Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1920 — IT' MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE [ARTICLE]

IT' MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE

Runaway Team Crashes Inta Lamp r Post on Washington Street. A team of horses hitched to a lumber wagon and belonging to William Barber of just north of town, which had been left for a moment standing in front of the Rensselaer Creamery & Produce Co’s, place of business Thursday morning, became frightened at a passing automobile and ran south on Washington street, veering east at the street Intersection. The “near” horse was blind and forced the other animal to the west to such an extent that they ran upon the sidewalk in front™ of Watson’s plumbing shop and would have dashed into the front of the building had not the wagon collided with the lamp past at the curb, the post lodging between the body of the wagon and the front wheel and thereby stopping the runaways. Except for the smashing of the lamp globe no particular damage was done. Mr. Barber told Marshal Zea, who was on the scene a moment after the collision, to let him know the amount of the damage to the lamp post and he would settle. Had it not been for striking this post the team would have crashed into the large plate glass window of the Watson shop and probably have been badly injured as a result.