The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1890-03-13
A GREAT RACE.
THE FASTEST TINE EVER MADE BY
HUMAN LEGS.
Ten Indians Ran Ten Miles in Ten Min
utes and Fortune Changed Hands as
the Result.

Ten Indians Ran Ten Miles in Ten Min
utes and Fortune Changed Hands as
the Result.
[F,rom the Mil.oaukee Sentinel
"Did you ever hear Of, the most re-
race ever run in Wisconsin,
or anywhere else, for that matter?''
asked an d-timer the other day
No? Well, will tell you about it for
I saw it myself. In the summer of ~,
with my UNCLE, 1 was making a busi
ness trip to what is now the Oneida
Reservation. "A St. Louis sportsman,
! Henry Stanton, was stopping there at
the time, having been taken sick while
on hunting trip, and the Indians
were taking care of him. Stanton one
day witnessed foot race by some of
the young bucks, and an idea struck
him. It afterwards struck others to
their sorrow. He had the bucks try
their speed, and soon was sending let.
tiers to his friends East and South.
They we're confidential letters, but
the answers promised him all the mon
ey he needed. He then sent out no.
tices to the sporting fraternity that on
a certain day of that summer (1844)
he would wager his pile that foot
race of ten miles could be made in ten
minutes. It seemed preposterous. But
few locomotives have ever made such
time.
"Stanton, however, knew what he
was about. With a trusted buck,
'Peep-o-Day,' he engaged ten Indians
and put them OH the trail, on a half
mile straight stretch and return, the
Indians to relieve each other at the
end of each mile. He had them prac-
tice in secret at night. One day Peep
o-Day informed Stanton that stran-
ger had offered him a bribe to let him
see a trial race. All right said
Stanton, take his money and let him
see it. But Stanton had his men
make poor time, and thus deceived the
briber.
"The day of the race arrived, and
with it about fifty of the sports of St.
Louis, New York and other cities. The
betting ran high, with odds against
the feat being accomplished. Among
the party was a young man named
Desnoyers, from Detroit, on his way
to Green Bay, with 100000 in money
and accepted paper to pay debts and
contracts for furs. The race was duly
opened, the first young buck making
his mile in 81 seconds, just seconds
short. The next young buck was
about to start when a chief-One-
Eye Gone-grasped him in his arms,
aud said he was his son and the run
would kill him Stanton hastily ex
planned that in their attire, with
clouts like circus riders, and belt
tightly strapped over their stomachs,
no harm could be done them. But
time was wasted in the controversy,
and the young buck reached the stand
with Stanton 80 seconds behind.
"The bettors against Stanton and
his crowd now began to laugh anu
ieer, and freely offered 10 10 1. Stan
ton and his friends looked sad and
detected enough. But they took all
the bets offered just the same, and
right here Young Desnoyers lost his
head and put up $4,000 of his mon
ey against the making of the race on
time 1t is said some $500, 900 changed
hs nds there and then, but I don't
know about that. The sum is proba-
bly, exaggerated, but it was large
enough. The race went on. The
third buck made his mile in forty Sec
onds, reducing the losses to twenty
seconds. This was kept about the
same until the ninth buck stepped to
the front with total gain offive Sec
onds. The last buck must make up
the fifteen seconds now lacking. He
was a tall, gaunt, wiry Indian, and
seemed to be all legs. The bettors
against Stanton began to waver, and
now calls for even bets and even odds
by Stanton and his friends failed to
bring response. The buck started on
time. And such strides. From six
to eight feet each, aud he went like a
whirlwind let loose. He must make
hia mile in forty-five seconds or all
was lost. 1t was an exciting moment,
but the buck got there with both feet,
and had just two seconds to spare.
There was no big excitement over the
result. The gamblers present were
accustomed to winning and losing
large amounts. One St. Louis man,
however, did make remark about a
put up job, and even drew derringer
and demanded his money returned.
Stanton raised his arm, and the fifty
or more bucks who stood around to
witness the race dropped their long
blankets and stood calmly leaning on
ugly looking guns. That settled it
The race was over. The young racing
bucks spent money freely for awhile
as did also the chief who interfered
with the race. Young Desnoyers was
never seen again. either in Green
Bay or Detroit. It was said he went
South to redeem his lost thousands
It was the most remarkable foot race
ever held in the world, and were tht
newspapers of that day what they arr
now, columns upon columns of its re
port would have followed. As it is
this i, I believe, the first time it ha
been in print"
sssalsa's Asnsea saiys.