The times., 1897-08-01
THE END OF THE RUN.

| SAoo oaE pSen IN existence over year,
no century runs had been attempted I'D To
one day last week, when fifteen members
assembled with that object in view. Each
member had undergone physical examina-
/ uoh at the hands OF veterinary surgeon,
WHO tnOk the Job for the lump sum OF So,
and each was pronounced fit to make the
ride of his life. Before leaving the hall.
where sixty four members had assembled To
see them off, each candidate was gently
rubbed down with mixture of vinegar
and red pepper, and had the soles of his
feet sand-papered and his hair cut The
wives and children OF eight OF the riders
were on hand 70 say good-by and receive
last farewell words in return, and the hymn,
"Shell We Gather at the River" vas sung
| with much gusto and feeling Several
brief speeches were made by prominenr
members who were to be left behind, and
| the general sentiment expressed was 10 the
| effect that the riders should win success or
perish in the attempt Elder Abraham
! Peters said that the eyes OF the world
would be upon the heroic band from start
| 10 finish, and that success meant moro
than any colored man dared dream Of
L ne price OF the watermelons might remain
| the same, and lie could not say that chill
blans would not flourish in winter as here
| tofore, but the moral effect upon the world
at large would be tremendous in It's results
BIS earnest hopes and prayers would go
with the riders, and he took advantage OF
the occasion TO present each one with a
rabbits foot as a safeguard against any
| sort OF hcOdOo. Carried In the vest pocket,
it would warn the hearer OF impending dan
| ger, and bring him safely back 10 the arms
of loving friends.
Brother Abraham Scott, who is a the
| oriSt and an experimentalist, had his tires
pumped fuu or laughing gas, which he
has all along cOntended was far better
than common air for initiation, and Brother
Shutdown White had pumped in a bountiful
supply OF hot air as another experiment.
Lard. tallow, butter, soap and other things
had been used on the chains as a test OF
lubricants, and the fifteen saddles were
all adjusted at as many different angles
The moment finally came when ali shook
..uds and uttered parting words, and the
little band OF heroes mounted their wheels
and were off. Although suffering from
carbuncle on the neck which obliged him
70 LNlsb MS HtdQ over HIS ielJ SNOuis1Sr,
President Toots led the van with an Amerf-
can flag f!nttering over his head. an d one
glance at his face showed that he was
resolved to do or die. The band was es-
corted Tor mile by a hundred or mora
well wishers, who shouted and sang and
uttered words Of encouraged. Then came
the real start. At signal from the presi-
dent, who appeared to he looking back
for one last glimpse or his second wife,
the heroic fifteen headed for the country
and glory.
The first calamity of the run occurred
TO Brother Abrahan Scott and his laugh
lng-gas experiment A hilarious conditioner
the physical and mental system seemed
10 have been communicated to him from
the tires, and ne started off with a whoap
and a yell Half mile from the start
ing-poSt his exuberance OF spirits was so
great that he was singing at the top of his
voice and performing various kinds OF
antics on the wheel when both tires sud-
denly exploded with a tremendous report.
and Brother Scott was thrown into a fence
corner and punched up in a heap like
an over-ripe pumpkin. He was thus
out OF the run and left behind, and after
a period of Mysteries lasting for nearly
an hour he shouldered the remains OF
MS Wheei and returned TO town
Brother Shutdown White held on with
his hot-air initiation for about two miles
further. His idea In using ft was that
the bike would be lifted off the earth 20
some extent, as balloons are lifted, anil
could consequently be pushed ahead faster.
The workings overwhelmingly satisfactory
The hind wheel kept kicking up Mt inter-
walls and pitching the rider forward. while
10
roadsideditch. s the first hill was reached
there was grand kick up and turn over,
and Brother Shutdown White W as left lying
in the middle of the road to be picked
up by the ambulance corps. 1t was twenty
minutes before he realized where he was,
and 1t may be written down that 10th ex-
periments proved disastrous failures
Just as he was completing his fifth mile
Brother Asparagus Tompkins let 90 of the
handlehaTs with both hands to swat a
big horse fly which had settled on the back
or his neck. Left to its own device his
wheel ran into ditch and piled up along
SIDE the fence. and a few minutes later
Asparagus was arrested by a country con-
stable for yelling ''Firei'' and .MurderI',
Soon after passing the sixth mile post,
and just as he started TO sing I've Got a
Home Over There Brother Washing gton
Taylor swerved out of the road to shave
sleeping hog and give the animal d scare
Between his singing and his pedaling he
shaved too close, and the hog rose up under
the like and asserted his independence.
Taylor, hog and bike were left behind IN
a promiseuous heap, TO be untangIed ten
minutes later by farmer and club.
All was going merrfly as the seventh mile
post flashed by. when Brother ComeaIonc
Davis came upon an uneXploTed mud hole
and started in to make discoveries Before
he could ascertain whether any white man
had ever visited that locality and written
a book about it he was lifted up andpre-
eipitated into roadside thistle patch.
His journey was ended He remembers de-
scTbing what he calls a 'carboIic curve"
through the air and aIighting on his right
ear and the back of his neck and the next
'hlng he knew the moon was up. the stars
were ou5 and he had a feeling of general
,oDeness.
Nine miles frQyt town the valiant PresE
lent Toots. who had been riding with the
srimness Of a knight of old, made an at
tempt to gee his face in front of him in
)rdeI to dodge a sisteriy band of cows.
Between the attempt and the cows he ran
INTO milk wagon and was in turn run
,ver ard brought to grief With that hero-
SIN for which the foot family has been
celebrated for many generations, he had
10 sooner recovered con sciousness than hs,
insisted upon having his scalp wounds
'ewed up with a darning needle and red
md in Sf,,r- ~