Chariton's invasion of the devil wagons commences

Chariton's first automobile, Harry Penick's steam-powered Locomobile, arrived in town during 1902. During May of 1905, three years later, Ed Walton invested in Lucas County's first gasoline-powered "devil wagon" (above, from the Lucas County Historical Society collection), a Lambert.

In the intervening years, an occasional example of this revolutionary form of transport rolled through town --- almost always at the expense of terrified horses and their disgruntled owners. 

Here's how one weekend in July, 1905, went down --- commencing at the northeast corner of the square (Stanley grocery occupied what now is the Piper's building) and continuing around to the west side:

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Last Friday evening a man with his family, claiming to be from Manhattan, Kansas, stopped their canopy-top "devil wagon" in which they were traveling at the curb by the Stanley grocery. Roy Threlkeld was driving up the street behind a spirited team, which became frightened at the "auto" and became unmanageable, made a sharp turn breaking the tongue and one wheel of the the buggy, which was left anchored to a hitching post on the northeast corner of the square while the team took a  run down the street, being stopped somewhere in the south part of town.

On Monday, another dangerous runaway took place. This time W.A. Eikenberry's delivery team took fright at an "auto" car and took a run down Main street, running into a buggy belonging to Charley Erickson, making a complete wreck of it. The driver of the wagon, Todd Lane, was badly shaken up and  one horse  injured. (Chariton Leader, July 20, 1905)

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The Patriot, also of July 20, had a more complete account of the Eikenberry runaway:

A team belonging to McKlveen & Eikenberry became frightened at Walton's automobile Monday morning and ran from the office south to the square. Todd Lane was driving the team and  one line snapped in two so  he could do nothing to stop the horses. On the west side of the square, just in front of Daugherty's drug store, they struck a buggy with such force that the shafts snapped and it was carried along for about a rod and completely demolished. The collision upset the delivery wagon and Mr. Lane jumped, landed right side up and caught his team. One of the horses was cut severely on the foot. The buggy which was wrecked was comparatively new and belonged to C.O. Erickson, who lives east of town on the old Baxter farm. It was snatched away so quickly and easily that the horse attached to it was not even frightened.

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In the end, of course, the devil wagons prevailed and today horses are seen in town only when an old-order Amish family arrives to shop or there's a parade.