The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-11-15
AN UNFORTUNATE
MRS. POTTS, THE PEDEsTRIENNE
Fails to Obtain the 5000 for Which She
Walked and Contemplate Suicide

" -Nrh 'll'eIS, vi tliV ir'iii VI
May, and was here gain on her return trip
from the latter city, on the Sth of October,
seems to be fond of notorirtv and for some
time past has succeeded admirably in keep
ing her name before the public, as the fol-
| lowing extracts from the Philadelphia Tcle-
gToph of Thursday will show:
On the mornin. of the 18Th of last May,
Mrs. Martha Potts left Philadelphia, for Il
wager of 5000, to walk to New Orleans
and return in 4 specified tirae. She arrived
in the former city on the afternoon OF July
| Goth, and five days later started her re-
turn trip reaching Philadelphia, on Friday,
| October 10th, having accomplished the feat
| with two days to spare.
| Throughout the South, she was very kind
| ly treated, and in the States of Georgia and
Louisiana. she was enthusiastically received
by the people, and in nearly all the cities
and towns that she passed through she was
| given accommodations free. The expenses
for her entire trip was less than So.
| On Wednesday evening, while Officer
| Egof, of the 22nd Police District, Philadel-
| pha, was on duty ut the New York juno
| ton, his attention was attracted by gem
| tleman who waiting the arrival of Il
| New York Bound train, to the actions of
! woman who was acting in a peculiar man.
| ner Il short distance from the junction sta
/ ton.
| The officer approached, and learned, after
/ some rcluctancy on the part of the woman,
| that her name WAS Martha Potts, the pedeS-
| trienne. She said that after completing the
/ walk from Philadelphia to New Orleans and
return, the persons who promised her $1,000
in case she completed the feat in the speci-
! fed time refused to give her the money or
/ any part of it, and that she was down
hearted, owing to being unable to procure
employment.
The officer asked her what she was doing
on the track, and she replied that it was her
intention TO take her life by throwing her
self before an approaching train
The officer took his charge to the station
house and on Il search of her clothing being
instituted, 4 letter was found in her pocket
which substantiated the assertions made by
the woman to tia officer The letter is as
folloy7s:.
To the Baltimore .i,aerican, Philadelphia
Times, New York Herald Charlotte Observer,
y. C., Atlanta Constitution, Ga. New Or
leans Times, y. O.-Nov. II, 1S79-4.30 =.
M.-Dcr Editors:-I am about to do Il rash
act, which hope the world will forgive me
for doing. 1t is nearly FIVE weeks since |
returned to Philadelphia from my Southern
tour. | stopped at the Allegheny House on
my return until last Saturday. | was i'll
debt for one weeks board, and | was po-
litely told by the proprietor that | could
stay no longer. On Sunday ] stated my
case to Mrs. Thompson. She gave me 81
and told me to go to the Women'S Christian
Association on Seventh street and get EN-
poymcnt ard lodging. On Thursday morn
ing | went. but the clerk of the Employ
mcnt Bureau Snecre;l at me when told her
who | was and she said she could not find
me any employment without reference. l
went away in search of employment, but
no intelligence Office would give me employ
lnent unless paid them. did no; want
to give them my dollar, for knew unless T
got employment that day ! would have no
money to get any thing to eat nor no where
to stay. After wakin. all day to 3 o'clock
p. NJ, | asked 4 policeman what he could do
for me- He sent me to the inatr0n 1T No
40 Clinton street. told her who | was.
and that wanted employment. She sneered
at me and said that she could do nothing
for me. then went back to the Women's
Christian Association and gave II cents for
supper, lodging, and breakfast, what they
charge Yesterday morning L Went to the
Employment Office, No. 81 South Seventh
street, and gave the agent 30 cents with the
understanding that he was to return it ut
night unless he got me 4 situation during
the day. | was not successful, therefore he
returned the 30 cents and | went to the
Womcn'S Christian Association last night
and stayed, returned to the office, No 81
South Seventh street this morning, hoping
the agent would get Ine something to do,
but he did not, and | left about 80 Z. NJ.
and walked out near the Germantown June
ton and sat down on the stoop of an empty
house to write this My valise is held for
board bill at the American Hotel, in Balti-
more with my notes in it that | intended
to write my book. | have trunk at No.
POI East 9th street, New York and have
some things at the Allegheny House, but
what are they to me? for | have come out
here to lay my head down on the railroad
tracks tonight to he run over. | am in
hopes this viii! lie found in my pocket and
published in all the aforementioned pa
pers, when l am dead. | want my body
given to the medical students in Philadel-
phia. | am perfectly sane, but have moth
ing to live on nor nothing to live for. So
goodbye to the world.
MRS. MATTE POTTS
p. ST. have no friends nor relatives;
am a native Of North Carolina. Lived at
New York city for nine years.
Lieutenant Anon feeling that to allow
her to 90 free would place him in an awk
ward position sent her to the Central Sta
ton in charge of an officer. where the facts
of her arrest We're detailed to the Chief of
Police. She had been guilty of 10 crime,
as far : could be lScrrtained, but the Chief
which made it Il misdemcanor for person
To attempt to take their own life, and upon
this statute he determined to hold her for
a hearing, feeling that, if he allowed her to
go, and she afterwards committed suicide,
serious reflections would be cast on the
Police Department. He suhsequentiy, how
ever, had a consultation with Clerk Moffett,
Of the Central Station, as to the best means
of diSposng of her, and they decided to
make some arrangements whereby She
would be placed in Il temporary home.
While sitting at the Central Station she
converSed quite freely, and said to the officer
who had her in charge that after the finish
of her long walk she visited Baltimore to
engage in pedestrian tournament, and
here size was treated, so far us finances were
concerned, as she had been with her long
walk and in u similar exhibition in New
York This, she said, left her without
means, and disguised with the life, and
brought on the first thought Of suicide
She then visited Wilmington, Del. and
while returning from there, concluded 10
throw herself from the train bat remrm
boring how kindly she had been treated by
the officials of the Philadelphia, Whining
ton, and Baltimore Railroad, who, during
her long and tedious tramp. had supplied
her with lemons, ice, and other deicacieS,
she felt that il would I've an act of ingrat
tude to cause an accident on that road
She accordingly walked to the New York
junction OF the Pennsylvania Railroad,
where, she puts it, . l contemplated pat
ting e"ti to Il weary and disappointed
career
Where did you come from >" asked 4
Telegraph reporter who was standing by.
81 belong" she said, III short, sharp
tones, ito North Carolina. hut for nine
years have been a resident of the State of
New York
do you propose to remain here or re-
turn to New York 80
"Don't ask nae conundrums," she tartly
replied.
"Have you prepared the account of your
journey ."
=" have full and complete notes, besides
which wrote frequent notes to 4 New
York paper, which am told We're published
and which propose to make use Of There
has never been Il complete account of my
walk given" with that she turned away,
and commenced conversins with some one
else.