East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-05-29
NOTED ATHLETE
At LOCAL THEATRE
COWBOY SMITH, RUNNER
AND WALKER OF FAME
Wife Also Has Reputation as Sprint
er-Six Day Races Won by Vaude-
vile Performer and Also Seventy
Three Mile Event.

CONDoy SnlIn ana MS wife, both
clever vaudeville performers. are hold
ing down the boards at the Grand un-
der the stage title of ALBERT and
Rosela-" Twenty years ago Smith
was one of the famous athletes of
the world. He was a six-day runner
and his name was linked with such
celebrities as George Littlewood, Jim
my Alberts. Gus Guerrero and Sport"
Campana- Smith began running in
England. where he made his reputa-
ton Financial inducements tempted
him to visit America, where eventual
ly he made his home. After the six
day sport perished Snnit'. - his wife.
who was also a runner in her Young
er days, adopted the stage as their
calling.
One of Smiths running records
was made at Waterbury, Conn.
where he did 7S miles in II hours. He
a-so has the distinction of walking
heel and toe, ten miles in one hour.
IS minutes and Is seconds and 100
yards, square heel and toe, in ii IA
seconds.
Yes. I keep IN touch with all. the
old runners in my business, as we are
travelling about a great deal, and I
am glad TO say that the large major
ity are doing very we'll financially and
they promise to live to ripe old ages
and enjoy the best of health. said
Smith yesterday while in a reminis-
cent mood "A few have dropped out
of the race for existence. which was
TO be expected, but the old runners
as whole are more than making a
stand-off of life. George Littlewood.
the champion of all champions. is iv-
ing in Sheffield, England. He is very
well to do, and when L heard from
him last he was in splendid health
His record of 623 miles and 1920
yards in six days, made in the early
eighties. still stands, and 1 guess it
will always stand. Truly Littlewood
was a wonderful runner. He used
to make us dizzy trying to keep with
in shooting distance of him.
Jimmy Alberts, 1 guess. has got
more money than any of the old gang
He is at the head of a large cattle
ranch in Texas and is making so much
money that he can't spend it. When
We go through Texas he comes over
to the show and We reminiscence.
Next to Littlewood. 1 presume AL
Alberts was the best runner of those
days He made a mark once of 621
miles in six days, which was a great
piece Of running.
Gus Guerrero. You remember
Gus Guerrero? Everybody does.
When We are in New York we often
meet him on the L road. He is a
conductor on one of the trains and
he looks as young as when he was
on the track
Norman Taylor, the pie-eater, call
ed so because he trained and raced
on pies. must be eighty now. Min
neapOlis is his home, and 1 believe he
has a job with the city. When he
was 7S years old ne celebrated by
running from Minneapolis over to ST.
Paul and back He just wanted to
show his friends that he had some
thing left. Running long races and
enduring all sorts of hardships GER
[ tainly never injured him.
/ wayside a few years ago and was bur-
/ led somewhere in the Middle West.
| had many a brush with Sport or
the track. He was glutton for work
"Bill Hoagland is running a hote
I at Union Springs, y. Y, and doing q
/ good business.
Bobby Vint is living comfortably in
/ san Francisco. and 1 saw him only the
other day. He seems to be holding
his own. When he was running the
newspaper boys dubbed him the
I Brooklyn Shoemaker
George Normac, who was some
times called the Flying Scotchman,
is conducting a hotel at Germantown
just a few miles out of Philadelphia
'In those days there were severa
colOred runners, but there was one
and only one. and that one was Franz
Hart The boys all recognized hin
as a great runner. The last L hearC
Of him he was dying from tuberculosi
in Chicago. 1 was sorry to hear il
for we all liked Frank.
"Other runners of lesser note
might name are enjoying good healtl
in different parts of the country ant
seem to be eating regularly. 1t wa
great sport, and, despite its hardship
we had good times"