The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-01-02

Madam AndersOn's Attemps 70 Walk
2,7OO Quarter Miles In as Many
Quarter HOurs-She Falls Asleep on
the Track.
| New York Sun, Is
Mrs. Ada Louisa Paley, better known by
her professional name Of Madame Ander-
son, is trudging pluckily around track in
Mozart garden, Brooklyn, endeavoring to
accomplish her undertaking to walk
twenty -eeven hundred quarter miles in AZ
many consecutive quarter hours. She is
| English, 50 years of age, of medium
height, and weighs about one hundred and
forty-ive pounds. Her features are color
less and thin, and suggest German de-
scent; but her shoulders are unusually
broad, and her legs are stout and shapely.
She appears in black velvet coat or jacket
trimmed with silk bows. The sleeves are
long, and the skirts reach not quite to the
knee A lace ruiile protects her neck, from
which hangs a long gold chain and locket
In walking she sways the body gracefully
| from one side to the other, swinging her
arms we'll forward and outward. Her
stride is long and easy, and. except when
she attempts speed, her attitude is erect.
She carries nothing in her hands, but &C.
ca.ionally toys with the locket about her
neck.
For the most part she walks alone, but
sometimes her husband accompanies her
He is a sallow- complextioned Englishman,
at least ten years her junior. He pretend-
to be relative of Archbishop Paley. At
ter walking two or three laps he retires,
putting, from the track.
The track is laid around the outer edge
of the hall, and requires seven laps to the
quarter mile The space within is filled
with chairs for spectators. The time-keep-
ers sit on table on the platform and to
the right, opening upon the track, is Nine
Anderson's dressin2-roOm. At two min
utss before the beginning of every quarter
hour the time-keepers ring a bell as warn
ing. At the beginning of the quarter sec
ond bell is rung, and within three minutes
she must, by the terms of her |
agreement, be walking. After the quarter |
mile is finished she enters her dressing
room, throws herself on q couch che is |
waited upon. Her accommodations are |
exceedingly meagre The cooking for her
self, and two attendants is done in this |
small room, and they eat there. She rests
upon hard mattress laid over an inmova-
Bile pine wood framework. There are no
springs and no coverings. The harder her
bed is the better she likes it. She places
no limit upon her Diet eating freely at any
time when hungry, Of mutton, beef, oys-
tiers, and pastry Her fzvsrite beverage il
port wine, but she also drinks brandy and
Bas' ale.
At 8 o'clock last Monday evening che
started on her long journey, and if she
does what she expects to do, che will finish
at 10:45 O'Clock on the evening of January
Is. On Thursday, the blisters which had
formed on her feet became 20 painful that
it was With difficulty that she could walk
at all. Her feet began to swell, and her
shoes gave her much trouble:
Yesterdays attendance was the largest
yet had. At O'Clock in the evening she
was called out to walk her 56Gth quarter Of
a mile, the staggered perceptbly when she
began and raised her eyes as though to
awaken herself. At first she moved very
slowly, but she soon quickened her step to
keep time to the music, and made the quar-
ter in minutes, and "a seconds. She re-
tired amid storm of applause to which
she responded by waving her handkerchief
as she entered her dressing room.
She can sleep only five or six minutes At
a time, and that while her attendants are
bathing her head and hands, and changing
her stockings. She rarely sleeps except be-
tween midnight and daybreak, 30 that she
has less than two hours sleep out Of twenty
four. 1t is this want OF sleep that makes
her task 80 difficult, and calls forth her
wonderful powers of endurance. On Sat
urday morning at ) O'Clock, she fell asleep
while walking. Several men were in the
hall, but no one was aware of her condi-
tion until she reached a turn in the track |
and there walked off against the wall.
When placed on the track she walked a.
usual until she came to another turn and
then walked of again. She finished the
au after mile in time to get fe~ minutes
rest on her couch and was vide awake
when called out again. III