The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1879-10-11
Our BrOadbrim Letters.

The Championship Tramp-Mixed Poll
tics-A Brooklyn Romance Stock
Gambling-Weath
New York, Oct 4, 1879.
While l write, the carnival of Thin
ble-riggers, and gamblers is at its
height, and the city is ringing with
the plaudits of lot Of vagabonds,
whose sole claim to consideration is
that they can stagger about on tan
bark track for the best part of sig
days ind six nights, and in the interim
cover, running and walking, certain
number of miles. Of what earthly
use it can be to any hannah being, no
living soul can tell. A few thick
headed Doctors-old sports who were
intended for herse-joclseys instead of
physicians-talk learnedly of these
matches as specimens of endurance.
Endurance Of what7 The highest
ambition that any of these So called
champions have as yet shown, is to
get money enough out of the race to
set up second class whiskey shop,
where, in some diDgy back room,
over their pipes and gin, they cen
laugh ut " the blarsted fools that they
bobbed out Of their dollars in the
great international match" In the
olden time, the term champion {"
meant something-the champion was
a hero, a warrior, a man of courage,
a fellow that would fight with the
drop of the hat, gentleman who car
ried his head in his hand, and was
ready for all comers, who, like the
immortal father of our own blessed
country, could not tell lie with his
little Ratchet, and when he put his
foot down and said that that was
so," the man that did not believe him
generally found it convenient to get
behind the coal-box of the next cor
ner grocery, for i'll did not, he might
be sure that the champion would
punch his head, Then it was some
thing to be a champion; but now We
have champion walkers, champion
billiardists, champion clog dancers,
champion pie-eaters, champion snor-
ers, champion drinkers, ard, within
Il week, we have champion loafer.
who claims championship III dirt,
he not having even attempted to wash
his face since 1861, just before the
war.
But to return to the champion
tramps. They took possession Of the
city at one o'clock OH Monday morn
ing, when nearly five thousand peo-
pie sat up all night to see them make
IL start. Eight or nine thousand peo-
pie have every day paid their dollar
just to take a look at them, and to
listen to the remarks of the motley
throng, one wcnld think that walking
was one of the most marvellous opera
tions ever witnessed on the planet,
and that the fellows engaged ia the
instructive exhibition were the great
est of public benefactors. Not pa
per has raised its voice against this
disreputable and disgraceful business,
and even the aristOcratic Times and
the moral Tribune have published
half dozen columns each day ON this
interesting subject, and that, too, at
time when the nation is being shak
| en- to its centre with questions of the
most tremendous and vital importance
to the people. All day long, in front
of the different newspaper Offices,
| thousands upon thousands Of people,
| crowded and jostled from morning
till night, note book in hand, taking
down the time of the pedestrians.
Staid looking merchants. and sober
| looking bankers were touching elbows
| with boot blacks and scayengers, and
were just as anxious for the score.
All sorts Of compliments were flying
among the crowd-Rowell was a
, brick, Merritt was bully, Hazael was
a gaffer, Hart was plumby, Ennis was
duffer, and Weston was a sucker,
and so on to the end OF the list, but
the end has not yet come, for back
of this match is another, for which, |
suppose, we will have to pay another
hundred thousand dollars. Rowell
goes back to England proud to know
that his services as a walkist are
+, worth twenty five thousand dollars a
week. What All inducement to the
study of philosophy, or science, or
ethics! Perhaps the father of the
future good little boy shall say "My
son, cultivate your legs, improve your
calves, tougher your soles, and
Strengthen Your wind. Do these
things, my son, and you may some
day be and Alderman, and keep a
saloon, and may be walkist."
| Next in interest to the walking
i match comes nnlitics and as Sir