The Atlanta Georgian. (Atlanta, GA.) 1906-1907, December 15, 1906, Image 20

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Ml NOT NEWS, BUT VIEWS IIMHIHHHHIMIMNHMHI BY PERCY H. WHITING. The disgust of that portion of the American publie which ia in favor of a square deal over the raw treatment hauded to Bobby Walthour in the six-day race at Madison Square Garden increases as the race draws nenr its close. Time Bfter time the Atlanta rider has pulled himself up on even terms with the other racers, only to loso his advantage ns the result of crooked decisions by officials whose rulings are so obviously unfair ns to he greeted ench time they arc made by hisses and groans from the spectators. The feeling that Walthour is getting all the worst of it is held not only in Atlanta, hut in New York as well. All the hike race writers in New York, and especially those of the Ilcnrnt pub lications, arc scorching the race management with a vigor which is refreshing. THIS RACE IS CROOKED AND I HA VE OPENLY BEEN ROBBED —BOBBY WALTHOUR In Spite of the Rulings Which Keep the Atlanta Rider and His Partner Behind the Leaders He Plugs Gamely On. Smifh-Simpson Golf Match Off; Memphis Can't Raise the Coin Whether ltoh wins or loses he hns made n hero out of himsef in the eyes of the New York public. Ilis plucky fight against the hard luck of losing his partner and the raw decisions against him by the hike race management have won for him 50,000 new friends among the hysterical hut generally fair-minded people of New York; and, win or lose, he is the big man of the race. One thing is certain, Bobby is not losing any money out of the race. He undoubtedly received a fat bonus for starting at all and will he perhaps $2,500 richer if he does not finish inside the money. Possibly it is because the management had to pay Walthour somctfiing to start that makes them so determined that he shall not get anything extra at the finish. BASKET BALL AT Y. M. C. A. The Y. M. C. A. Basketball league promises to treat its uudlemc to two lively Raima tonight, when the first series of games will be finished. Each of the four teams has played two games and each has won one. This shows the teams to be very even ly matched und there Is much guess ing ns to which team w ill win t< night. All the teams me working hard for first honors, and the choice between the four Is u toss-up. The public is invited to attend the games tonight, which will begin at the dose of the regular class work from 8 to 8:30 o’clock. No charges for ad mission. Tonight s games: Y's vs. l”s .and M’s vs. A s. Another tighter gone broke. Joe Grim told a magistrate in Pittsburg the other day that he had been done out of 1150 in a tinker game und was penni less. > Of Course— //tan THE STANDARD OF PURITY. J Oooooooooooooooooooooooooa o o O HOW RACE 8TAND8. O 1— O O New York, Dec. 15.—10 A. M.— O O The standing In the six-day race O O Is: All 2.098-5, except Walthour O O and Bedell, 2.098-4; Breton and O O Saniuelson. 2.098-4. O O Record. 2,494-8. made by Miller O O and Waller In 1899. O O O oooooooot>ooooooooooooooooo New York, Dec. 15.—"This race Is crooked, and 1 have been openly robbed repeatedly. If It were not that I don’t want to be classed as a quitter, 1 would have withdrawn long ago.” This statement was made today by "Bobby” Walthour, the plucky little American champion, the Idol of the slx-dny bike race In Madison Square Garden. The police have been asked to stop the farce, but as yet Commissioner Bingham has taken no action. He said he had received many complaints and he sent the deputy, Mathot, to the Gurden to see what can be done. The fraudulent character of the racs has become more upparent, and the riders themselves who are not In the plot to fool the public are plainly showing that they realise the whole affair has been framed up. and fixed, and they are doing all they dare to innke the exhibition as untlnterestlng as possible. “The judges, I am firmly convinced, are In a plot to prevent me from win ning, and the race, to say the least, has the appearance of being crooked. But will bent them yet,” was Walthour** final comment. And today the old. brutal exhibition, with which the public has been familiar > often In print—half-mad, dragged, lid-eyed, drawn-faced, attenuated f creatures are plodding away, hoping to hold on to the last minute of the race. The men have been fighting with their trainers and sweurlng at them since dawn, and it has taken rough, cruel treatment to keep the worn crea tures In at the merciless, degrading and stupid task of pumping around, around and around at the same old yel low track under the same morbid starts, the cheer* and curses, the abuse und praise that drench them from the galleries as they roll. Urged on by their trainers, they are plodding on to the finish. But the ef forts have all been