The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-06
IE ITS HERE
IT'S RIGHT
OLD WOOD LEG
SOURCE OF FUN
fitzpatrick Tells of Many Inter-
eSting Stunts During His Day
as Trick Bike Rider.

Kansas City, Mo, March 6.-A hard
wood limb S usually considered a mis-
fortune, but Charles G. Fitzpatrick has
grown so attached to the leg he hangs
on the wall at night that he sometimes
thinks he might get along without the
other. Fitzpatrick deplores the lack Of
a bard to sing the virtues of a lumber
leg.
Most people call 'em wooden legs
the polite term is artificial limbs But
I call mine just plain 'Corky.'
As fitzpatrick talked he laid his hand
affectionately on his right knee joint
which is of malieable steel.
Had Lot of Fun Out of 1t.
This one is Corky II. and I've had
lot of fun out of it. But the original
Corky was the best leg ever owned.
couldn't have gotten so many laughs
out of homegrown legs if I'd been built
on a centipede model. Besides. look how
useful it is. When I get in a crowded
street car / put my wooden foot in front
of the other one and let the crowd step
on i all If wants. Then when I wish 70
attract attention I make a noise by hit
ting my timber member with good
heavy cane"
Fitzpatrick lost his real leg in a rail
road accident when he was thirty-thTee
years old. Nearly all his life he has
been trick bicycle rider and has per
formed in every country IN Europe. His
famous stunt was riding down the steps
of the national capitol in Washington.
He says all customs officials show
morbid interest in artificial legs.
Every time I crossed a frontier
said he. "a regiment of brass buttons
would swarm around and ysnk off my
woodenware. They would look IT over
with magnify.ng glasses and tap it to
see if it was hollow. They always sus-
pected II of being a baggage car for
smuggled safety pins OF collar buttons.
In crossing from Canada to the United
States in 1900 he was given the usual
reception. One hawkeyed officer spied
the wooden leg.
There's a duty on timber" said the
customs person. Fifty cents. please, or
you'll have to leave one of your legs
over the border"
Fitzpatrick kicked, but finally paid the
tariff Then the officer grabbed a paste
brush, lathered the artificial calf and
stuck big poster on II.
And there's your stamp" said he.
Fitzpatrick saw the joke when he ex-
amined the stamp and found it to be
the label from bottle Of beer.
JUNE Oft OHINCtF
Before they stuck the forty-sixth star
on the flag. Fitzpatrick accompanied his
Carpentered undeTpinning into MuskO-
gee. I. T. It was an open season for
bootleggers. and one marshal was
breaking all records in ia ling thirst
merchants With the wooden leg and the
hotel clerk as accessories, Fitzpatrick
and his friends framed up a citron for
the sleuth.
The clerk handed him quiet tip that
z vooden-legged bootlegger was -
operating in a hotel. Explained that h
leg was hollow and had a faucet at the
ankle The wood gave a fine taste to
the Ticker" and all the bartender had
to do was take a glass from his pocket
and roll up the bottom Of his trousers.
The officer put on his gum shoes and
sneaked up to the law breakers room.
Through the keyhole came sounds of
cI mixing glasses. The officer rushed IN
with his artillery drawn. placed his back
to the door and carelessly drew the cur
tain from his star.
You're under arrest for bOOtlegg1ng,
said he. And the representative of law
and order didn't laugh even after he had
bored holes in the calf of the wooden
leg with d gimiet.
but that old leg died violent
death" Fitzpatrick sorrowfully conclud-
ed Il left it at my boarding house in
Hot Springs. Ark, the night before the
big fire That leg went UP in vapor. 1t
was like losing a child, for great at
tachment had sprung up between US. q