The 'Seedy' Runner Who Was More Than He Seemed
A stranger arriving in Seattle claimed ignorance of foot-racing rules, only to reveal himself as a skilled athlete in disguise.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
After the surrender of the stakes in the foot race yesterday by Bishop to Brunson, another race was made up to come off on Wednesday, September 19th. A forfeit of $40 was placed in the hands of one of our townsmen for a race of $300 a side. The distance agreed upon to be run is 300 yards. Bishop is well known on the Sound and hails from Chimacum, near this city, and Brunson is a stranger. It is rumored that he has been working in a logging camp a few miles from our city, and was, it is said, a rather seedy-looking individual when he first came to this town a short time ago. He was very green at the business, asking many simple questions as to the rules regulating foot races and the meaning of well-known terms. But he has shown himself to be an expert. Many were amazed at the innocent's performance, it being unbecoming in an athlete to be so ignorant of racing rules. He is not all he seems, or rather he is more than he seems.
“He is not all he seems, or rather he is more than he seems.”
This story of a 'hustler' athlete mirrors the classic American tradition of the wolf in sheep's clothing, a trope that continues to appear in sports reporting today.
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