Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-07
CULLEN ON GO-AS-
YOU PLEASE WALKERS
Breezy Letter Praises the Old
Timers for Their Game
ness.
By Clarence L. Cullen.

By Clarence L. Cullen.
Special Correspondence of The Star.
NEW YORK. February 6. 1909.
They're pulling off all sorts of old-fash-
| toned things in the sporting line nowadays
and getting away with them. Folks are
| hungry for sporting events. In New York.
at all events, they'll dig up at the gate
| for any old sort of a transporting AT
| fair that promises them view OF little
| bit of action.
| Now, however, they're beginning to
crowd the mourners bit.
| BY which I mean that they've an
nounced-the chaps who exploit the 6l-
| legged sporting events at Madison Square
Garden. I mean-that there Will be an oio-
| fashioned six-day -you-please match
at the garden beginning on st. Patricks
eve.
| Well, well. II that isn't going back!
That's what the late Mr.. Darwin who
knew a lot about anthropoids and things,
would have called "a reversion to an
cestral types
| Old ia shioned walking match. Ell? Let's
see. let's see. 1t sure does make a fellow
| feel old when he's able to say to him
self that he remembers the big sfX-day
matches that were held at the old Madi-
son Square Garden-the old building that
used in the antique days to be a rail-
road station-in the years 1887. 1SSS and
1889 That's what the above-signed hap
pens to remember all the same. having
spent some six several days in and
around the old garden at each and every
one of those matches. CNo. the above
signed doesn't remember the battle of
New Orleans or the Seminole war. but he
does remember those walking matches)
| Well, there was sonnet hing kind o sporty
about those old-time six-day affairs.
because the best walkists In the world
figured in them and II was every man
for himself and divvle take the hindmost
in those events. That Is to say, every
man in those walking nHtches was sep
| arate entity and was unhampered by any
of this team business.
D different, though. this coming walking
match. They'll walk by teams in the af-
fair that has it's start on st. Patrick s
eve. That is to say. the match will be
walked Just like one of these so-called
| siX-day bicycle traces" Is run of-each
man with partner to take UP the trudg-
| ing when his turn comes. You see. there
was a law passed in this state quite a
number of years ago. prohibiting any man
from engaging in any kind of public ath-
letic exercise for the full stretch OF TWEEN
| tv-four hours q day. The law was made
to stop the fellows who used to ride and
walk all by themselves through all of the
long six days in the bicycle and walking
matches Ever since that law was put on
the books they've had to hook up with
! teammates in such events.
The team business effectually knocks
the tar out of the sure-enough endurance
end of such affairs. AS a straight matter
Of fact. any two men, not athletes at all,
| in fair state of strength and health,
| could hook up according to that team
system and hoof it around a six-day track
or ride bicycles around the same without
any appreciate damage to their systems
for about six months at a stretch.
But when in such contests, it's case
of every man for himself. and no fresh
teammate waiting just around the corner
to do the reliever act when the party OF
the first part of the team sketch is tired
or winded or something-why, then there
something doing IN the sporting line.
I've had a peek at the entries of the
| walking match that's to be. / don't be-
Iieve there's a man entered in the affair
who could. under the each-man- for-him-
self system of the olden days come with
In hundred miles of equaling the records
made by any of the old-time great six
day wakists. There was Jimmy Albert
who won one of the big events-1 met
him down on the boardwalk in Atlantic
City not so very long ago-st1ll rudy,
chunky, substantial and well-to-do citi-
zen I haven't the data right at hand
but I believe that Albert Gid 610 miles in
the 142 hours when he won his race
Then there were FITZGERALD. O'Leary
Noremac. Old Sport Campana, Guerrero
and slews and slathers of other men or the
old Walkirg-match days who could slap
down their 800 miles, all by their little
lonesomes. within the 142 hours.
The chief of all Of those walkists OF
what seems to me, looking back. like the
ancient years, however, was LittleWood.
an Englishman Got to give 1t to the fell
low even If he was bloomink Britisher
Littlewood won the last OF the great
| walking matches at the old garden. he
walked and ran GA mi es and some yards
in the 14o hours, a record that had never
been approached and probably never VIII
be equaled or anything like it. He was q
SQUAT, fair-haired, very quiet chap, with
none of the characteristic British brag
and bounce, and his victory. Considering
his enormous gameness under adverse
circumstances. was extremely popular.
say adverse circumstances, because
here's just how Littlewood finished that
stretch OF 624 miles and some yards that
time: Namely, with the bones of the toes
OF his feet protrHding-literally protrud-
ing-through the flesh. He'd just worn his
feet down that way. that's all; worn EN-
down. You can easily imagine how man
might do that by walking the tremendous
distance of 624 miles in a space of six
days less two hours; but you never will
imagine how man with his feet in that
hideous, pitiable condltion-and they were
in that condition at the end of the fourth
day-could have gone right on running
like a deer and walking and winning such
an event from the craCkerjack Walkists
of the world. Littlewood got away with
il by the most monumental exhibition OF
sheer bulldog courage, pluck, grit, sand,
whatever you elect 10 cal 1t, that was
ever displayed In any kind of d sporting
event in this country and It's got to be
given to the blaWsted Britisher, as say.
l very much doubt If at the end of the
coming walking match the fellows in the
thing running by twos will equal the GA
mile record made by Littlewood for the
14o hours all by himself That's at the
! rate OF 1O4 miles per day. feller-citizens,
and when you just knock off reading and
sort O. glance up at the ceiling and think
over what 1t means to walk 1O4 miles a
day for six days running. with hardly any
: sleep and with your bones Just about
ready to fall apart-it sort o makes you
glad that you are not holding that KIND
| of a Job. doesn't 1t?
i There was a Mexican who used TO inquire
in those old walking matches VINO. In my
| opinion, could, If we were In the game 10
day give all Of these Marathoners cards
and spades and big casino and then rur
all kinds of true lovers knots and loops
| around them.
81 His name was Guerrero-a tall, graceful
4 houndishy built. clipperish Greaser, WIFI
8 some Yanui Indian in him. me 1elloV
q was as graceful deer In ful night
o and man. fna-an. how he could run. In
q trouble with this Greaser chap was tina
s he wasn't meant for siX-day things Id
) always ran himself into the ground on th'
5 first day He was in the race won BY
I Iittlewood At the bang Of the gun Thu
4 do