Bunioneers

Fifty-five runners, many with long beards, all dirty, some wearing bandages where they had been bitten by dogs or hit by cars, others limping with chafed feet or with the bunions from which the troupe derived its title, jogged through Manhat- tan to Madison Square Garden where, after 20 miles on a board track, they finished a transcontinental (3,422.3 mile) marathon. C. C. ("Cash and Carry") Pyle and his associate W. H. ("Easy") Pickens con- gratulated Winner Andrew Payne of Claremore, Okla., promised to pay him $25,000, promised John Salo of Passaic, N. J., $10,000 for finishing second, 15 hours behind Payne, promised Phillip Granville $5,000.

Three months ago the runners started from Los Angeles. In front of them rode C. C. Pyle in a motor bungalow accompanied by his protege, Red Grange. Behind the bungalow came a broadcasting car which cost $1,000 a week to operate. Behind the broadcasting car, before much time had passed, came sheriffs on motorcycles. Soon the bungalow was attached for debts. At every town runners quit. Red Grange, barker of a side show which Pyle set up in a tent wherever he stopped failed to make money. Pyle gave the runners $1.50 a day for food, put cots for them in empty stores. In Chicago there was no cash on hand. When it seemed sure that everything was over, one F. F. Gunn, Chicago sportsman, paid off the debts, took charge of the race. His son Harry was in the race and Gunn is said to have bet $75,000 that Harry would finish. He hired a sleeping bus and two trainers for Harry and followed the boy in his Pierce Arrow roadster. To Pyle was left the job of paying the prize-money. "Each and every one of you will get your cash, boys--Cold Cash --that's my name. . . . Come to me next week . . ." cried he.