View source for Charles Kilpatrick (cyclist)

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name             = Charles Kilpatrick
| image            = Charles Kilpatrick poster (cropped, on bicycle).jpeg
| image_size       = <!-- only when absolutely necessary -->
| caption          = A lithograph of Kilpatrick riding his bicycle, circa 1900
| full_name        = Charles G. Kilpatrick
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1869|09|11}} 
| birth_place      = [[Danville, Illinois]], US
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1927|9|30|1869|09|11}} 
| death_place      = Danville, Illinois, US
| occupation       = [[miner]], [[printing press]] operator, [[accident insurance]] agent
| years_active     = 1893–1927
| spouse           = Madeline Kilpatrick
| country          = 
| sport            = [[baseball]], [[stunt performer|stunt]] [[cycle sport|cycling]]
| position         = [[umpire (baseball)|umpire]]
| disability       = [[amputee]] (right leg)
| league           = [[Illinois–Indiana League]]<br />Indiana State League<br />[[Wisconsin State League]]<br />Montana State League<br />[[Pacific Northwest League]]<br />[[Major League Baseball]]  
| league_type      = Leagues     
}}
'''Charles G. Kilpatrick''' (September 11, 1869 – September 30, 1927) was an American [[stunt performer]] and [[professional baseball]] [[umpire (baseball)|umpire]].

Kilpatrick lost his right leg in a rail accident while employed as a miner. He then began working as a printer and a baseball umpire in several professional leagues including the [[Wisconsin State League]] (which he also co-founded), the [[Montana]] State League and the [[Pacific Northwest League]]. Kilpatrick gained national and international attention for performing dangerous stunts for amusement. He performed a feat in which he would ride a [[bicycle]] down a specially constructed flight of stairs that would often reach heights of over 100 feet. In one performance in particular, Kilpatrick rode down a platform of stairs from the roof of [[Madison Square Garden (1890)|Madison Square Garden]] to the arena floor. He later developed a similar stunt in which he would drive up a ramp in a steam-powered [[automobile]] and descend at a high speed.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Most Sensational Motor Ride: Kilpatrick's Rush Down a Chute–Winston Spencer |journal=[[The Strand Magazine]] |date=December 1901 |volume=22 |publisher=George Newnes |location=United Kingdom}}</ref>

==Biography==
Born in [[Danville, Illinois]],<ref>http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2542 {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Wheel and Cycling Trade Review (18 August 1898)|url=https://archive.org/stream/wheelcyc2218189891899newy/wheelcyc2218189891899newy_djvu.txt|website=Archive.org|year=1888 |accessdate=26 August 2016}}</ref> to James D. Kilpatrick,<ref>{{cite web|title=Billboard, Vol. 20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hagiAQAAMAAJ&q=charles+kilpatrick+cyclist|website=Google Books|year = 1908|publisher=Billboard Publications|accessdate=14 December 2015}}</ref> the former editor of the ''Vermilion County Press'' and Civil War veteran<ref>Ward, p. 265.</ref> and Mary E. (née Cole), Kilpatrick left school to work as a miner where he lost his right leg in an accident with a rail car.<ref name=hoopeston>{{cite web|last1=Richter|first1=Don|title=Pitcher's paid career began in Hoopeston|url=http://www.commercial-news.com/community/pitcher-s-paid-career-began-in-hoopeston/article_af3d9ee2-703b-11e4-a244-af203c480bf3.html|website=Danville Commercial News|date=23 November 2014 |publisher=Commercial News, Danville|accessdate=23 January 2015}}</ref> Following his accident, he worked as a [[printing press]] operator.<ref name="SeattlePI"/>

Kilpatrick also worked as a baseball [[umpire (baseball)|umpire]] in one [[Major League Baseball]] game and several minor league games, including [[Montana State League]], where he became a close friend of future Hall of Famer [[Clark Griffith]].<ref name=hoopeston/><ref>McKenna, p. 42.</ref> Nicknamed the "Kangaroo Umpire" because he hopped on his left leg, Kilpatrick later stated that only having one leg was advantageous as he avoided much of the abuse other umpires received.<ref name=hoopeston/> Kilpatrick began umpiring in 1889 in the [[Illinois–Indiana League]] and later worked games in the [[Indiana State League]], [[Illinois–Iowa League]] and the [[Pacific Northwest League]]. In 1890, along with Harry T. Smith, Kilpatrick founded the [[Wisconsin State League]]. He also served as the league's umpire.<ref name="SeattlePI">{{cite news |title=The One-Legged Umpire |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045604/1892-04-25/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1789&index=4&rows=20&words=Kilpatrick+umpires&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=Kilpatrick+umpire&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2 |accessdate=August 24, 2018 |work=[[The Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |date=April 25, 1892 |location=Seattle, Washington |page=3}}</ref>

