[Shotimes] 141 MPH Speeding Ticket

Donald Mallinson dmall@mwonline.net
Sat, 24 Apr 2004 15:08:32 -0500


I don't think I have told this story in a while.

DAte: 1966  Place: Carbondale, IL.
I had no car and bought a ride with a kid from Arcola IL 
(five miles East of my home town) along with three others. 
Car full of five people.  It was a 1964 Plymouth 2 dr 
hardtop, Red with the 426 Street Wedge, A four-speed car as 
I remember.

Owner of the car was looking to set a new record between 
Carbondale and Arcola taking route 37 to route 45, all two 
lane roads following what would become Interstate 57 a few 
years later.

We were doing 130-140 on open stretches about 10 at night 
going 100 through small towns, and maybe 70 through mid-size 
towns.  (note: Central Illinois-speak defines a small town 
as below 1000 people, a mid-size town as near 3000 people.)  :)

At one point we picked up a white 64 Plymouth, same body 
style with several young men.

Seems they wanted to race, and my guy just wanted to make time.

Every time they got in front of us, they would slow down. 
At one point we had just passed, coming into a "small" town 
at about 120 we picked up an Illinois state trooper.  Pulled 
both of us over at a grain elevator.  As he got out to talk, 
the other car took off in a cloud of rock dust.  Cop got in 
his car, yelled at us as he went by:  "STAY THERE".

We did.  For TWO hours.  Every five minutes our driver would 
slam his fists on the steering wheel debating with himself 
if he should make a run for it through the country.  WE 
thought we could probably make it home, but if the cop had 
the license plate (not a for-sure thing) we were toast.

Finally, the trooper slowly pulls back in behind us.  Our 
driver gets out and sits in the front seat of the squad car 
for 45 minutes.  When he gets back in, the cop takes off. 
This is a good sign.

Our guy slams fists on the wheel again shouting..."he didn't 
have the plate!"  But he got off with a ticket for 10 over 
the 30 mph limit!  So what took 45 minutes?  They sat and 
talked about Southern Illinois University's Basketball team 
that had won the NIT that year with Walt Frazier at the helm.

Oh, and the other 64 Plymouth?  Cop said they got them at a 
roadblock way in the country.  Said that they would be lucky 
to see the light of day EVER after getting caught in 
Southern Illinois like that.  It was a carload of South Side 
Chicago toughs.  I guess they made the cops day by playing 
hard to arrest.....fill in the blanks as you will.

We felt lucky to not be in jail and calling our parents at 2am!

Don Mallinson

Shylo McKinsey wrote:

> Damn, talk aabout nickle and diming you to death. I
> just remember them good ole days when MT didn't have a
> speed limit. Reasonable and Prudent (that was a joke).
> We were out on I94 in Eastern MT in my dad's '69 Mach
> 1. It was cranked up to around 130-140, think that was
> the top end of the 351 Windsor too. But anyways, soon
> enough we get pulled, the cop comes up to the window,
> compliments my dad on his car, asks him to pop the
> hood, my dad gets out and bs's with him for about 5
> minutes, the cop then leans down and checks all 4
> tires, gives my dad a $5 warning, asks him to keep it
> under 120, and drives away. Those were the days....
> 
> Shylo McKinsey