half-hearted. Home rider would hit up a lively clip for a lap or two, but would ut the least ex cuse fall back Into the old pace with the crowd. Even Bobby Walthour, the Idol of the noisome inob, placated In some manner for having been denied the hr* place In the race which he would were the contest an honest one, made the showing of an amateur when on sev eral occasion* he essayed to lead the P “ tk THS PACE THAT KILLS. Here are a few clipping* from the New York paper*, giving Home detailed Information about exciting happening* of the race: It wa* easily aeen Thursday that the riders were beginning to show signs of the terrible strain. With hag gard faces and Inflamed eyes, the men were a ghastly sight. Their cheeks CLAIMS CHAMPIONSHIP. EDDIE HAYES. The cut above shows Eddie Hayes, the Atlanta featherweight. In a characteristic attitude. Hayes accepts the challenge of Oscar Blantorv of Arlington, Go., recently published In The Geor gian, and would like to hear from that pugilist. J Ilayes stands ready to fight any 1118-124-pound boxer and will meet • Hny of them 'or the undisputed S featherweight championship of the | South. He Is willing to fight any 2 number of rounds tor a ride bet or • purse. Address all challenges to • Joe Trent, care Elkln-Watsnn Drug r°- are sunken, their eyes hollow and they aro losing flesh rapidly. Stimulants and dope are being administered to the riders by their trainers. Strong wine Is the principal tonic given the men. The public is excluded from the camps of the men, and not even the officials are allowed to enter. Guards stand at the doors and the public Is warned to keep away. The men during the last two or three days of the race will be constantly under the Influence of powerful drugs. Several of the teams, most noticeable of them the Georget brothers, are beginning to cause their handler* a lot of trouble. They nre cranky and sullen, and It I* only after a great deal of coaxing that they final ly obey the instructions of their train ers. BOBBY’S FRIENDS MAD. It was rumored about the Garden to day that a plot In which a number of followers of Walthour, angered by the setback he was forced to endure when he framed up with Johnny Bedell, had forced their way Into the Garden with pockets full of ground glass. Intending J to throw It upon the track, thus forc- j ing the foreign riders to withdraw from the race. A dozen Pinkerton detectives, acting under Instruction* from Pat Power*, were Immediately sent to dif ferent part* of the Garden In an en deavor to catch the perpetrators. HAS TO DO IT ALL. Walthour, although making the fight of hi* life, Is riding under heart breaking condition*. Bedell, his part ner, has been suffering for almost for ty-eight hours from an acute attack of I Indigestion, and during that time hard, j ly a morsel of heavy food has passed , his Ups. He Is constantly under the , eye of Dr. Creamer and Is kept from , the track as much as possible. Con sequently Walthour Is forced to en dure most of the pedalling, and his wonderful recuperative powers are nl- , most superhuman. His brave little wife ! was removed to her home early today, suffering from a nervous breakdown, ' owing to her constant attendance at the track, but she only remained away , from the side of her husband for a few hour*. BOBBY “DYING GAME” SAYS FRIDAY’S AMERCAN Less than 15 minutes of constant Jockeying and shifting of positions while traveling at a 2:20 gait followed Thursday’s gamest effort to recover the lost lap. Then at 22 minutes past 11 Walthour Jumped away from the Held again. Instantly the Garden was In an uproar. After three laps Bedell caught his mate and swept by him riding like the wind. Kogter, who wa* towing the bunch a half lap behind, wa* evidently In distress, and was fast losing ground. Root shot on to the track and went to the relief of his struggling partner, , but, at the same moment, Walthour burst Into the stretch behind his rival and rode by him as If he were sitting I still. Relieving Bedell In faultless style. Walthour continued bis dash The proposed golf match lietween Alex Smith, the local golf professional, and Robert Simpson, professional of the Mem phis cltih. Is probably off. The Memphis golfers proposed the match and wanted to make It for $250 a side. This looked like a pretty large-slsed match, under the circumstances, but the AtUuts plnyers decided to risk It qii<1 ac cepted the challenge In behalf of Hiultb, raising the money one afternoon among a tar-load of golfers coming back from Hast Lake, Then Memphis changed her mind. The golfers of the Bluff City, being “called,” decided that $250 a side was u lot of money and made a second proposal for $125 a side. This' offer Hmlth refused to accept nn<l banded them bock their own offer— $25) a side. This Is too warm n game for Memphis. Judging by the following article which ap peared In a recent Issue of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: •’Members of the Memphis Country Club who have attempted to bring about a meet ing between Hmlth. the Atlanta Instructor and open champion, and Simpson, the local expert, nre on record as being op|M»iM*.