Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-28
VENEZUELAN ON SIX-MONTFIS'
STROLL. TO MEXICAN CAPITAL
On Reaching His Goal, He'll
Turn About and Walk
Back.
Pays Expenses by Painting
Pictures-Has Many
Letters.

A long-distance walker since he was
| 10 years old. when he began hiking
around his native Venezuela, Miguel
| Martinez, now %. Is leaving Washing
| ton today on the resumption of his
walk from New York City to Mexico
| City,
Armed with letters certifying his
| presence at certain times in the cities
| and houses along the way, Martinez
| reached the Capital Thursday. Is DAYS
out of New York. His first letter. sign
ed by Joseph Mckee acting mayor OF
New York, and bearing the official seal
of that city. establishes the fact that
| the young Latin had called at the
mayors Office announcing his intention
| Of hiking to the Mexican capital. Sub
! Sequent certificates set forth that Mar
! tinez had lodged at farmhouses along
the way to Philadelphia. where he re-
| ceived the official signatures and seal
OF Paul M. Gottlieb, secretary to the
! mayor.
| He's an Artist.
| When he reached Washington, after
adding to his collection of farmhouse
letters. Martinez called at the District
of Columbia Supreme Court. where
Frank E. Cunningham, clerk. gave him
another certificate-letter with the COW
eted red seal.
| Martinez has rather novel scheme
| for making his travelling expenses. "
Ill the first place he is an artistic
studied two years in Rome in addition
| to apprenticing himself to the masters
| of his country-and as he nears the
end of his walking day he picks out q
likely looking house. sits himself by the
side of the gate, executes 10-minute
water color sketch and shows it to the
master and mistress of the house. His
| English isn't the most pliable, but his
| sketch, with a hasty display of the
| letters he has gathered, soon estab-
| fishes his purpose at the house. The
| family invites him to stay with it for
| the night. accepting the proffered
sketch in return for the board"
Must Have His Nap.
And like all good travellers, Martinez
| operates on schedule. He gets out or
| the road at o'clock each morning he
| is travelling He hikes until IL o'clock
| when he finds a nice cool spot to rest
and then like all good Latins, he takes
! his siesta until 8 o'clock in the after
noon, thus avoiding the greatest heat
of the day. BY O'Clock he is ready
| for the road again and he continues
| his plodding until o'clock or so. He
estimates he covers about IS miles a
| day.
The walking artist expects to reach
| Mexico City in six months and then he
| plans to walk back again. Once back
| in New York. Martinez says he hopes
| to stop hiking and settle down to the
! life of the average American. He likes
the United States and proposes to stay
| here.
Although he has no estimate Of the
number OF miles he had covered on
| foot. he has walked all over Venezuela
| Colombia, Peru. Brazil Panama, Para
buay. Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia.
Costa RIGA and Argentina. From each
Of these lands he has documentary evil
dence of his walking visit, but none OF
those hikes, he says, approaches in pro-
portions his present undertaking.
Within year he'll be back this way
ending his retiring hike--if his sched-
ule and feet hold-July 10. 1929.