Kiser's Career Ending Injuries

This is an extremely important collection of articles about the 1905 AAA national championship and one of the great (and forgotten) stars of the sport's nascent days, Earl Kiser. The first article is from the August 17, 1905 edition of The Automobile. The first article focuses on Kiser's tragic accident describing the scene in colorful, even graphic detail. Kiser drove the Winton Motor Carriage Company Winton Bullet II. He crashed through a fence, descended down a shallow ditch and stopped abruptly in the muddy infield. This hurled him from the car against a wooden post which inflicted most of his injuries. The ramifications of this accident were extensive. It followed an accident to the legendary Barney Oldfield, who received a concussion, scalp lacerations and a dislocated shoulder just a few days prior at Grosse Point, Michigan. Rumblings in the press began to call for a ban on racing automobiles on tracks.
 
Little known Charles Burman won the national championship race after Webb Jay's steamer broke in the third mile of the five mile contest. Barney Oldield, still healing from the Michigan accident was unable to compete, appeared on the second day of the race meet nursing a fractured shoulder and with his head still swaddled in bandages. Impressively, he set fast time for the entire race meet in an exhibition run he made as a tribute to his fallen rival Kiser. A sidelight was the appearance of Ned Broadwell, a professional "rainmaker" hired by activists against motor racing as part of their effort to put an end to reckless, irresponsible behavior. This race meet took place at Cleveland's Glenville track on August 12 and 14, 1905.