Ultrarunning Stranger Things: Fraud, Theft, and Nuisance

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By Davy Crockett

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By 1906, when the pedestrian era was over, most of the elite pedestrians turned to legitimate professions to support their families. Daniel O’Leary was traveling for a big publishing house. John “Lepper” Hughes was in the real estate business, Jimmy Albert was a Texas cattleman, Robert Vint was an oil agent in Russia. Samuel Day was a house painter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

But many others had a darker side, driven by motivations of greed and were not necessarily the most outstanding citizens. It should not be too surprising that many were involved in wild free-spending lifestyles, scandals, illegal activities, and run-ins with the law. This episode will concentrate on the strange darker side of the sport during the late 1800s. Future episodes will focus on corruption during the races and some bizarre love triangles among the running community.

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Publicity Fraud and Redemption

The year 1879 saw an explosion of people trying to enter the ultrarunning/pedestrian sport with at least 90 six-day races held worldwide with 900 starters. That year, Madame Waldron and Walter Moore tried their hands at going after the fame and fortune of pedestrianism. Their story is interesting because they both degraded into serious fraud but later, they turned around their lives serving the downtrodden in their community.

Harriet “Hattie” L. (Waldron) Adams (1845-1911), of Brooklyn, New York (also known as Madame Waldron), became a female pedestrian in 1879. She married very young, in 1861, at the age of seventeen, to Henry Adams and they had a daughter, Emma. Henry likely died and in 1879, as the Pedestrian craze took hold in America, Hattie turned to the sport to start a new life and attempt to earn a fortune.

In January 1879, Adams (Madame Waldron) walked 150 miles in 50 hours at the Adelphi Theatre in New York City. Next, on March 3, 1879, she competed in an “International Pedestrian and Billiard Tournament” that was held at the Brooklyn Roller Skating Rink, near Dr. Justin D. Fulton’s Temple. Pedestrians, male and female from nine countries attempted various walks for huge money on seven sawdust tracks, each 20 laps to a mile, set up in the building. It was an amazing spectacle. “Its entire appearance had been changed from a mammoth, bleak and dreary barn to a bright and cheery place of amusement. Between the tracks were placed rows of evergreens, shrubs and flowing plants which gave the floor much of the appearance of a garden. Three full-sized billiard tables were placed in a space in the center of the rink. From the roof were pendant hundreds of bright flags. At the rear of the hall was a large music gallery.”

Adams/Madame Waldron and one of the most famous female pedestrians, May Marshall, attempted to walk 4,000 quarter miles in 4,000 quarter hours. Adams was said to be “of large statue but attractive,” 180 pounds, and claimed to be “the heavyweight champion of America.” She did not succeed in the very difficult 1,000-mile walk but had tasted the spotlight of fame and wanted more.

A couple months later, Adams competed against Walter Moore (1854-1915), a novice walker and construction worker from Brooklyn, attempting 2,700 miles in 2,700 quarter hours in Brooklyn at Bennett’s Hotel on Atlantic Avenue. They did not make it, covered at least 111 miles, but they did evidently find love and got married. Walter Moore started going by the name of Charles Livingston and claimed that he successfully walked 4,000 quarter miles in 4,000 quarter hours, which was not true.

Fasting for 42 Days

After their short pedestrian careers were over, to try to regain some fame, Livingston came up with a publicity stunt to fast for 42 days. He published a challenge for anyone to compete against him for $2,500. No one accepted, so he decided to do it solo. He shared his background with newspapers. “He began a business for himself when he was 19 years old, manufacturing calico wrappers, and built up a business which at one time employed 30 girls, but it failed, and he got into debt. He then went to work as a foreman of a construction gang.” After his professional pedestrian career fizzled, he handled grain at stores along the East River.

Livingston’s crazy fast began on September 7, 1880, at a beer saloon at 5 Willoughby St., Brooklyn, New York. He claimed that in the past he had fasted 23 days and he wanted to go after a 42-day record held by a Dr. Henry S. Tanner (1831-1918), completed a month earlier. Livingston said, “I don’t care for food, it has no temptation for me, and I can go without eating or sleeping without any inconvenience.”

He was allowed to drink water. To verify the stunt, one “watcher” was always on duty. Livingston spent much of his days relaxing and chatting in an easy chair donated by a furniture store. He loved the attention that he was getting in the New York City newspapers, and his stunt started to be reported nationwide. Spectators coming to see him started to be charged admission after the second day. His manager, T. J. Murphy said, “If he wants to starve, I will give him a good chance.”