===Cycling and stunt career===
Kilpatrick also took up cycling, found he was a natural and was soon experimenting with trick riding, giving exhibitions prior to baseball games he then umpired.<ref>"A One-legged Umpire", ''Sacramento Daily Union'', 6 October 1890, p. 3.</ref> He first came to widespread public attention on 18 April 1893 when he rode down the west steps of the [[United States Capitol|Capitol building]] in [[Washington, D.C.]],<ref name=Kilpatrick>Kilpatrick, C. "An Interesting Story of a Bicycle Trick Rider", ''The North Adams Transcript'', 27 March 1899, p. 7.</ref><ref name=telegraph>"Kilpatrick's World Tour", ''Daily Telegraph'' (Launceston), 17 July 1926, p. 4.</ref> followed by riding down the west steps of the [[White House]]. Kilpatrick then toured the country, duplicating the feat<ref>{{cite web|last1=Olinskey|first1=John|title=Kansas City's Fairmount Park|url=http://www.oldfairmountpark.com/1893.html|website=Old Fairmount Park|publisher=John M. Olinskey|accessdate=6 August 2016}}</ref> with a custom made flight of steps sixty feet high and four feet wide.<ref name=Kilpatrick/>

Kilpatrick began touring internationally in 1895 and continued to perform stunts that gained him notoriety, including standing with his wheel on top of the one hundred foot high [[Laxey Wheel]] in the [[Isle of Man]].<ref>"Foolhardy Feats", ''The Gundagai Independent'', 3 January 1900, p. 4.</ref> His act was considered so amazing in Britain that he unintentionally caused large traffic jams in cities as large groups of people followed him around the streets.<ref name=Kilpatrick/>
[[File:Charles Kilpatrick standing in his automobile.jpg|thumb|left|Kilpatrick standing in a steam-powered automobile manufactured by the Mobile Company of America, circa 1901.]]

Kilpatrick toured South Africa where he drew the attention of [[South African Republic]] [[State President of the South African Republic|President]] [[Paul Kruger]] who invited him to the Presidential mansion for tea, accompanied by a local newspaper editor who acted as a translator.<ref name=Kilpatrick/> Kruger presented him with a gold medal, leading to headlines in [[Johannesburg]] papers of "Kilpatrick, the luckiest man that over lived. He got a medal from Kruger, the first and only thing the President ever gave away."<ref name=Kilpatrick/>

Kilpatrick also visited [[Cuba]] following the [[Spanish–American War]]. He noted that when he was giving a pigeon shooting exhibition in [[Havana]] an elderly Spanish man turned to his neighbors and said, "No wonder these Yanks beat us when even their cripples are such wonderful shots."<ref name=Kilpatrick/> As a homage to the American victory in the Spanish–American War, Kilpatrick always wore a [[Rough Rider]]'s uniform during his performances.<ref name=Kilpatrick/> While in Cuba he befriended boxer [[Kid McCoy]] and the two organised a bout between the two of them, which they advertised as genuine but was rehearsed.<ref name=Kilpatrick/> The fight was a sell out with hundreds turned away at the doors and saw Kilpatrick "knock out" McCoy.<ref name=Kilpatrick/>

Such was the public interest in Kilpatrick that he became the subject of an [[1898 in film|1898 film]], entitled ''Kilpatrick's Ride''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kilpatrick's Ride|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252601/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl |publisher=IMDB.com |accessdate=6 August 2016}}</ref> Kilpatrick wore a [[Cork (material)|cork]] [[prosthetic limb]] when not performing stunts.<ref>{{cite news |title=Untitled |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84036012/1899-04-30/ed-1/seq-21/#date1=1789&index=13&rows=20&words=bicycler+Kilpatrick&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=Kilpatrick+bicycle&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2 |accessdate=August 24, 2018 |work=The Anaconda Standard |date=April 30, 1899 |location=Anaconda, Montana |page=21}}</ref>

Kilpatrick also diversified his act, including shooting [[clay pigeon shooting|clay pigeons]] while riding a [[unicycle]] and incorporating trick roller skating into his act.<ref name=kokomo/><ref>Smiles, p. 87.</ref>

By 1900, The ''[[New York Herald]]'' was declaring that Kilpatrick was "the most sensational act ever presented to a N.Y. public" and the press was reporting breathlessly on shows where Kilpatrick was causing spectators' faces to turn white and ladies to avert their gaze from what they believe will be certain death.<ref>"One-Legged Bicycler's Slide to Safety", ''The Billboard'', Cincinnati, 9 June 1900, pp. 6, 14.</ref>

