The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 3, 1905

A Bad Runaway Saturday

Farm Team Gets Beyond Control and Does Damage.

Scratched Themselves Up Badly And Succeeded in Smashing The Buggy And Tongue all to Pieces.

Saturday afternoon in the neighborhood of Twelfth street and First avenue south a runaway occurred, which resulted in a smashed buggy and two very much scratched horses. A farmer had been shopping in the city all day and was just going after his daughter who was visiting friends here. While on the way to the house one horse in some way stepped over the tongue and immediately began to jump and kick. The other horse followed suit, and almost before the man realized what had happened they had broken the tongue and had started at a run.

As they were nearing Central avenue, the driver had the presence of mind to turn the horses around and they ran at full speed down Twelfth street. He turned them west at Second avenue south and going down the hill both horses fell bruising themselves frightfully on the pavement, but regained their feet and started again.

They swerved around a full circle and started northeast into the John Pearson’s yard where they came to a standstill as they ran into a large tree with terrible force.

The tongue of the buggy was split its whole length, both front wheels were off and smashed to pieces and the box of the buggy was cracked to pieces. The horses were rather badly bruised and cut up and the man was compelled to drive them with broken harness to the livery barn where he could get a vehicle with which to return home.

Tags: 1903