Blocked Auto Thief

BARNS, JOHNSON

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes
Date: 1/13/2014 at 17:30:35

The Grinnell (IA) Herald
May 14, 1918

BLOCKED AUTO THIEF
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Frank Barns and Load of Sand Got in
Way of Escaping "Tin
Lizzie"
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FORD WAS PROPERTY
OF LELAND JOHNSON
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Driver Went Into Ditch Again After
Frank Had Helped Him Re-
pair Damages
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Frank Barns was the innocent cause of blocking an auto theft last Saturday evening and because Frank and his load of sand were just where they were about 9:00 p.m., Leland Johnson still has his Ford car, though in a badly battered condition.

Frank and the load of sand were peacefully driving along the Westfield road by the Will Evans farm at the date and hour mentioned, when Frank heard a noise behind him, and glancing back saw a Ford, coming wide open, with no lights. He called out, but about the time he called, the Ford and the load of sand came into violent contiguity. The sand was the heavier and withstood the shock well, but the Ford went into the ditch all mussed up.

Frank was sorry, of course. He hopped off the load and helped the driver of the Ford, who was working feverishly over the car. He asked the name of the car driver but got no response. Finally between them they straightened things up. The driver jumped in, opened up and banged into the ditch on the other side of the road. Frank helped him out of that, too, and thought that the fellow seemed in a hurry. He hopped in again, tore up to the top of the next rise of ground, and went into the ditch again. He didn't wait to be helped any more, but jumped out of the car and "beat it."

Later Leland Johnson, who lives ten miles south of Grinnell, found that someone had "swiped" his Ford while he was in town. Word came in of the crippled car that had met Barns and his load of sand and Johnson and his "tin Lizzie' were soon reunited. No one knows what became of the thief. The last seen of him he was hitting the high places.