• 170: Old Sport Campana (1836-1906) – Part Three

  • Jan 30 2025
  • Length: 28 mins
  • Podcast

170: Old Sport Campana (1836-1906) – Part Three

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  • By Davy Crockett By 1880, “Old Sport” Peter Napoleon Campana (1836-1906), a fruit and nut peddler from Bridgeport, Connecticut, had established himself as an odd anomaly in the very popular spectator sport of six-day indoor races held in arenas in northeastern America. He had not yet won a race but would almost always stick it out to the end of the six days when usually 75% of the other runners would quit before the end. People would pay to come watch the races he was in, specifically to watch him run. Race directors would promise him a salary just to be in their races. No one ever could predict what unusual and amusing antics he would perform during a race. He seemed to never be formally training, but perhaps with all the miles he put in pushing his cart, he was able to regularly run more than 300 miles in a six-day race. Campana was unusually “unbalanced.” When some spectators mocked him, he would punch them in the face and then continue running. The crowds would roar with approval and the race management would do nothing. The New York Times wrote, “Napoleon Campana, better known to the world as ‘Old Sport,’ is called the clown of the walking matches, and a race without ‘Old Sport’ in it would be a novelty.” Edward Payson Weston The first pedestrian who tried to entertain people, and at times play the role of the clown as he walked for days, was the six-day pioneer, Edward Payson Weston, of Connecticut. During the early 1870s, he started his walks in a velvet suit and frequently interacted with the crowd to get attention. At times, he would try to win applause and create excitement by walking backwards, running, jumping and performing many playful tricks to show how much energy he still had. But after a few years, he was not viewed as being endearing to the working class who came to the races in New York City. He gained a pompous and arrogant reputation and was called a humbug. One reporter wrote, “There are two things that we are opposed to, skunks and Weston, the walkist." Campana came along four years later and received a totally different reaction. He clowned around like Weston did years earlier, but because he looked so old, people pitied him and did not overly criticize much of his outrageous behavior. Campana was seen as a destitute street vendor, while Weston was an ultra-rich aristocrat who lived in the finest hotels, spent money freely, and hobnobbed with the rich and famous. The working class identified more with Campana, who always returned to his street vending cart, and he became far more popular than Weston. Campana's eccentric nature was also seen in his personal life as a peddler in Bridgeport. His hot-headed nature would frequently end him up in jail. By 1880, his wife Jennie (Dalton) Campana had apparently left him again. He still loved her deeply and had her name tattooed on his leg. Even with the money he received at races, and with his national popularity, he appeared to be nearly destitute because he spent his earnings so quickly, likely on a lot of alcohol. O’Leary International Belt After being away from the sport for seven months, Campana, age 44, came back in January 1881 to compete in the O’Leary International Belt held in the American Institute Building, in New York City. The track was eight laps to the mile and 8.5 feet wide. It was constructed on top of the concrete floor. The track base was composed of three inches of clay and tan bark, laid over with sawdust, and surrounded by a sturdy picket fence to keep spectators off the track. Wooden huts of 10x5 feet were put up for each runner, furnished with a bed, washstand, small mirror, chair, and a gas stove. A large blackboard would be used to display the standings. Every seat within the building was filled by 10 p.m., two hours before the start, with about 5,000 people. A “sacred concert” was put on, with soothing music appropriate for Sunday. “Between the pieces of music,
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