Automobile Races
Cowley County Fairgrounds
Winfield, Kansas
Friday Afternoon, July 1, 1910
|
The ad above appeared in every issue of the Winfield Daily Courier for a week before these races. |
Winfield Daily Courier
July 2, 1910 – Front Page
MURDEROUS ASSAULT
COMPETITOR IN AUTO RACES LOST HIS HEAD
Narrow Escape of Lloyd Haight from Death and Terrible Possibilities of Others
By just a foot, Lloyd Haight missed death at the hands of an infuriated competitor in the auto races at the fairgrounds Friday afternoon and by that much was missed what might have been the most terrible accident that has ever happened in Winfield. A club thrown by (John) Baldauf, owner of one of the racing autos, was the instrument of the murderous assault committed in the presence of hundreds of horrified spectators. The stick missed its mark and struck the fence. The thrower ran after it and picked it up exclaiming, “I’ll get the $#%$#& next time!” Here, a policeman interfered and placed him in arrest.
Haight, driving George Mitchell’s E.M.F. 30, was running at the rate of forty-five miles an hour coming down the home stretch. A slight swerve of the machine to the left placed him for a moment partially in front of the Crawford owned by Baldauf who was on the track near the north end of the grandstand. The slight swerve angered Baldauf and as Haight passed, he threw his heavy walking stick at him missing him by a foot. Had the stick struck its mark, the driver would have been stunned, perhaps instantly killed, and the machine left without control to dash into the crowd along the edge of the track. The possibilities of such an accident are frightful to contemplate.
For this offence, Baldauf paid a fine and costs of $10.50 in police court. In his vexation at being arrested, he withdrew his car from the races, an example followed by another competitor, and as there were but three entries, the other races were called off. Baldauf is of the firm of Baldauf & Liggett1 at Wichita, agents for the Crawford.
A large crowd was present, there being over 800 paid admissions. Half a dollar was charged at the gate and 25 cents at the grandstand, making six-bits for not half as good a show as the fair association’s matinee (harness) races, which less than 150 attend at 25 cents (each).
The known race results are:
|
|
3 Mile (6 lap) Race |
|
|
|
Place |
Driver |
Automobile |
Car Owner |
|
1 |
F. Marvin Light2 |
Crawford |
John Henry Baldauf1 |
|
2 |
Lloyd Haight |
E.M.F. 30 |
George Mitchell |
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
5 Mile (10 lap) Race |
|
|
|
Place |
Driver |
Automobile |
Car Owner |
|
1 |
F. Marvin Light2 |
Crawford |
John Henry Baldauf1 |
|
2 |
Lloyd Haight |
E.M.F. 30 |
George Mitchell |
|
3 |
|
|
|
These races were organized and promoted by F. J. Brooks and F. T. Roberts
|
John Henry Baldauf |
1John Henry Baldauf (1875-1956) was a merchant and traveling salesman who lived most of his life in Kingman County, Kansas although he did reside in Wichita, Kansas for a time. There, he and a partner, John S. Liggett (1864-?), owned the Regal Auto Company which was a dealership for Crawford and Regal automobiles. The business was located at 118 North Emporia Street in Wichita. John Henry Baldauf’s son, Frank Jackson Baldauf (1900-1970) later owned the Baldauf Offy big car that was driven by his son-in-law, Willard Victor “Mickey” McCormick (1920-1999).
2F. Marvin Light (1891-?) made his living as a taxicab driver in Wichita, Kansas.
Return to the History of Automobile Racing at Winfield, Kansas home page