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06/27/2003 Archived Entry: "SCREAMING TIRES IN DOWNTOWN ELLSWORTH"

SCREAMING TIRES IN DOWNTOWN ELLSWORTH

I was just crusin' slowly down town to mail some letters and came almost to a stop at the corner of 3rd and Douglas as there was way more activity than normal. A passel of young people taking advantage of a great opportunity with thirsty truckers driving by were selling lemonade in Frees' front yard. Someone in a big truck with trailer extending way down the street was in front of Farm Bureau yelling in the direction of the lemonade to see if they had change for a five. And there were enough red-bedded wheat trucks coming and going to start a convoy if they'd all been pointed in the same direction. The lemonade stand was doing a brisk business. That was one very busy intersection and I approached it very cautiously.

Well, as I was entering the intersection police cars suddenly came screaming from all directions, heading for ENNUI and me. Tires were screeching, guys with hands on their holsters were jumping out of their vehicles causing lots of activity. That's unusual because around here we usually consider sitting all alone at that one traffic light in town, waiting for it to change colors, a rather exciting event in itself.

I was smack dab in the center of the intersection when all this started to happen. I was barely moving, wasn't running a red light (that was my story anyway) and had my seat belt on. There was no reason for them to be after me, but that was my first thought and it certainly seemed like it. Anyway, there were way too many officers of the law to take me on, or so I hoped. I’d give up easier than that since most of them are friends of mine.

I pulled ahead in front of the church to get out of the way rather uncertain as to what to do next. I figured I should go on down the street so I rounded the corner, mailed my letters, then came down the alley and WOW...more activity. There was a police car backing up veryyyy fast, another one coming at me down the alley from the north, another by the church corner so I just pulled to the side of the alley and waited. They were after me!

One of our law-abiding citizens was standing in the intersection, arm extended with finger pointing south directing the officers which way to go. They were after some speedy guy on foot coming from the north and running south by the Methodist Church. I saw the chasers and chasee in one frame for a second then they all evaporated. Maybe they chased him to one of the upstairs apartments as they were no place to be seen. I looked.

I don't know if they caught the perp or not or where they went. It was three or four against one, so they should have, although the perp appeared to be the speediest of the lot. They just disappeared. I guess we'll have to read about it next week in the INDY. They were moving so fast I didn’t recognize anyone. Well, except the guy they were chasing who was a young male wearing black shorts or something or other and running so his legs were churning like a windmill. He may have been barefoot. There was a whole lot of action in those few minutes. The kids at the lemonade stand went about their business of making money and barely blinked at the action.

That was about as exciting as the time Mrs. Cajthml's hogs got out and ran down main street.