Puck — January 1, 1879 — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Se6III WALKING A WHOLE YEAR WITHOUT STOPPING!!! BLOW LHARY’S GREAT FEET — AND HIS GREAT FEAT. WONDERS OF THE HUMAN HOOF. HOW HE LEGGED IT. THE GREAT JOURNEY ENDED. HE WINS $1,000,000. REPORTS OF THE TRIUMPHAL PROGRESS. SUMMARY OF THE YEAR, [From the Daily Puck of January 1, 1980. Tue great walk has ended, and Blow Leary now takes his well-earned rest as a millionaire. A hundred years ago the feat of walking 73,000 miles in a year—just two hundred miles inaday —would have been considered impossible by our slow-going ancestors who were ignorant of almost everything worth knowing. What knew they of air-lightning express trains and tin-lined stomachs, which latter enable a man, after a proper diet of adulterated sugar, to go without food foran unlimited period? ‘The human frame and its capabilities was to them a sealed book; and if anything were wanting to prove the truth of the Darwinian theory, which was doubted in the last century by a then very powerful but unscrupulous class of men called clergymen, this unparalleled feat of Blow Leary must con- vince any loose skeptic of that now practically extinct profession that may be lying around. Men such as our Grand Pedestrian are nothing more than the natural result of scientific breed- ing and crossing of walkists and walkistesses. OLD-TIME PEDESTRIANISM. On looking over a file of Puck of the year 18,000,000,000,000,000,000,00078 (old style 1878) we find that asmall shed called Gilmore's Garden, situated in the neighborhood of that now rather disreputable part of the city once called Madison Avenue, now Kelly Street, was the scene of these comparatively poor pedestrian contests, and, strange as it may seem, a man named O'Leary, from whom Blow Leary claims to be descended, was walking against an Italian opera singer named Campanini. How this man could manage to undergo the exertion and ap- pear in opera at the same time, is not explained. A Madame Anderson, who, it appears, was a member of the Louisiana Returning Board of that period, also distinguished herself by walk- ing a few hundred miles. This was before the East River was filled in, and the Fortieth Ward was called Brooklyn, which was the scene of her, judged from our standpoint, rather insig- nificant triumphs. Other distinguished walkists flourished about this time, and Blow Leary says that every member of HIS ANCESTRY, both male and female, walked for wagers. On consulting the books of the Herald’s College, we find that the O'Leary above mentioned married a Miss Bertha von Hillern. The fruit of this union was a son who walked five miles in half-an-hour on the day of his birth. Ashe grew older he walked into the affections of Madame Anderson, whom he married. ‘Their daughter was eminently respected for her pedestrian and affectionate muscularity, and gained great re- nown by her accomplishing the then astonish- ing feat of walking from New York to San Francisco and back in four days six hours seventeen minutes thirty-six and five-eighths seconds, with difference in longitude straight- ened out. The young ledy was united ‘a the holy bonds of matrimony to a man named Weston, also a walker. The son was Blow Leary’s great-grandfather. We thus come to Blow Leary himself, who has shown that it my be possible for a well-trained pedestrian to wall forever, without eating, drinking, or sleeping. We have sympathy for the animal and vege- table food producing interests should the whole human family turn pedestrians—but science and progress are merciless, and we can’t helpit. SUMMARY OF THE ACHIEVEMENT. On the 1st of January Blow Leary set out on his 73,000 mile walk in Kelly Park, formerly called Central Park, which had been roofed in for the purpose. He started from the Sixth Avenue entrance and sgth Street, and com- pleted his first circuit ofsix miles and a half in three-quarters of a minute. This is marvelous time. It is almost laughable to think how miser- ably pedestrians must have fared a hundred years ago in walking in that wretched, cramped old shed—yclept Gilmore’s Gardens—in Kelly Street. Now everything has changed. ‘The magnificent Central Kelly Conservatory, with the finest roof, unsupported by pillars, in the world, is now the scene of our athlete’s triumphs —and yet our primitive forefathers called this place Central Park, and never had the sense to cover it over. It will be remembered that Blow Leary undertook to walk from the 1st of January to the 31st of December, without any rest or nourishment whatever, for ONE MILLION DOLLARS. The second circuit of the Conservatory was completed in half-an-hour, being about Blow Leary’s regular pace. ‘The attendance was large on every day of the year, there being never less at any time than two millions. ‘This, out of a city population of fifteen millions, is not bad. All classes were represented, from the aristo- cratic billionaire of Tenth Avenue and Pough- keepsie Square to the humbler denizen of Madi- son Avenue, while the brutal burglar of CENTRAL FIFTH AVEN' and scarcely less revolting specimens of hu- manity who inhabit the disgusting tenements and vile dens of Madison Avenue and ‘Thirty- fourth Street, rubbed shoulders with fair women and brave men. On Washington's Birthday Blow Leary had completed, at noon, his 10,600 | miles, being a little ahead of time. | MAGNIFICENT FETTLE. Blow Leary’s style of walking is a sort of hop, skip and jump, When on his mettle he has been known to make a mile a minute, but he rarely considers such exertion necessary. April the first was Kelly’s birthday, but the festivities and regular holiday in memory of that distinguished patriot and Father of our city did not interfere with our champion, who manfully stuck to his work, In the afternoon, between three and four, the attendance must have been about seven millions, Kelly's colossal statue seems to have been the favorite ground for viewing the walkist’s apparently slight efforts. Old-time pedestrians used to take frequent rests and much food and wine, Blow Leary could have double-discounted any one of them, not only on account of his knowing how to make use of his legs, but from the fact of his having NOTHING ON HIS STOMACH, On the Fourth of July the thermometer stood at 103 in the shade, but the temperature had not the slightest effect on Blow Leary, who still urged on his wild career. While other people were puffing, blowing, fanning themselves and drinking lager galore, the wonderful walkist pursued the even tenor of his way, nothing disturbing his imperturbability. THANKSGIVING found the champion still on the trot, with 66,000 miles to his credit. Hundreds of his admirers implored him to eat a slice of turkey, but Blow Leary was proof against such tempta- tions. ‘The only thing of which he complained was a slight stiffness in his little finger, attribu- able, perhaps, to his not having crooked it for so long a period. CHRISTMAS DAY Blow Leary had just another thousand miles to complete his task. He slackened up a litte, as he told a Puck reporter he wanted to finish exactly on the 31st December. THE LAST MILE of yesterday was done in two minutes five se- conds amidst maddening enthusiasm, and the world’s greatest herosat down for the first time in a twelvemonth as fresh as a daisy. He ate a peanut and drunk a glass of root beer. We do not wish to hear anything more of the prowess of our ancestors. ‘hey never did, nor never could, beat great Blow Leary’s record. A MISUNDERSTANDING. ese receptacles were suspended on anything into them. He thought they were i hi MOM ill. i) Hl ence Chea Christmas Eve; but Santa Claus didn’t put hung up to dry. comicbooks.com