The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-30
A BOYS BIG UNDERTAKING
Ray Wood Starts ON a Pedestrisn
Tour Around the World.

Special to the Globe.
ANDERSON, Ind, Sept. 27.-Time
ana again adventurous men have I'M
oertaken the stupendous task Of walk
ing around the world. Most of them
nave succumbed to insurmountabIe OBJ
stacles and failed in their efforts. but
now boy has started from this village
whose object is not only to walk step
py step the circumference of the earth.
but to make the arduous and dangerous
Journey In two years and earning money
by the way.
Ray Wood, tall, slim, even delicate in
appearance, but with strength Of will
and an indomitable courage rarely to
be found even in a man, is the first boy
ever to make the globe girdling at
tempt
The idea of the trip came when A. Fl.
melton, business man of Anderson.
Wagered $4,000 with H. J. Bluern of
Cleveland, that he could find a boy to
walk around the world and come home
with $4,000. The wager was Quickly
accepted and money posted Then Mel
ton looked around for his boy wonder.
He round him in the seventeen-year-
old son Of w. B. Wood, well known
citizen of this town. The boy was work
ing in bolt factory and was the parti-
GUAR pride of the town because of his
physical development, which had en-
abled him to become an expert con-
tOrtionist
Ray Wood offered to make the long
trip under the condition that he might
be accompanied by his Newfoundland
dog and has started westward with
san FRANCISCO as the object point. He
seaI tea without cent, clad in the char
aclerlStlc costume of the contOrtionis+
His dog, large and of pure breed ia
curiosity in itself. Fitted by straps to
MS back Is a leather shield fitted with
a series OF rings. To these are to he
attached, so that they are protected
from the weather, set of tags. which
are TO be signed by various oficiaIs in
tne citles Of the world through which
the boy will pass t1salgglsI1-s III
In order to earn the necessary s.. 900
young Wood will give exhibitions as
ccntortion1st on the famous streets If
the world or In halls. He will also sell
PICTURES Of himself and dog or do anv
otner line or work which may be s1g-
gested In his travels. AS fast as he
earns money he will forawrd it to a
Dank at Anderson The bow exnects
that by the time he reaches San Fran
clso ne will have accumulated sufficient
capital to permit him to sail from that
port to Yokohama without DELAY,
From there he will cross the sea ~
Japan, pass Korea to Shanghai. Fol
lowing the Chinese coast, the bow will
PANSoSu vi 10 1nOla, passing through
Anam, Siam and Hindustan Proyid
ing the boy passes along these coun-
tries In safety, overcoming dangers bv
sea and land, and arrives with health
at Bombay, he says he will consider
that the harder portion of his route
ms peen Travelled. From Bombay he
Will cross the Arabian sea, cross Arabia
on foot, and SO work his way on to
Africa. Passing through Egypt the
boy traveller expects to cross the Med
lterranean sea, reach Constantinople
travel Greece, and so on to Southern
Italy.
1t is his idea to walk the entire
length of this last mentioned country
push on into France, walk to Paris
and on again, crossing the English
channel to England, and so to New
YORK and across the half of the CONT
nent to his starting place.
Although Ray Wood was the hero ar
the country about his home, his head
was not turned by the f1atterine Of
his admirers. When he started on hfa
long Journey and was followed for
miles by cheering crowd. the bow re-
NAMED grave and determined. as
though he alone realized the import
ance OF his journey. His last words as
his friends left him were, "I'll be haclr
on time; then I'll do the cheering
X. d. T. Staples