Many callers came each day to visit him including John Dwyer (1847-1882), the ex-prize fighter and Congressman Daniel O’Reilly (1838-1911). “Livingston sat near the front window of the hall, and his wife sat most of the day by his side. He is her second husband, and they are an affectionate couple. She is many years his senior.”

After just four days, Livingston, age 26, was getting thin and complaining that his clothes were too large on him. Oddly, his face still looked full, and he had not yet weighed himself. Dr. Tanner was very skeptical of the stunt, stating that “unless physicians watch him, the genuineness of his fast will be doubted.”

On day five Livingston felt well but “had a longing for food as he saw it in the restaurants which he passed in his walk.” He wanted a notice posted in the saloon that people should refrain from mentioning food. Hattie livened things up by playing on the bar piano. She was increasingly becoming opposed to the stunt, mostly because it wasn’t bringing in very much money. She accused one of the watchers of insulting her and threatened to fetch the police to make her husband go home.

On day six, Livingston said, “I am feeling worse today than I have any day of my fast. I am very weak and am losing flesh very fast. Just see how loose my coat and vest are.” A popular daily postcard mentioned his effort.

On day seven, Hattie visited, still insisting that Livingston stop, and told him falsely that his father died from a heart attack and that he must leave immediately to attend the funeral. Livingston didn’t buy the story and didn’t budge.

On day eight, Hattie, began insisting that he stop before he got deathly ill. She feared that he was going to die and that his manager wasn’t showing him proper attention. Livingston refused to quit for his wife. “She wept at the decision and grew angry and threatened to call in the police and have the fast broken up.” She vowed that she would not come to visit him again during his continued fast. His father, who was not dead, came to visit and told him he was wicked for trying to fast longer than Jesus did. (See Matthew 4:1-11).

On the nineth day, Hattie sent word to her husband at the barroom that she was sick in bed with heart disease and wanted him to come see her. He and the two watchers went to his home at 358 Atlantic Avenue, but she looked as healthy as ever. She insisted that he stop his fast or she would be the one who would die. Livingston refused to stop and returned to the bar.

Later that evening, Livingston’s landlord rushed in stating that Hattie had purposely taken bug poison and that he needed to immediately return home. He darted out of the bar without his watchers. “The police were notified, and an ambulance was sent to the woman’s house. The neighborhood was in a state of great excitement. Livingston reached his wife’s apartment about the same time”

Hattie was moaning, a cup containing bedbug poison was on a table near her bedside. “He came out to his watchers and announced that after eight days and ten hours, he would stop his fast, as his wife was bound to get him home.” The ambulance was going to take her to the hospital, but Livingston said that there was nothing wrong with her, that the poisoning was a ruse. The press wrote, “Starvation is the last resource of the lazy man. A lazy person would rather starve to death than work.” It was believed that Livingston belonged to that class of people. Livingston immediately drank a glass of beer and ate three crackers. The next morning, he started to look for a job.

Fasting Fraud Revealed

About a week later, the truth came out. Hans Anderson had been curious about the man fasting and went to visit him at the bar during his fast. He was surprised to find out that Livingston was the same man who was the lost husband of his daughter, Lillian. Livingston’s real name was Walter B. Moorcroft. He had married Lillian Anderson in 1878 when she was only 16 years old, and he had deserted her in 1879 when he started his pedestrianism. Since Mr. Anderson was Lillian’s guardian, he went and filed charges and a divorce suit against Livingston. Papers were attempted to be served, but Livingston had already fled.

Livingston’s landlady, Mrs. Fisher revealed that the entire fasting event was a fraud. Hattie had secretly supplied him with food and stimulants and was in on the hoax. “Mrs. Fisher also let it be understood that the poisoning dodge was a job put up between Livingston and his wife as a dramatic close to the fasting imposture.”

Thomas Fields, a deputy sheriff, and Livingston’s former manager who was a watcher during the fast spotted Livingston on the streets of Brooklyn. He convinced Livingston to meet him later at a certain place, and then had Anderson and his daughter secretly also be there to confirm, without a doubt, that he was actually Moorcroft. Fields then handed Livingston the summons divorce suit. Livingston was surprised but admitted that he was Moorcroft and blamed Hattie for enticing him away from his true wife, Lillian. He had also gone by other aliases, Walter Moore and Walter B. Morgan. “If Moorcroft had brains to stick to one wife as tenaciously as he wanted to starve himself, he would have a partial outfit for a good citizen.”

