The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-10-03
ENCRCLING L.. $.
Continued from Page One)

! the story. saying that 1t was utterly I'M
/ possible for a man TO start out without
] a penny and make Il hike around the
borders of the country, relying entirely
on the generosity of the people whom he
might meet in the various sections OF the
| country. To prove his contention Day
set out from San Francisco without a
| coat or hat and without a cent, with
nothing but his pack on his back. 1t
| looks as though this hiker was well on
| the way toward achieving his goal. Al
| ready he has traversed over half of the
necessary mileage and it has all been
accomplished without the expenditure of
| a penny.
| The conditions under which Day is
performing this feat are unique. Ac
| Cording TO the terms made with his pub
! fishers, he must not accept any money
| nor must he ask for clothes or even for
| food. Everything that he receives must
| be given him solely out of generosity. If
| he needs a Shirt-and he has worn out
several on his long itinerary-he must
| not mention the fact that he needs one
somebody whom he meets must notice
| that he needs Il garment and must pre-.
sent him with one. If his shoes are
| wearing out and his toes are poking
| through he cannot, according to the CON
ditions, give the slightest hint that he
needs new footgear; but If someone OBJ
serves the condition of his feet and pre-
| Sents him with Il new pair of shoes, Day
| is at liberty to accept them. Thus far
| this famed hiker has covered half of the
| country's western boundary, the whole
| of the southern and eastern borders, and
| he is now well on his way along the
| northern area and up to now the CON
| ditions of the journey have been met by
| him in every particular. Day is per-
| mitted to ask for Il drink of water, and
| Il match if he desires 10 have a smoke
| after the completion of Il days journey.
| He is not permitted TO smoke cigars, but
be can smoke cigarettes and his pipe if
| he chooses. He is permitted further to
allow someone to carry his pack, pro-
| vided someone offers to do it.
! Day carries with him an interesting
| little book in which are rotations made
! by many people whom he has met on his
| route, these notations proving that he
| has visited the various towns as claimed.
Every article of clothing or food that is
| given him has to be noted in the book
| and signed by the donor, in order that
| proof will later be at hand to show that
| everything was received unsolicited. In
another book he carries clippings from
! various papers in the towns and cities
| where he has stopped these papers be
! ing sent voluntarily to future point,
! where Day later secures them. In this
| way he has further proof of his travels
and the generous spirit accorded him.
Day speaks well of the generosity he
has found among the New England peo-
. PIE. Ibuuu ine Eopulu IdlAtI ShtilL-
| cal" he said, and | found better treat
ment the moment | reached New York.
Since leaving Washington, ID. G. | have
missed only nine meals. and since leav-
ing San Antonio, Texas, / have slept
in the open only three times. With
these exceptions, l have everywhere been
offered bed in which to sleep and have
been invited to breakfast, dinner and
supper"
When asked what was the worst
stretch of territory through which he has
thus far passed, Day said: That was;
in the Yuma desert in Arizona. | had
10 make 20 miles over the hot and desc
late sands to the first water we'll. The
next day | did l Z miles to the next water
well, and the day following | did the
same distance to another well; and then
it was II miles to Yuma. You know,
when you reach one of these wells at
night the authorities there won't let you
go on. You have to stay over night
there and start out in the morning
Asked what was the worst experience
he had Day said: My worst day was
in the waste lands of Texas when
went 90 hours without food of any kind,
l went 73 miles without seeing Il house,
and one night when | was about to go
to sleep in the open | was attacked by
four coyotes. Old Bill was my only
protection and / battIed with them al
J most an hour before | drew blood from
ends the battle so far as coyotes are
concerned. | have several times been
without food for II or 24 hours, but
never for go hours except this one expe-
4 rience, and it sure was hard tusSle."
Day has been remarkably free from
illness since the start of his trip. On
only one day did he feel under the
weather and he said that was due to inn
pure water. Day can make known the
fact that he is i'll, but it is also a part of
, the rules that he must not ask for medi-
cine.
Day said his entry in New York was
nothing short of triumphant. Someone
noticed the pack on his back just as he
stepped from ferry boat. On the pack
is a sign which reads: Leonard Day on
his 1O,5S5-mile hike and his faithful
, Airedaie." Within 10 minutes the hiker
was in a restaurant enjoying a good
feed at the invitation of the man who
noticed the bag on his back. That night
, and several subsequent nights he spent
at the Pennsylvania hotel. Il have
, nothing but praise he said, for the
people in the Northeast and particularly
, in New England.
, Money has been offered Day on every
, hand, which of course he cannot accept
, On an average, he has been offered q
, dollar a mile. He has been offered many
lifts IN automobiles and wagons, but
they likewise must be refused. One day
he turned down 194 offers to ride
Days longest stretch without stop
ping was 3612 miles in Louisiana his
shortest hike in one day was two miles
from Lynn to Swampscott
Old Bill has been an object of much
interest since Day arrived in Brattle-
| boro. 1t is a stock of cactus plant which
Day picked up in the Arizona desert and
If is practically covered with embems
which be has received from the many
fire departments which he has visited
On route He finds that many of his
best friends are the fremen in the vari-
Gus towns and cities, and when he
| stopped at Central Falls, r. L.. he
shipped back to San Francisco over IS
pounds of emblems
Last night Day was presented with
shirt, pair of leggings, half can of
tobacco and a bunch of cigarettes By the