Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-01
FOOT TOUR CURES
HIM Of PHTH|S|S
Herbert Hoover Ends 10000
Mile Walk from Newark to
Frisco and Back.

apt to be prescribed by physician as
cure for tuberculosis. but 21-year-
old Herbert Hoover. who was vel
coined home by his mother, at 22S
Mulberry street. Newark, today, after
completing the hike from Newark TO
San Francisco and back, took the trip
on the advice, given in a joking way,
by his physician and as a result is
now enjoying perfect health. entirely
cured of the disease.
When Hoover left the City Hall in
New York city at o'clock on the
moring of October Ia, 1912, he weighed
only 104 pounds; his sunken cheeks.
accentuated by the ghostly pallor
which overspread his face, caused
many in the crowd who saw him de-
part to shake their heads obviously
and remark that he never would
come back alive.
Today he is tanned TO the color of
the six-ineh broad cowpuncher's belt
he wears, and he now weighs 14S
pounds and his muscles are like iron.
His time for the trip, to be exact, was
ten months. twenty days, seventeen
hours and ten minutes.
Arrested Ninety zone Times.
Hoover was arrested ninety -one
times as a vagrant during the course
of the trip. His adventures, if re-
counted in detail in book form,
would make most interesting read
ing. On his return to this city Hoover
states that he has Won a prize of
$1,000 donated by the members of the
Gray Crest Athletic Club, whose head
and a side bet of $500 from Louis
Maloney, of 104 North Mum avenue,
East Orange, a member of the club.
Maloney bet Hoover that he would
not let his hair grow without cutting
until November I, 1913. Hoover has
not had his hair cut once during the
whole trip. 1t is now eleven inches
long. On the trip he wore out seven
pairs of shoes and 212 pairs of silk
stockings and three khaki suits When
he arrived at his mothers house to-
day he Immediately began ransacking
his bureau for a suit of wearing ap-
| parel he discarded before he went
away. He found what was once a
good tit in a blue suit. but when he
put 1t on the sleeves we're too short
and the coat too tight. He also was
| forced to buy new collars, as his old
ones were too small.
Coat Feels Heavy.
| Gee, MAJ" he remarked when he
appeared before his mother all
"dolled up Il haven't worn a collar
and tie for eleven months. This coat.
as small as 1t is, feels heavy Do
| look all right?" After being assured
that with the exception of his hair,
which needed the undivided attention
| of lawn mower, he looked like the
average Beau Brummel. he proceed
ed to tell part of the story connected
with the hike to an Evening Star re-
porter.
Mayor Gaynor gave me a send
off from the New York City Hall at
| 9 o'clock on the morning of October
| u, 1912. Louis Maloney was with me
and we made our way to Philadelphia.
| Lou accompanied me as far as Rich
mond, because ! figured that If I
went that far I could make the rest
of it alone. From Philadelphia ] went
to Baltimore and from there to Wash
| ington. D. c., where ] shook hands
with President Taft al the White
House When arrived at Columbus,
| n. C.. on November &c, 1912, | was
arrested for the first time as q
| yagrant. I ate my Thanksgiving din
ner. which consisted of small ham
sandwich and. little poorly made
coffee, in Jail at that place.
when 7 was released from there
made my way to New Orleans
Never Saw So Many TrestIes.
Believe me ] never in my life neard
of or saw SO many railroad trestles
as are in the State of Missls.ippi.
Several times ! was caught by a train
when halfway across one. In eScn
case l had to hang by my hands on
tie while the train thun 1:eded
above me. If my hold would have
been broken a clear drop of nearly
100 feet was the reception awaiting
me, but / never dropped,
During all this time I was making
my way by working at small odd
jobs. The stipulations for the Drize
money were that was not to beg,
borrow or steal in order to get along.
Many times when [ met with rev
cowboys they would insist on taking
up a collection and presenting il to
me.
my Christmas dinner l ate while
sitting on a railroad track between
the towns of Crowley and Lafayette,
La. Talk about having hot weather
here in July; well. the tracks We're so
hot that | couldn't even stand on
them for fear of getting blisters on
my feet This may sound like an
exaggeration, but anyone down that
way will prove it. New Years eve |
celebrated with a good sleep in a box
car on the Texas border line. You
see, sleep in a box car or outdoors
had no effect on me by this time. l
was rapidly gaining in strength. and
although ] had two hemorrhages
Just after l started on my trip | was
never troubled with them again.
Sees 1000 Head of Cattle Dead.
while going through Eagle Pass.
Tex, on the fifteenth of January. l
saw 1000 head of dead cattle frozen
when caught in Northwestern AT
that time / was lucky enough to get
shelter in a ranch house of the Bar
X ranch. About $50 miles west OF
San Antonio. Tex, ] struck the Circle
C ranch Before l left the COW
punchers presented me with this
fawn skin belt. 1t cost the boys just
81 an ounce and it weighs eighteen
ounces"
When asked whether he ever was
troubled with rattlesnakes or the re-
moved gila monster, otherwise known
as the 'rattlesnake on legs Hoover
saidb Texas is full of rattlesnakes,
but while going through the State /
only killed ten and these were only
killed when / was forced to do 1t.
The gila monster is q bad thing to
connect with. 1t permeates the air
with an offensive odor which makes
one deathly sick. And when person
overcome with this odor lies down on