Eleven automobiles were running a 25-mile endurance race to Manchester Mills when a boy ran out and poked a stick through the spokes of one of the wheels. The boy was injured and his father said, “It’s a purty thing for city folks to come out to the country and run down innocent children.” Yes, that kind of parent was around way back then too.

This post was contributed by Ross Malone. A historian and a retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website, and buy his books in the Missouri Life store.