Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-01-24
One Way to TraNea.

Oue way bO 1ESL0&%4.
 Probably the champion fakir of the day, an honest and worthy'fakir, too, is M. E. A. Lasley, the maniwho with his family has crossed tho American eonti- nent in a wagon. or "houan on wheels, :" as he prefers to call it. He supported his family as ho wentlalong, visiting the leading places of interest in territory extending from San}Franoisco and Tex as on the south totChicago and Buffalo. on the north
 The journey began March 92. 1894, at Port Angeles, on the strait of Juan. do Fuca, 100 miles, northwest of Seat tie. It reached itsfohief stopping place the 1st of January, 1898. in New York city. Not that 1t ended there. Lasley must be the reincarnation of the Wan dering Jew, for hass he Is going still on, and that tho house on wheels and. the tow headed children and the dog will turn up at the Paris exposition in 1900. The only%eoneession he will make ep b4Ao oOAfSAOROAthAt1lSS WILL D0 luNO1N~ ed in the necessity of crossing the Att lantio in ship instead of q wagon. Undoubtedly this original American family will make holy show rolling along over tho smooth highways of Franco i'll their unique homemade vehi- ole.
 The house on wheels was built by the versatile Lasloy himself. It is of cedar olapboards and is feet high and 12 feet long. It has q stove in one cor her and can be divided into two con-, partmenta Tho elapboard walls arc lined with cloth and heavy paper Two babies have been born to the couple In their house on wheels
 The plan of campaign was this: Lasg ley is 0 jack of all trades, and wherever he is can turn his hand'' to almost anything Mind reading appears to be the lowest depths he reached. When het stopped in a neighborhood, the queer outfit always attracted Q crowd. Then Lasley's eloQuence prevailed. He suo- oeeded generally in getting work of some sort, either at farming or at s3me mechanical tinkering. Besides ths& he always had on sale his little tbook,4 the history of his travels and photographs of the outlandish rig and tho whole family. In selling these he Ssometines took in money at the rate of S'is dollar minute." Not the least attraction was tho tow headed children peeping like birds out of the little window in the wagon and displaying radiance of complexion and healthiabsolutely dag zling. Many millionaire would give untold sums to have his pampered, ohi1- dren look like the Lasley young ones. In California the family lived awhile on grapes and green walnuts-"v very good food, ," writes Iasley, ~but after two weeks 1t clides. '' Naturally it would "clide. "
 The house on wheels travelled 6, 6G6 miles on Its journey from Port Angeles, Wash, to New York city. Lasley says he never shoes his horses in summer, and they never gettender footed. It is necessary to be truthful, however, and say that two pairs of horss havetsuc eumbed te the arduous labors of hauling the Lasleys by erisscross routes oyer~this continent and have lain down and,died Was it because they had no shoes in summer?
 Some of the fakir's observation of travel are gems in their,way. lie says in little descriptive pamphlet that during the nearly fouriyears they have been on their journeyi the Lasleyslhaye been invited to attend church only six times. Of California.he writes, "Ranch- men are close listed. they believing poor man curse to tho earth-better be dead. ' Of Texas, "Taxas people are the most religious we eyer met, also tho poorest. :" Do the two facts belong to- gether Again, Ut causes us to smile to sec the pomposity of some,oity officials " Many another has had occasion to re- mark the same.
 Lasley is spare man with fresh complexion and q shrowd, bright eye. It is said tho people of New York city thought he really might have put on.a clean shirt when ho reached their town and not worn the same ono in which he started from Seattle. Still, New Workers are apt to be oyersensitiye in these lit tic matters.
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