Lives Turned Around

Moorcroft and Adams were legally married in 1883. In 1892 he became involved with Emmanuel Mission “designed for the reclamation of fallen men.” He became the superintendent of the mission, using it as a charitable institution, probably for nefarious purposes. He was sued for nonpayment of goods for the mission and then it was revealed publicly that Moorcroft also owned the notorious Tenderloin Saloon on East 13^th Street in New York City, also known as “The Hole in the Wall” which had a “disreputable character,” and likely contained a brothel.

Finally in 1894, something happened. Moorcroft underwent a spiritual conversion one evening and immediately telegraphed his bar with instructions to close the business. His employees thought the police were after him. “But Moorcroft disabused everyone’s mind by hurrying down to his saloon, taking out all the bottles of whiskey and emptying them into the sewer and then doing the same with every drop of alcoholic beverage he had in the place. Not a bottle of flask or keg was left unemptied by Moorcroft.” He sold his business and donated the money toward fallen girls of New York City.

Moorcroft later explained, “I had a big business and made money, loads of it. I never was bothered by any pangs of self-reproach or remorse. I was a laughing sinner. One day, I was moved to enter the John Street Methodist church that I happened to be passing. A half hour later I was a saved man, born again.”

He then joined the Methodists and started work as a fulltime missionary. He put his heart into the rescue mission and in 1895 was described as “a gentleman possessing an aggressive and intense personality, full of humane kindness, with the courage of his convictions, with one idea to administer succor to the outcast and abandoned.” He and his wife lived at the mission.

Later they moved to New Jersey in 1901 and opened missions in Ridgewood, Lodi and Paterson and were involved with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. “He took in free of charge hundreds of men and women rather than have them arrested for either drunkenness or disorderly conduct and sent to jail.”

With his aggressive personality, Moorcroft would offend others. “At times he worked with and without the aid of the city’s churches. His attitude was that the churches and pastors did not back up his efforts with the destitute, leaving him now and then without the support of the cloth. It can be truly said that he has never been known to turn anyone away, no matter what their condition, creed, or color, without giving them a fair chance to lead a good life.”

Hattie was also very involved and would sing solos during mission ceremonies. At times they were accused of using the missions to gain money “under the cloak of charity,” but evidence indicated they were sincere in their efforts. Hattie went blind during her last two years of life and was cared by her husband until she died in 1911 at the age of 66. He then was forced out of the “Red Light Mission” in Paterson, and opened a second-hand bookstore, taking boarders in, and just managed to make ends meet. He died in 1915 at the age of 61.

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Runner becomes a Horse Thief

James Alfred “Alf” Prater (1857-1904), of Gainesville, Georgia, “the mountain wonder” was a champion pedestrian of the South. His nickname came from scaling several mountains in North Georgia. He started ultrarunning in 1885 at a three-day, 36-hour race held at Macon, Georgia where he placed 2^nd with 173 miles. He then gained fame in 1886 when he won a six-hour walking contest for the Georgia state championship. “One of the peculiarities of Mr. Prater was whipping himself while in the contest. While walking he would carry a small riding whip which he would use in tickling his legs.”

Prater was an engineer and gained national fame for constructing a model of the Brooklyn Bridge that weighed 750 pounds and had 350 figures (people, carriages, boats, etc.) But he was constantly in trouble with the law for beating people up and committing other crimes. He paid many fines and spent time in prison.

In 1898, a horse, buggy, harness, and bridle were stolen from different owners in Georgia. Through good detective work, Sherrif Durham believed that Prater was the thief and tracked him down in Albertville, Alabama with the horse and buggy. Prater had become very popular in the city with young people, attended picnics, and led a choir at Sunday School. But as the old adage says, “Things are seldom what they seem.”

Prater was arrested and Sheriff Durham started to take Prater back to Georgia for trial. But on the way, several of Prater’s friends blocked the road and forced the sheriff to take Prater before a justice of the peace. He testified that he had bought the horse and buggy from a man in Alabama and promised to provide evidence in the morning. He was released on bail of $400 but didn’t show up the next day and fled town. The horse and buggy were returned to their rightful owners. A $100 reward was issued for Prater’s capture.