| to the $500 gross purse proposition, therefore unless the match Is tnken under coimMrrn- tloii ngnln all chances for uu uiitc-riirlfttma* 1 attraction In golf circles Is ended.” Disreputable “Sunday Track” Going in For Night Racing By J. 8. A. M’DONALD. New Orleans, La., Dec. 15.—Memo rles of the old-time electric light rac ing nightmare at Maspeth, L. I., and again at St. Louis, Mo., are revived to day through the request for bids on a lighting contract asked local lllumtnanl companies by the Suburban Park Rac ing Association, of Algiers, La. hind this is a plan the race track peo ple have of racing every night from January 1 to the middle of April. Electric light racing at St. Louis, Mo., and again at Maspeth, L. I., course* were the forerunners of trouble for the turf In Missouri and New York states, respectively, and In the con templated Inauguration of a nocturnal session over at Algiers, across the MIs- slsslppl river from New Orleans, the good friends of racing in Louisiana foresee breaker* ahead. As a matter, of fact. Interest* close around the track and In less than mile bad lapped the entire Held and was within 30 feet of Root when Matt Downey fell on the Madison avenue turn. \ It seemed for a moment the crowd would vent its disgust In a way more serious than mere hooting. But Wnl- thour raised his hpnd to quell the tu mult and was seen to smile grimly us he said to Caldwell: ’’They don’t want us to get It, Frank.” ' His philosophical acceptance of the conditions caused the crowd to rise to its feet and give him a*roaring volley of cheer*. While the crowd wa* still discussing the several decisions which seemed so unfair, judges and scorers were en gaged In a lengthy conference as to the results of the last and most exciting of the morning's four sprints. It was finally announced that no team except the Galvln-Wlley combination had been lapped and that the latter was three laps behind. The decision was greeted with Jeers. BOB THE RERO. The New York Sun says: Walthour itj particular had the sym pathy of the crowd and the Atlanta boy was cheered to the echo by the late division. His plucky efforts to gain back the lap lost by teaming with Bedel! were recognized. The slightest Increase of pace on his or Bedell’s part was the signal for an outburst of cheering and the demonstrations con tinued at every opportunity throughout the evening. to the governor’s chair *ay that should night racing come to hand, antl-racln* legislation will quickly develop. Tiw Suburban Park Racing Association l* an eyesore on the American turf. Here Sunday racing hus been conducted with Impunity for two years, because under the Louisiana state laws, "racing” i* » "public diversion” and must be classi fied with baseball a* such. Of course baseball Is played on Sunday all through the state. Hence the Sunday plant ha* not been amenable* to legal discipline. Not satisfied with reaping a rich financial harvest every Sun day, the promoters’ cupidity has been only whetted, for they are now de termined to race on every Saturday afternoon and holiday, too. In addi tion to this Is’ the above news of the mooted electric light project. It has come to pass, then, that though the war at City Park and dj e Fair Ground* has been amicably ad justed. a light between Suburban Park and thpse courses has developed Neither of the big tracks will permit a horse or owner from Suburban Park to participate In the sport on the New Orleans side of the "Father of Waters. Howe\er, the Suburban Park gu«r»* has added no end of life und intereft to the. sporting winter season now un der full »way, for thousands sports go net os* the big river by tne ferries every Sunday afternoon In 1 desire to try their luck and fortune "n the ’’outlaws.” ATHLETIC8 AT MERCER. Special’to The Georgian. Macon. Oa.. Dec. 16.-There I*, 1 * 3! deal of Interest belqg taken In athletic* ™ Merrer now. , Coach Tnrr has liegun work with the ket ball team, and hopes to put out a strong one. The athletic association will name a 0,1 jer for next year’s football team noon* a , 1 It is likely that Dean Newman will JJ jtfven the position. As soon as * nMtm* In elected, there will be a schedule arrant for the next football season. .. Mercer hopes to have a much better tea* la the field next year, and a much better schedule. DOUGLASS ELECTED. Annapolis, Md., Dec. 15.—A. Douglass, of Knoxville, Tenn., ha.** bees elected captain of the Naval Acad.™ football team for next fall. NAT KAISER & CO. CONFIDENTIAL LOANS ON VALUABLES. 15 Decatur 8L Kimball Horn- Baroaina in Unredeemed Oiamondk