LADY PEDESTRIANS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2138, 28 January 1880, Page 3

LADY PEDESTRIANS.

An Australian paper thus describes “ The Australian Ladies’ Pedestrian Tournament,” in the old Exhibition Building, Sydney : —“ Sketches of the costumes to be worn by the women were submitted to the Municipal Council, and advertisements solemnly assured the public that the dresses of the ladies were to extend nearly to their feet. The

‘tournament’ commenced at 10 o’clock on Friday night, aitd ' consisted of an effort on the part of eight women to see which of them could walk the greatest distance in 24 hours. By half-past 9 o’clock on Saturday night, half an hour before the competition was to terminate, the Exhibition Building was crowded. At this time four women, with lacklustre eyes ami swollen limbs, footsore, jaded, and utterly broken down, were foiling’along the walking path. In one case the woman was absolutely dragging herself along by the ropes that bounded the track. Men walked by the side of the women encouraging them in their task by the scientific methods common in such brute contests. Not a few of the spectators expressed their disgust attiie whole affair, numbers quitting the bnitding ; but a majority of the greasy-flash-clotlies-wearing class evidently enjoyed themselves, and gave expression to their delight and their opinions on the ‘points’of the competitors in language that combined the lowest sporting slang Avith the ‘argot’ of the professional, bully. The scene was wholly brutal and disgusting.”