Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-09-12

often accomplished since. A pedestrian
named Baker once walked 200 miles IN
twenty days, fifty miles aday, and to show
his stamina he accomplished seventy-five
miles on the last day.
A chap named Curtis in Berkshire coun-
ty, Massachusetts, for a wager of a horse,
ran five miles in forty-one minutes and
wound up the race with a jump OF eleven
feet six inches.
An Englishman named Head Won 1000
guineas by walking 600 miles in ten days,
but the cxertiOn so used him up that he
never walked much afterwards, either on
wagers or otherwise.
Mcdonald, a tailor, walked barefooted
from Westminster bridge Chatham and
back in fourteen hours and twenty min
utes. In 1920 a fish-hawker in Chelsea
undertook to run from Hyde park corner
seven miles along the BrenfOrd road in one
hour, carrying a basket with fifty pounds
of fish on his head, and is said to have
done il in fOrty-fve minutes. If he did 1t
is q remarkable exploit. A similar feat
was that of a gardeners apprentice, who
walked from Wandsworth to the Borough
market, six miles, in titty-eight minutes,
carrying 300 head of asparagus. Still a
third was that of an orange porter, who
made twenty Journeys from BotOlph lane
to Spitalsfield market, each time carrying
100 pounds Of oranges; the distance trav-
eled was forty-three miles, and he accom-
plished them in eight hours and t~hirty-two
minutes. The wager was for ten guineas.
A gentleman at one OF the London clubs
made a wager of el00 that he would stand
for an entire day at a point on London
bridge with IL tray OF gold sOvereigns and
offer them at a penny each without hudlng
a purchaser. He won the wager, rs the
passers-by supposed the coins were brass
and declined to invest.
The master OF the revels of George ii.
was regarded rs the ugliest person In the
kingdom, is none had been ound VINO
could successfully contend against him Tor
this distinction. One of the noblemen OF
the court laid n wager that he could pro-
duce a person surprising him in this re-
spect. At the time appointed he caused a
VIGOROUSLY hOmely tiShwOman that he had
heard of to bc brought, who stood by the
side of the champion. With the approval
of the present wcarer of the belt, the palm
was about to be awarded to her whena by
stander, probably interested also in the re-
suit of the decision, suggested that the
champion put on the old lady's bonnet In
order 10 make the conditions OF the con-
test more equal.
He did SO, when the added uglineSs was
80 emphatic and indescrible, that the VIC
tory was awarded TO him.
Another wager, which is somewhat IA
miliar, ewing to the extraordinary charac-
ter of the feat, was that Of Sir John IhrOcK-
morton, which was for 1890 gulneaS, that
he would wear suit of clothes in the even
inc made from the wool taken from sheep
the same day. At ) o'clock on Il summer
morning 1911 two SouthdOwn sheep were
ShOrn, the wool was washed, roved, spun,
cardcd and woven, the cloth WAS secured,
fulled. dyed and dressed, the measure ta-
ken. the suit cut and completely made and
was worn ut Il dinner given by Sir John at
q o'clock in the evening.
The wagers made on the speed OF horses
are so common and the terms and condl-
tionS SO uniformly of a commonplace char
acter, that they hardly command attention
on the score Of novelty. DOnkeyS have
sometimes been put on their speed, Il quail
itv that they have not been popularity sup
posed to possess. About twenty years ago
II race $50 called came off on the Newman
ket course to decide 4 bet OF elOO made by
the owner of Il donkey that he would 30
100 miles in t~wcnty-iOur hours. The meek
looking little chap not only let his master
out in good form, but had fully three hours
to spare.
In Philadelphia some ycarsago, Il gentle
man made 4 WAGER of 500 that he could
Jump into water eight feet deep and undrcSs
himself completely. Any one who has
ever made the attempt to remove his
ClUthin" after being thoroughly drcnched
TO the skin, even when standing on terra
tirma, with plenty of room to hop around
on one leg will at Oncc realize the diff
Guilty OF accomplishing the feat while in
deep water. However it was done in the
instance noted. Dog racing is a species of
sport that is not very common in the
United States, bat not rare in England; in
$50. at Fenham Park, Newcastle, England
one Perkins matched his dog Polly against
DIyidSOn's Queen of the Forest, to run
twenty yards for $50, The latter was the
winner by a yard. On the same, day, at
Royal Park, Manchester, two dogs ran the
same distance for 600 I side. The time
in either cOSe is not given. Before the adj
vent of steamboats, a gentleman in France
wa%ercd -, 600 frances that he could make
a boat move twenty-five miles an hour.
This was the most generally discussed of
any event Of the day, and hundreds OF wa
GERS were laid upon the success or failure
OF the undertaking, but the manner in
which it was proposed to accomplish it was
kept profound secret until the day set for
the trial. The man caused Il circular canal
tn he dug, 100 feet in circumference and
ten feet wide, to which water was let Sulli-
cicnt to float Il Common rOwbOat about ten
feet long. \ horizontal pole equal in
length OF the radius Of the circle, was
pivoted at one end to Il strong post in the
enter and the other attached to the boat.
\ span OF powerful horses was attached 10
the pole 1T the proper distance from the
pivOted point, and trOtted in Il circle,
drawing the pole ut Il rate OF speed that
propelled the boat ut the other end at 4
velocity of over twenty-five miles an hour,
in the presence of several hundred persons.
After the battle of Gettysburg an officer
in command Of an infantry brigade made a
wager with u staff officer in the cavalry
that more than One-half the muskets cap
turcd would he found to have one or more
charges still in them. This led to the
discovery OF; Il very singular fact. At that
battle -. COO muSketS were taken, Ofwhich
over : 5000 We're found to be loaded, Some
l2,GU0 contained two loads, and GOO had
from three to ten loads each. In many
instances half a dozen balls were driven in
on Il single charge OF powder, while in not
a few instances the former pOsseSsOr had
reversed the usual order, and put the ball
in first.
Some ludicrouS and amusing wagcrs
were paid on the result of the presidential
election. \ Meadviile, Penn, girl bet
fifty kisses against Il winter wrap that
Blaine would carry New York.
C.. NJ. Brown and William LAWN of Salt
Lake City made a wager, the terms Of
which obliged the loser To take u hand
organ and a monkey and play O%nifOur of
the principal corners in the city, taking up
n collection tnr thp nnnr Miles W nnUn-