By Davy Crockett



Frank Hart’s life in 1883 was at a low point. He had squandered his riches and damaged his reputation as a professional pedestrian. He was viewed as being hot-headed, undisciplined, and a womanizer. His wife and children were no longer being mentioned as being a part of his life and by then were likely gone. Many people had tried to help him, even his original mentor, Daniel O’Leary, who called him “ungrateful.” Trainers did not last long working with him. Hart was no longer referred to by the flattering title of “Black Dan.” Certainly, some of the criticism against him was because of racial stereotypes, which he fought hard against. He wanted to regain the glory and fame he had felt in previous years.



To make things worse, he had a young woman, Frances “Fanny” C. Nixon, arrested, accusing her of stealing a diamond ring from him valued at $526. The press was quick to point out that a black man was accusing a white woman, unheard of at the time. She had met him at his 1880 world record race at Madison Square Garden and they developed a relationship. He claimed that the night before he left for England in 1881, she had stolen the ring from his vest pocket. She countered that he had given it to her as a gift before he left. She admitted that she later sold it to a pawnbroker for $250. The court released her on bail and apparently the case was soon dismissed or settled.

California Here Hart Comes



On November 8, 1883, Hart left Boston to travel to California for the first time. Money in pedestrian contests was becoming harder to find, and it was hoped that the West Coast would deliver. He was invited to compete in a six-day race in San Francisco with O’Leary, and two Californians, Charles A. Harriman, and Peter McIntyre, in what was called a “four-cornered” match. The East Coast team’s miles would go against the West Coast team. They put in a rule against any “hustle, push, impedance, or interruption with any other contestant” because of Hart’s known aggressive conduct in races.

Hart Gives a False Identity

Hart received a grand reception in California and became an instant celebrity. San Francisco wrote, “Hart, the negro pedestrian, is coming to this city. He will be given a reception by the colored people.” He was met at the ferry landing by a band and escorted to the Pacific Life newspaper rooms, where he was given a banquet.

But Hart, wanting even more attention, characterized himself as a wealthy lawyer. An article was printed stating that he was a member of the Boston Bar. “Owing to an unfortunate stutter, Hart is a poor pleader, but his opinions on legal matters are so sought for that he is able to hire a pleader to present his ideas in court.” The lawyer news surprised the Boston Globe, and it implied that the claim was fiction. He also stretched the truth of his recent six-day accomplishments, claiming that he held the current world record.

The New York Sportsman got wind of Hart’s “lawyer profession,” claim, and a correction was later printed in a San Francisco newspaper. The New York editor wrote, “Hart may be a great lawyer–we have never heard him plead for other than a release from a creditor. Before reading the story of Hart’s great ability as a lawyer, we thought his fame rested chiefly on his reputation as a pedestrian and a masher (a man who chases after women).”

California Four-Cornered Six-day Race

Mechanic's Pavilion

The San Francisco Four-Cornered race began right after midnight on Nov 21, 1883, in Mechanics’ Pavilion. At the end of day four, the match was tight. Hart had a one-mile lead with 370 miles and his team score with O’Leary led by only five miles.

A gossip paper wrote, “Hart has nearly all the time from two to a half-dozen white female visitors in his tent, and on the track, he is the frequent recipient of loral offering from the fair sex. One lady tossed him a bunch of violets as he was walking by, which he did not see. She,