A year and a half later, Prater was finally apprehended. “A pair of handcuffs fastened to one end of a chain were snuggly clasped around Prater’s wrists and the other end of the chain tightly held by the big sheriff, who said he was carefully guarding against the escape of his prisoner in case the old walking feeling should come over him again.” At his trial, the jury found him guilty, but gave a recommendation of mercy. Before the judge rendered a sentence, Prater finally confessed that he was guilty. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

In 1904, out of prison, Prater was run over and killed by a train in Macon Georgia. He met his death at a crossing that citizens called “a death trap.” The train operated over the crossing with no regard for city laws. Prater left behind a wife and four children. His widow, Belle C. Prater, filed a $25,000 suit against Southern Railway.

A Public Nuisance

In 1875 as Weston and O’Leary were gaining fame, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a man agreed to walk from the Opera House to Thirtieth Street, a little more than two miles, in 22 minutes for $25. “He started shortly after 7:00, dressed in an easy walking costume and his rapid strides soon attracted an immense crowd, which kept increasing at every step he took. His followers were shouting ‘there goes Weston,’ ‘look out for O’Leary,’ etc. A detective considered the rabble somewhat disorderly and requested the walkist to desist, but as he signified his intention of walking on, the officer walked him off to the Central station.” His friends paid for his bail.

In 1885, William Buckler, age 36, “the great Newport pedestrian” who had just completed a walk of 306 miles between Aberdare and Pontypridd, Wales, in six days was arrested and appeared in court. Buckler had been seen walking in Aberdare, in a light pedestrian costume followed by a large crowd of men, women, and children. The complaint was, “If anybody wished to drive a carriage along the street at that time, they would have had considerable difficulty in doing so.” Apparently, that had happened several times before.

Buckler would advertise that he would do a walk, and many people would show up to watch or walk along. “Buckler said he could not help that people followed him, and he argued that there ought to be as much freedom allowed to him as to a show or a circus. Lots of people followed the circuses, but the police did not stop the procession. He had been in all parts of the world but had never been molested by the police before.” The judge was firm and said that the streets could not be used for walking matches or running races. Buckler promised to leave town as soon as possible. The judge said, “And remember that you have no right to run in the street and cause a crowd to follow you.” Bucker countered, “I didn’t run, I never run.” The judge replied, “If you stand on your head and cause a crowd to collect, it would be the same thing.” Buckler promised to not attempt another walking feat in the town and the case was dismissed.

For the next two decades, Buckler continued to attempt ultra-distances walking stunts in many towns, including his version of the backyard ultra in 1907, walking 2,300 miles in 1,000 consecutive hours, 2 miles and 530 yards each hour for 41 days, in Halifax, England.

Apparently, such arrests were common in Great Britain. In 1876 four local pedestrians were convicted for foot racing on a public Highway in Aberdeen, Scotland. “A crowd was collected, and the traffic obstructed. The defense claimed that the four had been allowed to race by two policemen, but then he waited until the first race was over and made the arrests.”

Ultrarunning Stranger Things Series:

Sources for Episodes 115, 116:

Steve Brodie (bridge jumper)
That daredevil Steve Brodie!
Henry S Tanner (doctor)
The Daily Record of Times (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania), Aug 3, 1875
Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pennsylvania), Jul 29, 1875
The Courier and Argus (Dundee, Scotland), Dec 14, 1876
New York Daily Herald (New York), Mar 31, 1879, Feb 15, 1879
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Miners Journal (Pottsville, Pennsylvania), Feb 6, 1901
Passaic Daily Herald (New Jersey), May 3, 1902
The Weekly Dispatch (London, England), Jun 12, 1904
The Macon Telegraph (Georgia), Feb 19, 1904
The Nottingham Evening Post (England), Jan 16, 1905
The Minneapolis Journal (Minnesota), Apr 9, 1906
Ashbourne News (Derbyshire, England), Aug 23, 1907
Manchester Courier (England), Sep 11, 1907
The Tacoma Daily Ledger (Tacoma, Washington), Jun 10, 1908
Lancaster New Era (Pennsylvania), May 13, 1912
Leicester Evening Mail (England), Jul 4, 1913
The Morning Call (Paterson, New Jersey), Jun 16, 1915

116: Ultrarunning Stranger Things – Part 6: Fraud, Theft, and Nuisance

By Davy Crockett