Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 125, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 November 1909 — PERRY WORLD’S CHAMPION; BEATS HARDING RECORDS. [ARTICLE]

PERRY WORLD’S CHAMPION; BEATS HARDING RECORDS.

Young Rensselaer Pianist Plays 37 Honrs and 30 Minutes—Longest Known Endurance Record. The interest of the public in the piano endurance contest undertaken successfully by Perry Horton, son of Dr. and Mrs. J. W. Horton, was proven by the large and enthusiastic audience that gathered at the Ellis opera house Saturday evening to witness the conclusion of the very marvelous performance, and who cheered lustily when the new champion after 37 hours and 30 minutes of consecutive play closed the performance by one or two lively rag time pieces which ran off into “Home Sweet • Home.” At the close of the performance he was pronounced the world’s champion endurance piano player by A. J. Harmon, master of ceremonies and Attorney E. P. Honan’s stentorian voice from the gallery proposed three cheers for the.young hero which audience lustily participated in. Then there was a rush for the stage to congratulate him and it was necessary for the doctors in attendance to stop the rush in drder to give them room to remove the adhesive tape bandages that covered his hands and wrists, bathed his arms, wiped his face and bundled him up. He finished in fine condition and was of the opinion that he could have proceeded for some length of time, but fearing he might suffer a collapse that would be injurious he quit of his own choice. A few moments after the performance concluded Perry was le£j from the opera house, seated in an automobile and given a spin .of a few blocks, being kept out only a few minutes. He was then taken to his home where a bath tub full of warm water awaited him. He took a thorough scrubbing and followed this with an alcohol rub and then smoked a cigar and talked with his parents for almost a half hour before retiring."\He suffered no apparent ill effect from his long task and Sunday was up by 10 o’clock and spent a large part of the afternoon playing rag time at the Phillips music store.

A young man named Roy Harding, whose home is at Richmond, several months ago played consecutively for 36 hours and 36 minutes. Harding visited Rensselaer in August with a theatrical company and Perry decided then that he would make an effort to beat Harding’s record. His intention was to play just 37 hours, but Harding had started another effort on Thanksgiving day in a theatre at Hamilton, Ohio, and <the Saturday evening Indianapolis News reported Harding’s latest accomplishment of 37 hours and 22. minutes. The information was received just in time and Perry went a half hour longer than he had originally intended, thus defeating Harding’s latest record 8 minutes. There is nothing official about the performance of Harding and no organization has offered either a money prize or a medal for the greatest endurance. There is no claim, however, so far as known, to the title other than that made by Harding, who must now make way for the new champion, Perry Horton, Rensselaer, Ind. Just what conditions Harding played under are not known, but conscientious application was given by Perry, who during all the time never took either hand from the keys of the piano. Doctors agree that the endurance was very remarkable as it was accomplished entirely on his nerve. During the entire time he took no stimulants of any kind and used no artificial means of keeping himself awake. Tired parts of the body, arms and hands were massaged and the hands toward the last were bound up with adhesive tape but aside from this and his alcohol rubs he received no aid in keeping up the performance. He 'was never very near breaking down, although he was greatly fatigued on two or three occasions, but he was so bent on accomplishing what he had set out to do that he never thought of giving up at any time. Before Perry retired Saturday night his father gave him a 910 bill and he also received one half of the paid admissions to the opera bouse. It is a great satisfaction to record that a Rensselaer boy has had the grit to accomplish a feat so difficult and has come out on top in a contest he had set his head upon winning. It is this sort of grit that has kept Rensselaer to the front In all athletic sports. It Is probable that Harding or some other person will undertake to pass the record Perry has made, but he says that he is prepared to defeat them in whatever they accomplish. Possibly he and Harding may meet in a contest here or elsewhere under entirely similai* conditions.