Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-03-25
Charles Fitzpatrick, the We'll
Known One Legged Cyclist,
Relates Some Unique Ex-
perienceS = Rides Down
Sixty Feet Of Steps.
How He Boxed "Kid"
Mccoy and Chatted
With president
Kruger.

lcopyright 100 by Charles o. Fitzpatrick
Many people have asked mo now II
happened that I. a one legged man. be.
came q trick bicycle rider. Well. was
always fond Of sports Of all sorts and
especially Of baseball. Away back In
the eighties / used 10 do n good deal u
umpirinT for baseball teams. and folks
used 10 10 20 see the games almost as
much to watch me hopping all over the
heid with my one leg and stick as for
the sake Of the game itself.
! learned TO ride the bicycle. howcv-
cr-hrst tho old ''ordinary' and then
the safety" when that style was in
vented. and became quite an expert.
After n time learned TO do n few tricks
on the wheel and gave my FIRST exhibit
ton during n meet at Peoria, Ills. II N
coincidence that Zimmerman beat
Willie Windle for the nfnt time there
that day.
That started my career ar n trick rid.
er. was the firat 10 do such PERFORM
nncea on safety" wheel on the stage
Since then I have ridden In many coun.
tries. ma ] am continually learning and
producing new and complicated tricks
and figures.
y
famous ride down the west steps ~ the
capitol Mt Washington. the INST rider TO
make the attempt. l do nm act daily
when Performing equally M dangerous
~ That was. but II does not attract any. |
where near the attention that first feat |
did. j have a nlght OF steps built 60 |
rect nigh and 4 feet wide. down which ,
j ride on my wheel. and should turn
my handle bars n halfbrendth 10 either
sidc while rushing madly down that UNI
even Incline ] should undoubtedly be-
Killed. Tor there II no railing on the
sides 10 Keep me from ioppling on. do
All my performances now In n suit re-
scmbling Rough Riders uniform.
Are you never nervoua7" and Have
you never had nm accident while max.
Ing that fearful dcsccnt7" are aucations
often fired Mt me. To the FIRST I must
truly reply that always am nervous
when about 10 start. hut not sufficiently
10 to prevent me keeping my wits about
me no an TO steer my wheel properly.
never have had ap accident when doing
mat act. though several times I came
nerilousiy close TO one. At Mobile near
me FOOT OF the steps down which ! rode
was . strip of sandy road. My wheel
f,tnck " na ] shot like lightning along
'ns Ground and stuck. There was a
my up OF bicycle. one legged man and
n,lhF snnd. neforc the people realised.
however. that this was not a part n,
the performance I was up. and. boldlng
hloft my wheel. I shouted. ''N.yer
touched met Then the people yelled
you can bet. '"'
Another time. nt Paramount pa,k
KANSAS city. was 20 give n nlsbt .x'
niDn,on' The place was crowded with
.p.ethtorr. i started on all right and
han shot about half way down the stems
Wh'n suddenly all tho electric lights
went out. i had tho presence OF MIND
70 rehiife instinctiveiy that all 4 could
uo was 10 hold on. keep my handle bars
ntrhight and trust 10 luck. Down
went. and In the brief seconds thai foi.
lowed ! believe my whole life passed be-.
fore my mind. wv
suddenly the ilghta came nm mai,
nhd found myself careerinr over The
srpss hundred feet away from The
steps Several women had tainted. but
Nnen .hey found I was all right the
'rowd howied with enthusiasm.
Sensational ns l. this ride down n
nsht OF steps 90 feet hlfh. I have no.
.."uy ADDED another feature 10 my Ilat
'ma, " even more 20 ana II far more
'.nou't OF accomplishment. now do a
,p,s.on smoothing act on my wheel.
o".'eu on my bicycle and armed with
~ iver johnson election shotgun
'renk cay pigeons ns fast IA they can
,r thrown up In the air by an nnalstan,
Any ono who has seen Buffalo mi, :.
'hooflnE these clay objects while an n =,
saiopin. horse knows how dlnlcult n 4,
eht " u, How much more ro. then :,
VINE guiding n bicycle, with only one A.
TX 20 work with. instead OF being AZ.
ure'y seated ON the back Of a horse N,
na, IN trained TO no ahead without
,uiuhhcc ny the relnH. I have 10 prac, =,
lee constantly 20 keep my eye In ana n,
an now break two and even thrne A
usiy. '''''"h''
Although trick riders on ordlnnr,o.
.err common enough In Europe, 4 was ii
ne hrrt performer ON a safety 10 "a.
Ioit 'hefe when started on my round 4,
ne world trip four years ago. conse. an
uehuy my tricks werr absolute novel. 10
Ies 70 the brltirherH and the peoples OF
onuneh'al Europe. ana the fact that m
w were performed by one legged bt
lhh especially amazed them. I used nh
0 ride all over the city Of Landau o,' Ivy
~ wheel. ana the oabhles ana truck' ,n'
len would stop and follow mo 30 nurh a.,
nat l often unwillingly caused block. m
dea In traffic. ~
When ! went 10 the Isle OF Man. Dan On
emo tho English comedian, nnd Tom a.,
hien' another vaudeville performer In
no recently died. We're also there. We M
htee would get up an sorts NJ querr h.
'unis to attract people and ndv.rtlss IL
lr shows one time, when We were AN N.
lree out In the breakers swimming Az.
ielended 10 be drowning and they 10 "a,
iNe me- Another time rode W. To Ia, me-.
~, LaNey water wheel which f 400 4 b
'et high and the largest striicttir. 81, ~.
ie sort la the world. The wheel sto,,s y,
" 20 seconds between each r,,.,i,.
on AZ one side there n platform =.
'aohlng TO the top. l went up 10 The Cal,
" with friend who had q oam.ra ~,
nTTTE