The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-12-30
LANK CHILDERS.
A Fleet-FOOted Alabamian Who Leads
the World.
OUTRUNS DEER IN THE WOODS
A Race with the Hounds-Beats the
Dogs in a Six-Mile Run-A
Sandow in Strength

a man who, in every respect Is "o..liS
of belief and who, not very IohS a'
made a trip to Fort Payne, IN A Ala
near which place, in small mountain.
cabin, resides the remaFkaple man
whom 1 SHAH write.
Iauk Childers according TO the pest
recollection of my informanO IS the hdiIe
Of tine subject Of this sketch. VINO - pei
haps, one of the most wonderful men, III
his way. living in the southern states OF
in The world for that matter-wohderIui
because Of his ,swift-footedness ana senerai
activity.
OF the many wonderful feats this young
Alabamian can perform my authority ior
this story witnessed only one-beinS that
d-st described hrre-and learning from
other people in and around Fort Payhe OF
the many other things equally as marvel
ous which had been accomplished by
Childers, and which he yet had the power
TO repeat.
1t was during a session of Fort Payne
superior court, when the county ohlclai
above referred to was in the Alabama
town An unusually large number of peo-
pie were attending court, and among them
was Lank Childers. one day, during the
noon recess of the court, number OF
Childers's friends and admirers, seeing him
on the ground, begged him TO give an
exhibition Of what he could do-there being
a large number of people present whom it
which but few. if any living men. were
able to DO.
Sow the people," Childers's friends
kept O.. insisting, "a sample of what is in
you. The Judge and solicitor and all the
rest Of US would like to see you run,
Lank"
Finally, after much persuasion on the
part of his friends, Childers agreed to
give an exhibition Of his skill a sprinter
by allowing a pack of hounds owned by
a citizen of the town to chase him The
dogs, a balf-dozen Of them, well trained.
and said to be the swiftest and most
valuable in all that country. were brought
out, and tire runner was told to get his
distance for the start twenty-five yards
is all l want" said the mOuntaineer; and
he stepped off the distance and announced
ready.
Childers was barefooted and. as he stood
there ready 10 be chased by the hounds,
the onloolcers who did not know the man,
nor what he could do, imagined him
Iunatic Of the frst-water When the run
ner gave the word. the hounds We're loosed
and tine race began-and such a race! The
man bounded away swiftly. leaping deer
Ike, ana the hounds with deep voices sped
after him.
Down TIE little valley. in which Fort
Payne is situated, Chuders led in fun view
Of the judge and solicitor and all the court
people-leaping high, the hounds giving
swift chase. They We're no closer. but
even further behind the Gecr-footcd man
when two miles had been covered than
when the race was begun.
Childers turned from the valley and
went bounding up the side Of the noun
tain, gradually crcling on the homeward
stretch. the hounds in the meantime doing
their best, but losing ground
The race, for a great portion Of the
way. was in fun view OF those back at the
courtgrouud, and to them It was scene
of Amusement. The very idea OF fine
blooded. swIft-footed hounds unable to
cope with "A man in speed But such was
the case; the fact was there before their
eyes. swifter than the hounds, the man
was certainly as tirelcss.
Presently Childcrs came lOping-appar-
entity slowly, but in reality very swiftly
back to the crowd, having run i've or
siN-mile heat, while Tie lead-hound. when
Childers arrived. was fully four hundred
yards in the rear, yelping and coming on
the homeward stretch at its best rate.
The other doss were still further behind
1t was a wonderful victory for Childers,
and the onlookers in their enthusiasm
Cheered him on, tossing hats high IN the
air. The Splinter was The hero Of the hour
Praises were bestowed upon him by all
even the judge ana solicitor did not fail
to offer congratulations and pronounce him
the sWlftest runner Of the age.
But this man has been known to ac-
Complish races equally as great, il not
greater than the one above told. lie often
puts his speed against that OF fast-moying
freight and passenger trains. On several
occasions he has been known to start with
a sWift-eoiug throug h-freight train at
Fort Payne and keeping even pace with
II TO Brinlee, small station i've miles
distant, on the Alabama Great Southern
road; and more than once he has raced
for snort distance with passenger trains
that were running their regular twenty
OF twenty-five miles per hour schedule,
giving them an exceedingly clever race
Several times ChIldeTs has made the
trip a-foOt from Fort Payne to Chatta-
no.sa and return IN single day, the en-
tire distance being 100 miles. The task he
always declared, was an easy one
Probably tle browning feat which Chill
ders is able To perform IS that OF catching,
on u dc@LG-run, "A Wild, SroWn and uhhurt
dence in the mountains around Fort Payne
ne mas actually captured in this manner
three or four such animals The manner
ia which he does this is, that whenever ne
hears dogs giving chase TO q deer he goes
and takes mis- stand behind tree at \
point where he suspects the animal VIII
most likely pass along. When the deer
comes bounding by, ChIuerS leaps out
from behind the tree ana rarely ever fails
To oVert&ke the animal-the DOGS arriving
later
BESIDES being a remarkable sprinter and
else IA strength he is regular SandOw,
and IS as much Uf an athlete. lie Is cred
tied with being able to climb a tree with
the agility of a cat. In Fort Payne, where
grow a number of tall red oaks, which for
many feet are limbless, Childers has given
exhibitions of his skill a climber. lie
aScenGs Tree as quickly 5 a squirrel.
and when reaching that point where limbs
grow out, invertS himself and comes down
head foremost as rapidly as he assembled.
Invariably, and while the spectators are
looking on in perfect astonishment, Chill
Gers, during his descent, pauses a second
ABOUT eight feet above the ground, then,
suddenly, like some wild animal. springs a
distance Of ten or twelve feet from the
tree aiighting gracefully on his feet
of all the mountain "bullieS' who reside
In Chiiderss district, there none who
care 10 be so rash as to tackle this man
in a fight; for il is with Iigftning-like
rapidity that he walks the log" of all
those who care to cross his path. He has
never been whipped in hand-to-hand en-
counter, and yet our wonderful sprinter
and athlete is a civil man. \ few times
have "bullies' forced fighting upon him,
only to learn that the business is not at all
profitable.
Chflders is about thirty-hve years OF
age married and a man of rather heavy
build He has red hair, and his eyes are
- ,spIil-a those of some aUimal-rpddish