The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-08
THE FLEETEST MAN AFO0T.
Arrival of J. c. Ryan, Who Beat
M. K. Kittleman and
Won $4,000.
OTHER NOTED VICTORIES.
The Strange Story of His Life on the
Cinder Path as Told by
Himself.

]. c. Ryan, who vanishes on occasions
like creased streak, is at the Palace. He
is the footracer who defeated the re-
nowned runner, NJ. X. Kittleman, at
Leavenworth some time ago, and won
Sal, coo by it.
He also won a race against William
Morgan of YamhilI County. Or, getting
SIC, 900 at a much earlier period, cleaning
out all the loose capital of the Yamhill
people They didn't know 1t was Ryan
till after he had so easily won the money,
having taken him for a guileless farmland
who was laboring under the mistaken ap-
prehension that he could run.
Ryan was the champion of the Council
Bluffs hose team also, and beat Bethune,
who with Ryan at tournment competed
with forty other men, 1.-the of limb.
He began by racing with the Indians of
New Mexico, quite accidentally, he says,
and until that time didn't know that he
could rim much.
~ was clerk in the railroad Office at
Albuquerque" he said, land during the
Territorial fair fifteen Navajo Indians
were down for a contest. l hadn't paid
any attention to it till the last minute,
when l asked if l could get in.
''They said [ could, but that l would
have to run just as l was-in my heavy
clothes. couldn't get them off in time,
and ran in my drawers, on par with the
Indians. So | started out. [ thought |
would make the first quarter of the half
mile stretch, if possible, before they over
took me, ana then | would stop.
But when | got there l was still ahead,
and l thought would keep in it to the
next. was ahead then, much to my sur
prise, and l kept on and on, till won out,
being fifteen yards ahead of any competi-
tor.
Il won some money in that race, and l
suppose, in all, | have won $4,000 of
Indians at one time and another. Indians
can't run. That is mistake. | never saw
either an Indian or a Mexican that could.
They have never had the training, and are
not equal to it.
Il ran with the FIatheads on Puget
Sound and won about $500. There were
about 10 600 Indians there picking hops,
and the several Flatheaus who ran with
me were the tieetest TO be selected from the
various tribes. | would have won more
money, but this was all they had.
Zone of my best races was with Dono-
van at Brockton, Mass. In that | made
100 yards IN 934 seconds and got a lot of
money. AT Indianapolis two months ago
ran with John Hogan and won $4,000.
In the 1amnlu race, which created
sensation at the time, the father of Martin,
my competitor, lost $1150. A blacksmith
there lost $4,000 also. They all thought
they mad a sure thing.
Probably the best racer we have ever
had was John w. Cozad of Iowa, who died
at Denver few years ago. He used to win
whole bands OF Indian ponies at one time
of the Indians by racing against the
swiftest ponies. In those days almost no
record was made of the time, but his VIC
tories showed what he was
81 have also frequently run against
feet horses and beat them. 1t isn't such
a hard thing to do when a man is at
himself.
"To run well a man must eat what his
appetite demands, train hard and then
get off his legs at once SO he can rest.
Then when he goes forth again he will be
as elastic as rubber ball.
This thing of eating old moldy bread
and otherwise partaking OF hard fare TO