Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-02
WHOLE NO. II, ,s1a {
AN 0DD GENIUS.
oia sport" Campana-A Sketch of an
Eastern Celebrity.

cold Sport" campana-A Sketch of NJ,
Eastern Celebrity.
Peter Napoleon Campana is s;rtv-ona
years OF age. He was born in Petersburg.
Virginia, of French parents, but was never
born to blush unseen. Like young part
ridge, he tried to run as soon as he wss
hatcheG, and has been running ever since.
His first race was with a man in New York
City for $50 a side, halfmile. Then he
ran Amos Sanders of BROOKLYN. the cham
pIon of England, q five-mile race. His
packers coined money on that race; hun
dred dollars 10 one dollar was bet that he
would lose, but he beat his man easily.
But when he beat Indian Smith, the
champion OF the United States, in ten
mile race by one second for $500 q side he
became the cock of the walk
"Old Sport arrived in the city Yesterday.
and was seen by q RECORD UNION reporter.
In response TO numerous questions, he thus
relieved himself
After | had won several more races I
enlisted in the Cullis Zouaves in Philadel-
phia, and fought in the battles of Chaucel.
lorsville, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg and
Shiloh, and never got a scratch. At Gettys-
burg l met my first defeat as runner. 1
tOOh aitSE u 1OulGOeFdle SOlulPr. who had
got separated from his company. When
the reb dropped his musket / dropped
mine, but got distanced.
Il went into the fruit business after the
war at Bridgeport Conn, but | couldn't
keep my legs STILL l went to Pittsburg and
ran twenty miles ON wager of $500 that /
could do it in two hours. | made il easy
in one hour and fifty-eight minutes. Then
| went against Dan 0'Leary at Madison
Square Garden, for six DAYS for $1,000 a
side, Great Scott How that little man
can travel! He just wound the old run-
ner up in no time.
COULD NOT KEEP QUIET.
THAT defeat couldn't keen the old man
quiet, though went into six-day races i'm
New York, Baltimore. Buffalo, Chicago.
Cincinnati, Pittsbnrg Newark. Providence.
Boston Bangor. Hartford, Bridgeport and
New Haven. / came to San Francisco for
the last race, but the people were too good
to me. | carried so many babies, turkeys
and bouquets around the track that forgot
that was IL the race and got into the soup.
The Old man is 5000 miles from his wife
aud children, and hasn't been TO bed but
three nights since the six-Gay match started
In the Pavilion. Notwithstanding all this
Old Sport will not sell his record as a run
ner to-day for $4,000. He will part with
his lite before he will pawn his old medals,
belts and hre-horns he has earned by saw
ing human life. Away back in the fifties.
when used to run with Magora Hose No.
was when first met poor Dave Broder-
lex and Yankee Sullivan
" went over to their graves the other
day, and took little box OF turf as a re-
membrance. Then there were Cory and
Casey, who were hung by the Vigilance
Committee. They were good boys in New
York, but they went wrong out here. They
went with me the day Ned O'Baldwin, the
Irish Giant, was whipped by Marsden.
Wasn't that a great fight Each weighed
$50 pounds and was nearly six and half
feet high. When ones bare fist struck
the others ribs it sounded like hitting a
beef with a ledge-hammer. Poor Ned
was knocked out by chance blow, and
then had to go to Jail for year, while
Marsden escaped.
How those men used to fight! will
never forget how poor Andy Kelly looked
when killed in the ring by Charley Lynch.
He got hard, swinging blow under the
ear that broke his neck, and with a con-
yulsive shiyer sank to the ground and died
without word. | have seen Tom Hyer,
Yankee Sullivan, John c. Heenan, John
Morrisey, Dublin Tricks Con- Oran,
Scotty of Brooklyn (now resident of
SacramenIo) Country McClosl1y, Owney
Geoghan, Australian Kelly, Mike McCool,
Cody, Adams, Ned O'Baldwin, Joe Goss,
Paddy RYAN, Billy Edwards and Sam Col
lier fight in the ring. They are nearly all
dead now, but Old Sport is still in the
ring and running as fast as ever, and will
take place (you can tell my Sacramento
friends) in the race that starts at the old
Pavilion tonight"