The Penn's Grove record., 1883-12-22
NUMBER 30.
Shooting celebrities.

good many celebrities" said a genial
little Englishman who Is the manager of \
shoe store and factory en- north Clark
street, Chicago. Nearly all the shoes
that are made IN Chicago for sparrerj
and other athletes are manufactured Ill
this shop. Here Is a list OF some of Il
principal customers who are profess
sionsls," displaying a printed card OIL
which appeared a long list Of names OF
people Of rank among the sporting fra
teruIty. The list began with Parson Da.
vies and Yank Adams, and ended with
Jem Mace and Jack DAVIS. Among the
other names were those of Ed Hanlan.
Paddy Ryan and "tbe late James Elliott
"Are sporting men good custom}rs2"
"Yes, they need considerable leather in
their profession. They are mostly jolly
fellows to deal With, but they are aw-
fully hard to please sometimes. | think
they are more particular than any other
class OF customers
chow did you come to get their
trader"
"Well, | know how to make exactly
what they want. | made shoes Tor the
profession seventeen years ago in Blr-
mingham, England. l WAS q runner aud
sparrer at the time myself. Among my
customers in the old country were Bob
Brettle, mIddle-welght champion, and
James Morris, champion of the light
weights. l have made a study of SPAR
ring shoes. Here is a letter from
Charley Davles-the Parson, you know
ordering two pairs of sparring shoes to
be sent to him at Ogden, Utah. l sent
him the handsomest pair you ever saw
yesterday. They were made after a pat
tern invented by myself. | split the
back-stay, and lap the edges over SO it
doesn't wrinkle. See, here is a sparrlng-
shoe" holding up one of soft leather.
sit Is made on a slipper-last, with a low
heel, a broad toe, and a light, flexible
sole which is almost fiat under the lnstsp.
Here is a letter from Harry Montague,
Jem Mace's manager, about some shoes
| matte for Mace. Mace has his sparring-
shoes made IN a way peculiar to himself.
He likes them very short, so hat his
feetdfenno. ride IN them a particle. l
THU lsparring-shoes ought to be consld-
erably longer than he wears them in
order to fully protect the toes of the
wearer."
''Hoy do fighting and training shoes
offer flom them2"
s'lrainlng shoes have heels a little
higher. Paddy Ryan has been training
all summer In shoes made here. He got q
pair Of fighting shoes from me not long
ago, which he says he is going to wear
when he Whips Sullivan. Fighting shoes
differ from the others merely in having
spikes in the soles. | have made fighting
shoe for Ryan, jim Elliott, Jim Kane,
Johnny Files, Johnny Walsh, Captain
Dalton, Jem Mace and Jack Davis"
''Can you give some particulars about
the feet of fighting men?' asked the re-
porter.
"les, l have their measures here, " SAID
Mr.. Gee, producing two large books. on
the pages of which appeared the outlines
n pencil of many large, small and middle
sized feet. AS he rapidly turned the
leaves there were displayed straight feet
and crooked feet, feet shaped like clubs
and feet shaped like crescents. Great
suffering corns aud bunlons were pictured
there that were enough to make the heart
of any observer ache with sympathy.
''Here," SAID MIR. Gee, displaying a
page which contained the outline of a root
of generous proportions, 'is Paddy Ryans'
foot, It's a good one to look at, and a
good foot TO tt. II IS seven inches long,
and calls Tor a No. 10 shoe. 1t measures
109 lucEes over The lnsIep, IL inches at
ankle, and l44 inches through the heel.
You will notice that all fighting men have
very large ankles. They are developed
by constant exercise,
Here" pointing to another diagram,
tis Jack DAVIS foot. 1t is the largest enc
for the width | ever saw. He wears a
No, IL shoe. Davis Is a Birmingham
man, and used to live on the same street
| did. Here is Parson Davies foot. Look
broad Toes he has. And here's
lie wears a No. 81 shoe, meas
ures Vi inches across the ball OF the foot,
l0a inches over the instep, and 81 inches
the ankle. Hanlan's foot, you see, lsa
very neat one. lie wears a No. s shoe,
and measures 8 | inches across the ball of
the foot, " inches on the instep, and 81
inches at the ankle. He is coming
through Chicago IN two weeks on his way
10 California. Hell probably call around
get another pair of shoes. Then here
are the feet of Woodside and Morgan, the
/ got them to adopt my idea
Of wearing high shoes in the recent 6-day
race. Bicyclers generally wear low SHOES,
! think their ankles ought to be sup
ported when they indulge In long rides.
Johnny Files, you see, wears a No. 0
shoe He has a long foot for a little
a George Guyon, who once walked a
xix days go-as-you-please IN Chicago,
wears a No. s. And here IS Jim Eiliott's
measure. 1t was taken, you see, on the
10th oil last January, not very long be-
Jere Dunn killed him. He wore a
81 shoe, and had and had a OF
neh ankle measure. Fred Plaisted, the
'arsman, came In with him, and his
is on the next page. His shoe
5 No. III, and he measures 81 inches at
he ankle. That's all the professional
Get l can find at present."
did you ever make any shoes for
Iohn L. SuIlIvan?"
~ made him one pair when he came
o Chicago to spar with Elliott, but |
Iavent his measure IA the book, and
what 1t Is. But here IS a shoe
yhich is interesting, although not a pro-
one Mr.. Gee raised from the
a ponderous ealt-skln shoe. 'I1l
the mar | made that shoe for has
he largest foot in Chicago. Here is his
neasure on the book. 1t is exactly II
inches long and 5 inches WIDE, and is q
70. 10. | mark IL No. Is, because the
nan who has TO wear IL was standing by,
l wanted to spare his feelings. The
ext largest measure | have OF my books
that of Barrister Keogh, who wears a
10. liz. The smallest and neatest foot
Oh ever saw is here somewhere, but |
ant find it just now The man who
WINS it is an advertising agent, and a Yo,
shoe fits him.
COLONEL Hicklebolus has a very
'romislng son, whom he recently dedi-
ated TO the Texas University and to
uture hopes of the governorship Of the
,4nAn n.A al nm nnrrn H. en-