San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-03-29
AUSTIN LETTER.
Special Correspondence Daily LIGHT:
AUSTIN, Tex, March %, 1898,

Louis Budnich, two AuStrians, left
Buenos Ayres, in the Argentine
Republic, South America, for a
pedestrian tour to Chicago, which
place they hoped to reach in time
to see the Worlds Fair. The men
made a decided miscalculation,
both as to the distance and the
hardships Of the trip, and as a re-
suit reached Austin only yester-
day. They have thus far covered
9,640 miles, having been thirty-two
months on their journey. The
travellers, who set out afoot
and without means, depend
ing upon the hospitality
OF the people in the section
through which they journeyed,
soon met with terrible hardships.
The great Amazon forests and
swamps proved an almost unsur.
mOuntable obstacle, and many mar
row escapes from VenemOus rep
tiles and insects were had. y large
portion OF the swamps had to be
made in Indian canoes, during
which they experienced exciting
adventures with alligators. When
they reached Central America, last
summer, the New York World pub
lished, through its correspondent at
Panama, long illustrated account
of their trip up to that place.
One Of the travellers, through the
sting of an insect, lost the heel OF
his right foot, and the party was
otherwise delayed by illness. After |
reaching the republic of Mexico,
the hardest portion of their trip |
was at an end, and since then they |
have had easy travelling. They |
stand a good chance of reaching
their destination, Chicago, by the
early part of June, which is just
one year longer than they had cal
culated upon when they left
Buenos Ayres. The men give,
as the object OF their jour-
ney, the accumulation of data
for the publication Of book on the
climate and geography Of the
country through which they
travel. They Will no doubt, also
be able to write comprehensive
treatise on the "Influence OF Wind
and Weather on Railroad Ties" by
the time they reach Chicago.
Last summer there passed
through San Antonio another
pedestrian crank, in the person
of f. E. Thompson, who styled
himself the king of Tramps."
Thompson was a young man Of
moderate sense and plenty Of gall.
He left Petersburg, Na.,a land walked
to Chicago; from Chicago he
passed through San Antonio to
Mexico after crossing Mexico, he
walked through Central A merica,
where he is AT present probably
still walking on to his destination,
which is BOgota, the capital Of
Colon bia, in South America. Like
a good many fakirs OF his ilk, he
gave out that he was walking on
81, 600 wager, the alleged conditions
being that he was to neither beg
nor pay for what he got, but to de-
pend on the charity Of the people
along his way. In the early part
Of February he had reached the
town of Granada, near Lake Mica
ragua in the Republic ofNicaragua
and had but to cross the Republic |
OF Costa Rica when he would be in |
Colombia, in which state his desti-
nation lies.
The whist tournament in this |
city, four games, between the teams |
of the city and Of the club. resulted
as follows: The club, 100 points;
the city players, 1868 points. A
series of duplicate games is to be
played shortly.
The monument committee OF the
John z. Hood Camp of Confederate
Ncterals has selected the south en-
trance I, the state capitol yard as
the site Fnr the monument to be
erected in memory OF the Confedcr-
ate dead. The monument is to
have a base twenty-tOur feet square
and height Of 100 feet. 1t is to
, cost $4,000.
w. II. Weiss, president OF the
San Antonio Street Railway COM
pany, has been spending several
days in the city on business in re-
gard to freight matters now pend
ing before the Railway Commits
sion. p.
Grand Mask Ball
| Will he given at Linn burper's Gar