From the Lawrence Daily World for Jan. 28, 1908: “Susan Laptad had a miraculous escape this morning at the Union Pacific grade crossing on Bridge Street when an eastbound engine struck her buggy amidships and smashed it to smithereens. Mrs. Laptad was thrown from the wreckage and was bumped and bruised but somehow escaped in reasonable condition. : Led by noted people such as Victor Herbert, John Philip Sousa and Reginald de Koven, more than 5,000 musical composers are going to Congress to fight against the ‘canned music’ trust. They want royalty payments from records, discs and perforated rolls for mechanical machines.”