Charles G. Kilpatrick (11 September 1869 - 30 September 1927) was an American one-legged entertainer who became internationally famous for his cycling tricks.
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Born in Danville, Illinois, to James D. Kilpatrick, the former editor of the Vermilion County Press and Civil War veteran 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.
Kilpatrick turned to baseball, umpiring one major league game and many minor league matches in the late 1880s and early 1890s, particularly in the Montana State League, where he became a close friend of future Hall of Famer Clark Griffith. 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.
Cycling 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. He first came to widespread public attention on 18 May 1893 when he rode down the west steps of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., followed by riding down the west steps of the White House. Kilpatrick then toured the country, duplicating the feat with a custom made flight of steps sixty feet high and four feet wide.
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 Mann. 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.
Kilpatrick toured South Africa where he drew the attention of 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. 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."
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." As a homage to the American victory in the Spanish-American War, Kilpatrick always wore a Rough Rider's uniform during his performances. 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. The fight was a sell out with hundreds turned away at the doors and saw Kilpatrick "knock out" McCoy.
Such was the public interest in Kilpatrick that he became the subject of an 1898 film, entitled Kilpatrick's Ride.
Kilpatrick also diversified his act, including shooting clay pigeons while riding a unicycle and incorporating trick roller skating into his act.
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.
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.
Kilpatrick continued to tour internationally, performing "in every large city on the face of the globe", including to Australia in 1912, where it was reported that he was "creating an absolute furore at every performance", 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. 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. His move into insurance was met with "considerable success" as Kilpatrick regaled prospective customers with anecdotes of the old vaudeville days.
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." However, this did not occur as Kilpatrick died in Danville, Illinois on 30 September 1927, aged 58, and was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Danville.
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 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. Madelaine was called "one of the most daring women trick riders in the world." 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."
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.