At the dawn of the horseless carriage in Holliston, buggy drives were in peril.
March 31, 1913 – Yesterday afternoon, opposite the pumping station in East Holliston, an automobile operated by Michael Vacca of 19 Orchard street, Worcester, struck a team driven by George T. Hutchings of Milford, causing the horses to run and throwing out Hutchings and his two sons. Mr. Hutchings had his right leg broken above the knee and a gash inflicted in his head. His son Roy, aged 14, sustained a broken leg and severe injuries to his hip. The other son, Clarence, was uninjured.
And two of Holliston’s finest were riding in the back seat:
On the rear seat of the Hutchings wagon were Officers Benjamin Fairbanks and O.P. Whittemore, who had been called to East Holliston to investigate a disturbance. The auto struck the wagon in the rear, the wheels getting caught as the auto was about to pass. The officers jumped from the wagon.
The horses crashed into a telephone pole and freed themselves, but were caught nearby. The auto brought up against a tree, but none of its occupants were injured except John Vacca, father of the man operating the car.
The operator didn’t have a license.
Officer Whittemore placed Michael Vacca, who was operating the car under the license of his brother, Ralph Vacca, under arrest, and took him to Framingham, where he was placed under $300 bonds by Judge W.A. Kingsbury to appear in court this morning. The other occupants of the car were the parents of the Vacca brothers.
Officer Fairbanks sustained severe contusions, and Officer Whittemore, on arrival home last night, was examined by Dr. Newhall, who found the officer suffering from a sprained ankle and severe internal injuries.
A good mechanic was hard to find.
While they were in Framingham the automobile was left in the yard of W.R. Phipps, station agent for the B. & A. railroad at East Holliston, and when they returned the Vaccas attempted to start the car for the homeward journey.
Mr. and Mrs. Phipps stood on the walk 10 feet away from the car and watched the operations to start the auto, which, however, did not respond and one of the men lighted a match to peer beneath to see what was the trouble. There was an explosion instantly, and Mrs. Phipps was hurled backwards a distance of several feet, and fell heavily, injuring her side and right arm. None of the others were hurt or disturbed in any way.
Dr. Newhall was again called to attend the patient, and found her not seriously hurt. No more attempts were made to start the car, which was left in the Phipps yard until today.
It wasn’t my fault.
Michael Vacca, who was driving the auto, which is a Stanley steamer of 20-horse power, told a newspaperman last night that he didn’t collide with the Hutchings wagon, but that the latter hitchup backed into his car when the horses became frightened and bolted away from an electric car that was just passing. Vacca claims that it was rubbing it in to arrest him after the horses had damaged his car.
