To this day controversy rages about the fairness of Webster's walking, some averring that he never walked a yard in his life, and others that he never should have been disqualified. Our own opinion is that his gait was not the gait of a true walker in the sense in which it is understood by the public, although he probably knew how to keep upon the right side of the line drawn by judges, who only look to the requirement of both feet not being off the ground at the same time.

The next year saw Merrill, the famous American walker, in England, he and Myers visiting the country together as the guests of the L.A.C. Merrill was a watchmaker from Boston, and was, we think, the fastest fair walker at any distance up to three miles who ever appeared at amateur sports in England. Although he was a bit springy in his stride, he walked erect, with a straight leg, and with his weight fairly on his heels, and no exception could be taken to his style. He was over the medium height, and strongly built about the hips, although not a very heavy man, and was very carefully trained and in admirable condition. The championship of 1881 seemed a moral for him, as Webster was by this time falling into the 'sere and yellow' stage, and going more shiftily than ever. The race, which was won for England by a novice, J. W. Raby, of Elland, Yorks, was a memorable one. Merrill went off very fast, and Webster, trying to keep pace with him, soon became so shifty that he was disqualified by the judges. In the meantime, Raby, who was a tall, gaunt lad of the class which has recently received the franchise, stuck doggedly to the American, wore him down before five miles had been covered, and finished alone, Merrill giving up from exhaustion.

The enthusiasm of the crowd - the largest that ever attended a championship meeting, being over 10,000 in number - was extreme, for the English sportsman is always intensely patriotic, and especially so when he has put his money upon the native product against the foreigner. In that year, too (1881), the public had lost a lot of its coin to Americans upon the turf, and an unexpected British victory on the cinder-path was refreshing. Raby, at the time, walked in wonderfully fair style, with exactly the same action, in spite of his great speed, as an ordinary pedestrian on the road. He was not allowed long to remain an amateur, and soon joined the professional ranks. As has been the case with many another fine, natural walker, a little artificial cultivation soon made him walk as shiftily as the rest.

The champion of the next two years was H. Whyatt, of the Notts Forest F.C., who is also credited with having walked a mile at Birmingham, in 1883, in 6 min. 34 4/5 sec. Whyatt was a tall, wiry man, who progressed with a very short stride; and we can only express an opinion of him that he never walked at all, but merely trotted on his heels, taking care upon such occasions never to have both feet off the ground at once. His action was very like that of "Webster in his later days, only 'very much more so'; but as long as a man was considered to be walking because one foot reached the ground before the other quite left it, it became impossible to disqualify him.

In 1884 two Americans were in this country, F. P. Murray and W. H. Meek. The former arrived here as the guest of some English clubs, and under some mysterious arrangements, in which 'gate money' played an important part, he was unable to appear at the championship meeting. Meek, however, who came over independently, and with a desire, as we are informed, of showing that the invited guest was not the best American walker, reached England a day or two before the championship meeting, and won the walking race with great ease, in most excellent style. Like his compatriot Myers, he had a most remarkable physique. He was a very little man, with a large pair of thick, strong legs. His stride was long, and his walking of a perfectly fair road-going style. At Stamlord Bridge, a little later on in the same year, he covered his four miles in 29 min. 10 sec, going perfectly fairly, a really remarkable performance; and there is very little doubt that if put to it he could have beaten the record for seven miles, as he was a fine stayer, having so little weight to carry upon his great legs. During his visit he met Murray, and was beaten by him, but there was some suspicion that Meek was not trying to do his best. Of Murray's style we feel great difficulty in speaking.

We do not consider him to have been a fair walker in the sense that Merrill and Meek were fair walkers, but, at the same time, we must admit that he never had both feet off the ground together in a race. We watched him at one meeting, as we had before watched Webster, and could see that the toe of his hind foot left the ground at exactly the same instant that the heel of his front foot touched it. Upon anything but a perfectly level cinder-track he must have broken into a trot, but did not do so when we saw him walking. He had rather a short stride, with a very great deal of arm action, and to look at his body he seemed to be trotting, not walking. Perhaps we may say that he was not a genuinely fair walker, but was within the received definition. He is credited in America with having covered a mile in 6 min. 29 3/5 sec.; two miles in 13min. 48 2/5 sec.; and three miles in 21 min. 9 1/5 sec. No doubt at these shorter distances he was faster than, if not so fair as, Meek; but, like so many of the doubtful goers, he was better at short than at long distances.

Since Meek's departure we have seen little fast and genuinely fair walking in England, and at the short distances, which are those in vogue at all athletic meetings, there is a great deal of that doubtful style of which Murray was the most able exponent.1

We must confess to noting with pleasure a revival at the present day of walking races along the roads for considerable distances. In such races the doubtful goers are conspicuous by their absence, as nothing but genuine road-walking will pay in a road-race, and such contests afford fine exhibitions of power and endurance. In 1886 a really remarkable performance was done in the great road-race to Brighton by the winner Mackintosh, who covered the distance from Westminster Bridge to Brighton Aquarium (about 52 miles) in 9 hours 25 min. 8 sec. The success of the winner has, we believe, been taken to show that the old race of running-footmen has not died out without leaving a worthy exponent amongst the profession of the equally fine pastime of walking.

1 These words were written before the appearance upon the path of H. Curtis, the amateur champion of 1890, 1891, 1892, and 1893. Curtis was at his best in 1890, when he walked erect, with a fine stride and with irreproachable fairness. On July 12, 1890, at the championship meeting at Birmingham, he walked in perfect form and covered his five miles in 37 min. 17 sec; six miles in 44 min. 57 sec, and seven miles in 52 min. 28 2/5 sec. - all 'records' for the distances.