The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-10
that same thrill again. Maybe some day

that same thrill again Maybe some day
1 will
Several men were talking races at the
Copeland yesterday evening when Char
ley Lobden got reminiscent and told the
following: About 20 years ago before
the day of circular tracks in the western
towns, when every race was run on a
straight away course usually marked off
on the country road a short distance
from town, was living in ElDorado and
that town, like all western towns, was
great on horse races and foot races A
race of either kind would interest the en-
tire community and it was not an infre-
Quent occurrence for the saloons and
stores to close while the men went out
to the race. Jim Rileys gray stallion
was the towns favorite when it came to
a 300 yard dash with horses and Billy
Robinson was the foot racer before
whom the admiring sports bowed. Billy
was an exceptionally fast man and could
do hundred yards in pretty close to ten
seconds when he was in trim. He lived
on a farm about IL miles west of town
and when the travelling racers came
around, which they frequently did in
those days, the boys would send out for
| Billy who would come in and clean them
up. 1 do not believe he was ever de-
feated until 1881 He had been so uni
formly successful that every man in the
entire country would bet his last cent on
Billy and he was looked upon as the
fastest man in the west by all the local
sports. But the day came when he was
beaten and with his defeat went lot of
cash. One day a wagon containing two
men drove into town and stopped on the
street. They had several horses following
the wagon and in a short time were
dickering with the local horse traders.
They remained all day and that night
the subject of fOOtracing was brought up
when the strangers wanted to bet that
one of them could outrun any one. He
displayed a roll of money and the Edo
RADIO fellows almost fought for a chance
n C11RRnn6n6 n rot
up something over a hundred dollars and
the race was fixed for the next day. The
only thing that worried the ElDOradO
men was that they could not get bets
enough. On the day of the race the US
ual crowd went out to see the poor
strangers parted from their coin and it
turned out just as they expected. Billy
won. The stranger had kick to make
and he made it. He said that Billy had
jockied him and had got a start of four
feet and had only beat him that dis
lance. This was true, but the money
was turned over as every foot racer
knew the rules were in favor of Billy. If
he got start the other man should not
have run. The stranger was anxious to
bet the same amount that Billy couldn't
do it again and was promptly taken.
That night there seemed to be plenty of
money for the stranger and every man
who had loose dollar put it up. The
next day the whole town turned out
to see the fun. When the stranger pre-
pared for the race he was dressed ex-
actly as the day before; pair of over
alls rolled up and two pair of socks on
his feet to keep the pebbles from hurt
ing them. Billy wore tight knee breecheS.
They began to score but did not seem to
be able to get a start and trial after
trial was made. During that time men
were in the crowd putting up money.
After scoring for half hour the
stranger took off his overalls and socks
and came out in a regular racing cos
tune Of black with racing shoes on his
feet. A silence fell on the crowd for they
had never seen such a dress before. The
stranger pranced over the track once
and then after one or two attempts at
scoring he and Billy were off. That man
went down the track ten feet ahead of
Billy and turned and looked back before
crossing the line. You never saw such
Disguised lot of men and they didn't
know what to say. That night they
learned that the stranger was Kittle-
man, the fastest man in the world, and
then they got mad, but he was gone.
The boys say that Bob Cooper, a well
known sport in those days, put up the
job and there are lots of fellows in that
town who would like to get even with
him. I don't know how much money
they won but / know I lost Sc, all the
cash 1 could raise at that time"