The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-22
MICKEY FREE, PEDESTRIAN.
MS DEATH And THE sToTY or MS
TRIUMPHS ON THE TRACK

ioucy- DytnR with the fIag Around Him.
Robert Harriott, better known as Mickey
Free.' who thirty years ago was one OF the
| foremost pedestrians in America. died In Jer-
| Soy City yesterday morning. He came to this
country upward Of thirty years ago. He was q
native Of the County of Monaghan. ireland. and
he made such q reputation in Dublin as a
pedestrian that ho was cmboldcned to try his
luck In that capacity in England. whore he also
met with succcss. He wcntto Jersey City about
| the year 1915, and found employing Mt with the
late d. s. Gregory Thon he married and set
tied down. Everybody in old Jersey City knew
the wild. rollieking. devil-may- care Mickey
| Free who was 80 called. no doubt because OF
the resemblance OF his character to that Of tho
servant Of Charles OMallcy. tho Irish dragoon
in Lovers novel Of that name.
When Lincoln crossed tho ferry to Jersey City
in 1861 to take tho train for Baltimore Mickey
stepped forward from tho throng and extended
his hand. well. my purity bye. an how arc
YET Pm Mickey Free" ho said. "sphoortin
Mickey Free. I've shuk hans wild Queen Vic
toria an the Prince O. Wales. an want TO
| shake hands wild you"
Mickey had his shake
After Mickey married ho built n house. II
was Il small house. about the size 81 the daguer-
rcotypc vans that used to perambuato tho coun-
uy districts. lilo owned no land 80 he put it
on the land most convenient As his family
grew rapidly, the landlord Of his choice for the
time being would find the tenancy oneroIs. and
| Mickey would be moved on. SO II cane about
| that Mickcy's dwelling. like its daguerrean
model was at last LEFT permanently on wheels
! go ns to bc moved NJ n minutes notice: for
Mickey was good naturcd. and wouldn't stay
after he was told that he was unwecome. He
had an eye for establishment. and he white
washed and painted with coal tar tho handes'
pigments at his disposal. alternate boards Of his
house. outside covering. AT last Mr.. Gregory
IA "a on lN una axuu from ina ON,
Newark avenue and Mickey's mansion dSfr'i
Is wheels His new lot was much to his liking;
s,ope TO his ducks and HE pig and this was
Mickey dwcllingp!aco until he died. II was
probably 70 please Mr.. Gregory that Mickey be-
came n Republican. but he soon became a
more ardent partisan than his employer. He
person decked with miniature American flags.
ma no led the applause among the boys in
Republican county conventions.
The American ilag 20 Mickey was nm object
almost Of alteration. He served through tho
war. Immediately after three months ser,
vice he reenlsted IL the Fifth New Jersey and
los; finger at Williamsburg. Upon being
mustered out of the Fifth he joined the Thirty
third and remained with II until the close of
tho war. His comrades relate many comical in
cidents in which he kept up hs character as
sold his Captains horse for trihc. then turned
put the provost guard TO arrest the man that
Hurroo! me bycs; I'm Mickey Free. sphoOrt-
in Mickey"
In later years ono OF Mickey's sons turned out
Wild He enlisted In the regular army. then do
sorted and sought to hide himself under the
Eaternal roof, But Mickey would not hear Of it.
lie arrested the lad and took him 10 the police
station with hts own hand. saying: Mickey
Free sarycd under the flag himself an he's not
goln to be dsgraced by his own son runnin'
When his regiment lay at Chattanooga. whore
II took part in the battle Of Mission Ridge, an
incident happened which is sineularly inter
woven with Nickey's DEATH Part Of the reGi-
me- ment had been deploycd as skirmishers. and
MAJOR Poloubet. now a Police Justice IN Jersey
City. was in command, Riding down the lines
officers, and singing out Lieut.. John J. ToiIey.
then mere TRIPPING. he ordered him to take
command 81 the skirmsh line. Lieut. Tofcy
set out 20 obey the order. but ere he had reach
ed the spot he, fell. shot through the thigh
assistance. but ns he lay there he was struck
nnd SSdy Il IKE Sb hip Ss the
ing ms hospital orderly then coming up with his
stretcher. revived the Lieutenant with drink
from his cnnteen. and moved him tanderly on
the field. The Lieutenant recovered. and at tho
recent election was the Republican candidate
Tor Sheriff Of Hudson County. Mr.. Toncy had
reinymbered Mickey's kindness In many ways.
and Mickey was more enthusiastic last election
day than ever before. He carried his little iags
dwelling canyassed untold votes, and shouted
until he was hoarse: " I'm Mickey Free sphoort-
IN Mickey Come. vote. mo hycs for roncy."
