The herald., 1896-03-13
"MAN FRIDAY" IN TOWN
Pushing His WheeIbarrOw From New
Orleans TO Frisco
He Has Led Nomadic Life Since Is5o-Ai-
wsys on the Go Like the Wan.
dering Jew

n unique CHARACTER LII Ills way is DOW Ill
the city, arriving yesterday afternoon.
Plodding along Main street, bent and
worn, travel-stained and grimed, was a
man fully 60 years of age, who looked
to have spent the greater part of his life in
the open air. On being accosted he told
his story. The only name he gave or
seemed to have was a cognomen adopted
years ago, and when he adopted his no.
madic life he hid his own identity COM
pletely and has since gone by the appella-
tion of "Man Friday"
Since 1850 Friday has plodded over the
United States from east to west, north to
south. All portions of the country have
been visited and with him in all his reregi-
nations has gone his wheelbarrow. On
this unique vehicle are piled his belongings,
cooking utensils and blankets, and pushing
it before him over mountain and plain,
Friday, like the Wandering jew. ever
presses onward
He has just reached this city from New
Orleans and is on the way TO San Francisco.
Near FL Monte his wheelbarrow broke
down and he will skirmish for the neces-
sary money to make repairs before he can
proceed. Subsistence is procured along his
route by telling stories, singing and selling
copies of pamphlet which purports to
give the story of his eventful life. Man
Friday was an Argonaut and first entered
1850. Speaking of his life he said.
II was 8 years old when left home for
the land of gold. Just before reaching
Council Bluffs, the company that be-
longed to disbanded, the leader absconding
with considerable booty, my horse in
cluded, leaving me with but little money to
continue a 2OO0-mile journey through
wilderness.
"While walking up the streets in Council!
Bluffs l overlook and assisted boy in
wheeling basket of corn on a barrow, and
it occurred to me that a wheelbarrow
would be about as much of a conveyance
as / could afford under the financial press
of the occasion. so at once had it construct
ed and on the twentieth day of April, left
the Missouri river with my pet carriage
containing tent, cooking utensils, blankets
and grub The loup fork of the Platte
river afforded an opportunity not only to
test the wheelbarrow, but the larger vehi-
cles were also found unequal to the emer-
gency, as a greater part OF the loading was
badly damaged.
"Roads. bridges and ferries were not in
fashion then on the great overland route.
The Black Hills gave the first indications
of the need of roads, as scarcely a trail was
fiscernible in many places, and by the
time the wearied throng and jaded animals
reached Salt Lake City, recruiting was the
thing most needed.
Here too, faint tidings of the far off
land Of rest and gold were received, which
gave new life and determination to tle
weary and way-worn masses, impeliing
them ON to tasks which never would
have been attempted had they
known their nature and extent
IA the gravelly ford of the Humboldt
river sore feet became prevalent with man
and beast; and as my boots were worn out,
pants tattered and torn, hardly reaching
The knees. shirt buttonless, and hat without
rim; and as my feet were my sole depend
7 l.,I, l~I.-
there. for the first time, | thought of friends
] left behind) gladly accepting the only art
icle at hand-the skin of dead OK, who
had faithfully performed his duties thus
far, but his usefulness had not ceased, as
macy pairs of sandals were made in those
days from the material o protect the feet
Of man and beast from the burning sand
and alkali dust and over the finty, rocky
places.
"rhe most formidable difficulty on the
whole route was down the Humboldt river
and across the great desert lying between
sinks of Humboldt and Carson rivers, a
stretch of country, then supposed to be en-
tirely without water, a distance of forty
odd miles, and sand SO deep that the poor
worndown creatures could only take a few
steps at time with the wagons almost
empty, one after another falling down in
the yoke and harness ana leIt Denlnu 10
die.
ut has been verified by numerous wit
nesses that the carcasses of dead animals
we're 30 thick on this terrible desert that
person could walk the entire distance upon
Them without touching the ground.
Wagons and baggage were strewn
around in profusion. and it was here while
struggling along between life and death,
overlook Mrs. Owens (who a few days be-
fore buried her hisband) lying in the hot
sand with a two.year-old child in her arms
and another, aged twelve, by her
al Nhair had oil
after many attempts to get ahead
Just as / came up to them, mule
team passed by without offering any aid.
This nerved me to make an effort to do
what | could to arouse sympathy in those
coming on with the strongest animals;
After giving the widow and her little child
what water had. placed them on my
one-wheeled carriage and struggled along,
being scarcely able to 60 more than two or
three steps before l was obliged to stop
and rest. l was not long engaged in this
effort ere succeeded in touching the feel
ings OF a generous man, who kindly took
them on his wagon and carried them over
the dreary waste.
"Carson canyon, almost in sight of the
desired goal, proved the toughest spot
on the whole route, causing most of the
gold hunters to feel that the outlay of
moral and physical strength, taking the
whole trip together, could never be fairly
remunerated by golden harvest however
large.
"At the expiration of l55 days from
Council Bluffs, arrived at Hangtown the
25th of September, with one ounce OF ba-
con, four ounces of shirt and 1000 pounds
of energy
He arrived in town utterly penniless,
but hopes to find some one who will put
new handles on his broken vehicle and
thus enable him 10 proceed. AS soon as
this is done he will again push on to reach
the next stopping place, only to again start
in search of what he knows not. Some day
he will probably be found lying beside his
barrow, dead, and not till then, apparent
ly, will he reach his destination.
IONG JONC TDAMD