The Punta Gorda herald., 1922-12-01
BORROWS HIS OWN CRANK
TO START ANOTHER'S CAR
Mayor Had CroSland Running Round
in Circles Looking for His Faith
ful Buick

Punta Gorda's mayor flch an au-
tomobile? Ridiculous! He has a.
fine car Of his own. Does he drink
'shine?" Still more ridiculous; he
hates the stuff personally and official
ly. But some of his many friends
are teasing him with insinuatons
against both his well known sobriety
and his honesty, all because, few
nights ago, after borrowing the crank
out of his own car to start it with,
| he appropriated another mans car,
drove home and stored it in his own
garage without the knowledge or
consent of the other man. The other
man was T. G. CrOsland. who had
parked his car in front of the Semi
mole Pharmacy on the spot whereon
Mayor Carleton usually parks his
/ car. When Crosland came out of'the
picture show and found his car gone,
he was greatly perturbed and at once
made diligent inquiry, which ended
! in his being shocked when he ascer-
tanned the mayor bad run eff with it.
| He could not possibly understand
! why IT," mayor who has Il perfectly
Sood car Of his own, should swipe
/ another car that was rot so good.
Some reprobate suggested that his
| honor might have been testing some
! Of the shine recently conhscated
Iby the chief of police. which may
/ have made him reckless, but Cros-
land wouldn't believe It. So he ask
ed the telephone central to ring a
burglar alarm in the mayors home,
which was done and ELECTED an in
stant answer. Did you take my car
in front Of the Seminole Pharmacy?"
Crosland asked. II hope J did" his
honor replied; FOR the ono | took is
the hardest blamed thing to crank
that | ever tried" After little
more talk, Crosland brought the
mayors car 10 his homo and ex-
changed it for his own. The way it
happened was this: The mayor
r&u2 mp the street In bis car and in
tended stopping at the pharmacy;
bGG so"in@ no one there with whom
70 talk. went on up the street, cross
ed over and was coming back on the
opposite side, when he saw some one
on CO0pcr's corner with whom he
wished to talk. So he parked his
car across The street opposite the
and walked over to Coop
1r's corner and was talking with the
man he wished to sec, when the cur
'cw whistle blew. Then he rushed
over to the pharmacy, where he al
ways parks his car, entered Cros-
and's and did his best to start it,
'ut without success until Grady Har-
'ison came along, observed his diff
ulty and distress, and suggested
il. His honor made dill
,ont search for his crank, but. dog
Onelt! the crank was gone. Here's
Buick standing over hero; let's see
we can't get crank out of IT,"
uggested Grady The car referred
0 was one standing across the street
n front Of Cooper's and from it
rady and the mayor procured a
rank, went back to the pesky car
nd after a little difficulty succeeded
! starting it, after which the crank
'as carefully returned TO the car
cross the street, said car being his
onor's own. He told his wife that
IL, f,
rove next morning, because the car
'ould have to go to the repair shop,
nd then he went TO bed from which
e was aroused by the BURGLAR alarm.
. be informed of his decd. While
{ loss 70 explain it, the mayor has
njoyed, with his friends, many
earty laughs over the incident.