Although Kilpatrick took great safety precautions, even he could not avoid accidents, such as in [[Spokane, Washington]] in 1903 when an errant stone in his path led to a crash resulting in injuries.<ref>"Daring rider had ugly fall", ''Spokane Daily Chronicle'', 11 September 1903, p. 7.</ref> During the 1905 [[Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition]] in [[Portland, Oregon]], Kilpatrick performed several stunts throughout the month of July starting on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] (July 4). The stunts included multiple performances of his signature bicycle ride down a flight of stairs and an automobile "dash" down a 140-foot ramp.<ref>{{cite news |title=For sane fourth at exposition |url=https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn83025138/1905-07-04/ed-1/seq-16/ |accessdate=August 24, 2018 |work=Morning Oregonian |date=July 4, 1905 |location=Portland, Oregon |page=16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Interesting Events at Fair |url=https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85042444/1905-07-19/ed-1/seq-5/ |accessdate=August 24, 2018 |work=The Oregon Daily Journal |date=July 19, 1905 |location=Portland, Oregon |page=5}}</ref> Kilpatrick built a human [[roulette wheel]], which was featured as an amusement exhibit at the 1909 [[Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition]] in [[Seattle]], Washington.<ref>{{cite news |title=Charles Kilpatrick's human roulette wheel to be one of the features of the fall celebration |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025182/1909-09-29/ed-1/seq-9/ |accessdate=August 24, 2018 |work=The Daily Gate City |date=September 29, 1909 |location=Keokuk, Iowa |page=9}}</ref>

Kilpatrick continued to tour internationally, performing "in every large city on the face of the globe",<ref name=insurance>"Kilpatrick's Insurance", ''New York Clipper'', 25 September 1915, p. 31.</ref> including to Australia in 1912,<ref>"Kilpatrick at Princess' Rink", ''Geelong Advertiser'', 26 February 1912, p. 4.</ref> where it was reported that he was "creating an absolute furore at every performance",<ref>''The Age'', 23 February 1912, p. 12.</ref> and the press continued to report on his achievements, including his swim across the [[Mississippi River]] at [[Alton, Illinois]] on a dare, dealing with driftwood and a swift current.<ref name=kokomo>"One-legged man swims river, ''Kokomo Daily Tribune'', 25 July 1907, p. 2.</ref> Such was his fame, Kilpatrick gained an endorsement from the Duncan yo-yo company and was later employed by the North American Accident Insurance Company to cover the entertainment industry.<ref name=insurance/><ref>Wiggins, P. "Bicycle History Marches On", ''The Palm Beach Post'', 5 March 1975, p. B 4.</ref> His move into insurance was met with "considerable success" as Kilpatrick regaled prospective customers with anecdotes of the old vaudeville days.<ref>{{cite web|title=New York Clipper Excerpts 1910s|url=http://www.circushistory.org/Clipper/Clipper1910s.htm|website=Circus History|publisher=Circus Historical Society|accessdate=23 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525130747/http://www.circushistory.org/Clipper/Clipper1910s.htm#|archive-date=2013-05-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1926 Kilpatrick announced that, starting 1 January 1927, he would travel around the world "for the purpose of securing data for a special story."<ref name=telegraph/> However, this did not occur as Kilpatrick died in Danville, Illinois on 30 September 1927, aged 58.

Bircus Brewery in [[Ludlow, Kentucky]] created a [[stout]] called "Kilpatrick's One Legged" in honor of the cyclist.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kilpatrick's One Legged : Bircus |url= http://www.brewerydb.com/beer/uwCeDz |website=brewerydb.com |accessdate= 4 September 2018}}</ref>

==Family==

Kilpatrick's wife Madeline Kilpatrick was also a skilled trick cyclist. Taught by Charles, she claimed to increase the popularity of cycling among women<ref name=Toledo/> and to be the first woman to wear "rational dress" while cycling in the south of the United States, which consisted of Turkish trousers, saying that at first she astonished crowds but her clothing was soon copied by other female cyclists.<ref name=Toledo>"Tricks on a wheel", ''Toledo Blade'', 8 August 1895, p. 1.</ref> Madeline was called "one of the most daring women trick riders in the world."<ref>"A daring woman rider", ''Kokomo Daily Tribune'', 20 May 1895, p. 8.</ref> with one of her best tricks described as "riding on the back wheel of her machine, holding the front one up in the air on a level with her head."<ref name=Toledo/>

Kilpatrick's brother Edwin E. Kilpatrick moved to Australia and became a leading showman, accumulating a fortune. His wife Kintchie Kilpatrick would be described as the wealthiest woman in Australia prior to her death in February 1917.<ref>"Americanisms", ''The Globe and Sunday Times War Pictorial'', 19 February 1917, p. 16.</ref><ref>"Kintchie Kilpatrick dies", ''New York Clipper'', 10 January 1917, p. 12.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
{{Commons category}}
* McKenna, B. (2010) ''Clark Griffith: Baseball's Statesman'', Lulu. {{ISBN|9780557472956}}.
* Olinskey, J. & Topi, D. (2012) ''Kansas City's Fairmount Park'', Vintage Antique Classics Publishing: Kansas City. {{ISBN|978 0 9823 5271 7}}.
* Smiles, J. (2007) ''Big Ed Walsh: The Life and Times of a Spitballing Hall of Famer'', McFarland: Jefferson, North Carolina. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-3278-3}}.
* Ward, A. "Early Editors and Newspapers of Vermilion County", ''Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society'', Vol. 25, No. 4 (Jan., 1933).

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilpatrick, Charles}}
[[Category:1869 births]]
[[Category:1927 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Danville, Illinois]]
[[Category:American amputees]]
[[Category:American stunt performers]]
[[Category:American male cyclists]]
[[Category:Entertainers from Illinois]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball umpires]]