100 years ago in the Inland Northwest: Postal driver makes ‘thrilling’ escape from perilous crash

J.C. Altizer, a rural postal driver, found himself in a terrifying position along his Highway 2 route.

His car skidded off the icy road and plunged down an embankment about 50 feet. It came to a stop with two wheels in the top of a tree, and the other two wheels on the cliffside.

One leg and his left arm were pinned between the car and the tree. However, his right arm was free and he was able to reach for his pocketknife.

He began sawing through a 3-inch branch – and continued to saw for the next five hours. The knife blade was almost worn through, but Altizer was finally able to cut the branch and free himself.

He crawled out of the car, up the slope and then painfully limped 3 miles to a farmhouse. He was then rushed to Wilbur for treatment.

He was so badly bruised that he was unable to even sit up in the hospital – but no bones were broken and he was expected to recover. A correspondent declared his miraculous escape was “thrilling enough for any stunt by a movie star.”

From the marital beat: A Spokane banker said he never employed a married man until he found out “what his wife was like.”

“If a man is not happy in his home, it means nine times out of 10 that he will not be much good in business,” said E.E. Flood of the Exchange Bank. “An extravagant wife who keeps a husband in debt is another drawback, for her husband is worried over other than the firm’s affairs.”

A wife’s “wit and sense” helps a husband to succeed, he said.