The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-07
FREAK WAGER MADE BIN RICH
"PYTHAGORAS POD" RECOVERED
HIS HEALTH BY 1T ALSO.
His Journey TO the Coast with q Donkey RE-
called by the Return or the Former
Brooklyn Man BEST Thing He Found
on the Long Trip was Ills Doc Don.

r. Pitcher Woodward, who as "PythaK-
Jras Pod" saved a 9 5000 wager he made
on Bryan's election in 1894 by riding or
walking with n burro from here to San
Francisco. starting with n capitai or No
cents, has found that financially it paid
to be a freak for $40 days and two hours.
Mr.. Woodward now is a mining man as a
result OF the notoriety he got then. followed
by an application Of the zeal hat he showed
in his ride. and has been here for a few
days promoting a Leadville scheme.
Mr.. Woodward left town On Saturday
for his home in Kansas City. Il was n
freak for a year, he said to a SUN reporter
at the Hotel Marlborough the day before
he left. but / attribute my success since
then to the fact that l had the grit to do
what | did. Most people called me a fool;
my family didn't like il, but there was
method in my work. I'm beginning to get
the results now"
Mr.. Woodward is n Brooklyn boy and was
graduated from West Point in 1887, but
didn't stay in the army long. He resigned
and became a newspaper reporter. He also
wrote stories and a good deal Of verse.
He is a son OF the late Judge Woodward of
Brooklyn. His father was class poet when
he was graduated AT Hobart and his mother
was the poet Of her class at Vassar. He
had an attack OF nervous prostration the
summer Bryan was nominated the first time.
Then he got better and was one of the most
enthusiastic Of he silver propagandists.
He had read Dana's Two Years Before the
Mast" while he was sick. and also Robert
Louis Stevenson's story of a journey with
a donkey. His family wanted him to 60
to a sanitarium but he decided TO take all
outdoors as his sanitarium and hence mad
the trip to the Pacific Coast
Woodward was 30 sure Of Bryan's election
that he told Benjamin Lillard Of this city
that he would bet s. .Oo0 on il. He asked
odds and finally it was agreed that IL MoKin-
ley won Woodward should have the alter
native of proving that he could ride to
San Francisco on a donkey's bach within a
year. He had to wear a stovepipe hat.
start with less than a dollar, put goggles
on himself and -the other donkey" He
was to earn his way.
1t took a mont for him to get ready and
he had just S4l days to complete the jour
ney. He blocked Broadway for three
hours from Fourteenth street to Twenty
third when he started out. He sold papers
at a dollar apiece to get the money to pay
for his burro. The burro tangled up the
Broadway cars, tumbled his rider into the
street and when he got TO Poughkeepeie
rolled down a flight of steps. injured two
men and put the city's police force out OF
business. There Woodward snapped him
for another donkey and on that animal
he made the journey, walking about 1900
miles of the 1000 he travelled.
Woodward earned his way by selling
photographs, lecturing. writing for ews
papers. touting for n patent medicine and
other stunts along the way. In speaking
Of his experiences yesterday he said:
1T was a hard trip. but it made me.
Once l nearly died Of thirst in the Salt Lake
desert. That reminds me Of my dog Don.
half mastif and half bloodhound, which I
picked up in western New York. He saved
my life. A more faithful animal never
lived. l had picked up a young fellow In
Iowa and had four more burros and the
dog. We had less than a quart Of water
when we got lost in the Salt Lake desert
on our way to fedora Springs near the
Granite Mountain.
my companion. Tom. was almost crazed.
He demanded a drink. l told him he would
drink only when l did and we would divide
a little Of the water between us. He de-
manded it all. He started t. draw his gun.
l got mine out first. 1t was the first time
I ever drew a gun on a man. We finally
divided up two or three swallows. Then
/ insisted on giving Don a drink. We
loose to find water. They came back an
hour later and had found none. Guns
were drawn again. l pretended TO yield
TO him. He fell asleep and then l gave
that dog a drink. He licked my clothes,
my hands, my feet. my face and lay down
beside me to watch over me against Tom
the whole night long. l never saw such
gratitude.
I'm the morning Tom wen plumb crazy.
He had Mysteries. We went down a trail,
which we had climbed. into the blazing
desert. Tom threw his clothes away. He
tore his hair. / pretended l saw a sign
board and told him could. We struggled
on and only half a mile away I did find a
was two miles away. / gave Tom all the
water we had left. I remember walking
for about half a mile further. and that Ia all.
h next | knew l was drinking at a hole in
the dog. and a stranger who had come East
in a prairie schooner was standing over
ne and saying: There's plenty Of water,
stranger I never looked at him. I drank
and drank and fell back exhausted.
mo man ever can know what suffering
is until he feels thirst like that. Don after
ward saved my life by his warnings In
Nevada when two desperadoes tried to
kill me. l wandered all over the country,
%roughing it in my desire to build up my
health. Don went with me. Out in Calf
fornia one time l met a man who was kind
to Don and me. Don liked him. The man
wanted him, and because the rancher was
kind and was a man of good repute I let
him have Don until l should send for him.
Don liked his new home and I have never
sent for him. l wouldn't hurt that dogs
feelings for the world. He's still my dog.
/ hear, Of him from time TO time and some
day l hope TO see him.. Once we went lss
miles without seeing a habitation. He
watched over me while I slept.
Il could always lecture to Don, even
il / had no other houses. remember thst
in Yonkers on my first night out l had Just
three persons at the lecture, all d~eadheads
or course things improved as / went on and
got notoriety and Mayors Of cities used to
ride my burro out OF town and all that.
Il landed in San Francisco with si,2ss
in my pocket, all OF IL earned on my way.
| weighed 100 pounds when I started and
gained forty pounds on the trip. l was 90
much improved in health hat I went into
roughing il. l worked on ranches. went
to washing gold and mining. I worked in