Mickey had the desire Of his heart. for roffcy
was elected. But next day Mickey lay on his
back. stricken with pneumonia. On the follow
ing day Mickey 'ayed and tossed in burning
fever. lie seemed 10 want something" says
one OF MS boys, and We didn't know what II
was. AT last me mother says. What DO ye want
, father IL II the ilag ye WANT and he nodded
his bead He always said he wanted TO with
the nag round him; She put the dag over him.
ana, sure enough. ne lay quiet and easy from
that time on til his death"
} ON Friday he asked to SEQ tho Major" After
= MAJOR Peloubet.s court WIS adjourned he called
,5 Misty ooA Gys FL me We rally bate ,E
first greetings were exchanged. "Troth. it
seems too good to be- thrue."
Well Major he said at the close Of the
| interview. m nfpnrd I've last cleo
ton The MAJOR tried vainly to encourage
HIM brt no shook bis head aud repeated thc
On Friday night tho Major spoke Mt tho
J presentation OF badge 70 sheriff Toney. and
, saved Lieut. Toneys life lay dying ut tho foot
Of th" hill on which they stood.
, triumphs than Mickey FREQ when he was in
his prime Shortly after he settled in Jersey
? | CITY he walked one thousand miles in n thou
= SAND consecutive hours at place then known
rs the Ihatched Cottage on the bank OF the
M2 ,Eo, fHaa gsr At rSso1t ,2r sporng men
J was tho first In America To perform. Tho vet
eran pedestrian, JACK Goulding now trainer at
the A9nhaitan Athletic Club, at Eighth avenue
} and Fifty-sevenlh street was sought out last
| night. and questioned as to tho particulars OF
! had nnished rubbing down young athlete
r with white hointm"nt." ~ he called it, a soy
ereSn thing for rheumatism. he took seal
i You don't icll me Mlckey's dead ?" he eacu-
p lated. Well. for q good 'earted man TO q
! brother pedestrian there was no better mnn.
. He'd never see him lost. He'd put him on 'is
4 feet any man that went "a I'M He allurs 'aI
5 his and ready 10 clip another. That's more than
v Others 10 they'd rather backbite one another.
: Yes. sir. Mickey WIS a game man and one Of
. the best of his day. knowed i'm ever since
4 came 10 this country, an knOwcd him Ia Eng
) land. He walked a thousand miles in thou
sand hours against time in Liverpool before he
came 10 this country. About that ttme-no. afort
that-he run aRainstthe Marquis Of Waterford +
- 'ounds and beat the 'Ounds. That was u steeplt
u chase lie used tn run ten mile In Liverpool In
p. hfty-nye minutes that was his average time.
r. As a general thing he WAS "a winner He bea; u
a, fellow they called Thomas tho Salopian in Il ten
. mile race M Manchester or Sheffield, forge
x now which. He contended with Dick Mancks
> the Warwlckshire Antelope, and beat i'm in
n twcnty- mile race. He beat Cook. the Greenwich
>. PlouRhboy. u ten mile race. lie beat Ned Wild
# aims Merry Legs. n twenty mile race. He bea
+, Martin the Maidstone Stag fifteen mile ut Kent
/. coul dn't tell you what he done At Dublin
:. but he done u ell Of a lot - things. He was
,t creNt friend Of Freeman. the American giant
IS In England. couldn't give you his record il
,, this country before | came ere | know he
" done thousand 'alf miles in thousand al
r. hours. somew'eres up in Pennsylvania. After
x he walked the thousand miles in u THOUSAND
IS hours in Jerscy City. he went to Hnlbany ant