auto party
stopped and extricated them. Parker
suffered Il broken leg and cuts and
bruises on his face and other parts of
his body, while Marsh received LAGER
ations of the face and countless bruis-
es, laming him up considerably.
The men were taken to BrightloOk
hospital in the automobile of pas
serby where they were piven medical
! treatment. DR.. Fitch and Dr.. Farmer
had charge of their cases. An X-Ray
was taken of Parker's wounds reveal
ing the broken limb. Several stitches
, were taken in Marsh's face, but he
das resting comfortably today. Par
ker was not feeling so we'll but ply
sicians expressed the opinion he
would recover with no bad results.
To show thecoolness exhibited by
Marsh at the time of the accident.
thedoctors told how he had lighted
and smoked cigarette while Parker
was being helped from the wreckage
/ first, according to Marsh's request.
Themachine was a total wreck, a
large board from the fence being
jammed through the radiator. There
was practically nothing left of the car
that would be of any value.
According to the story told by
Marsh, who was interviewed at the
hospital today by Il Caledonian- Re-
cord reporter, he and Parker had left
! Littleton about two O'Clock Tuesday
afternoon on a pleasure trip to Hard
wick. 1t was shortly after dark whe n
they left Hardwick on the homeward
journey and just as they got outside
of that town, the headlights on the
car started to act very queerly going
on and eff at intervals. The men
stopped at Johnson's Garage along
the road and purchaseda NEW set of
bulbs and then made another start for
Littleton.
! The men had reached Fairbanks vii
lage here before they experienced
any further trouble with the lights.
Here thew went out again. The men
made their way up the hill to the ST..
JohnsburyA rmory, where they stop
ped to see some friends from Little
ton, who were attending the recep-
ton and dance given by Company d
to the. Boston Braves and the Fair
banks A. A. team. They left the
dance hall about II o'clock and started
toward Littleton. When they had
passed about mile outside of the viii
| lage limits the lights began to act
/ badly again when just before they
made the Blodgett turn, the lights
went dead entirely, making it impossi-
BILE for Marsh, who was driving the
car, to see where he was going. The
first thing he realized was that he had
grazed the fence. He Immediately
made an attempt to steer the Car back
TO the road, but the machine started
to slew and must have gone at least
100 feet before it crashed through
the fence and down thehill. They
wereforced to wait until a passing
auto sto~ped and it's occupants helned
them out and took them to the hos
pital.
Scores of people from st. Johns
bury and automobilists passing along
the East st. Johnsbury road, stop
ped at the scene of the accident all
through the day to view the wreckagc
A pool of blood lay at the foot of the
embankment.