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

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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15,1906. V h UP-TO-DATE NEWS OF SPORTING WORLD *•»•••■*•••••••••••••••••••••••!••••••■sat•••••••••••••••••••••it■•■••••••■•••«••••••*•<••(•••••••••••• ..................................... NEWS OF Bl KERS EDITED BY PERCY H. WHITING il AS TAD SEES THE MIX-UPS II••••••••••••••••< !•••••••••••••••••••••••••••' THE SIX-DAY BICYCLE RACE IHNMMIHMHHI NOT NEWS, Bt/7 VIEWS a BY PERCY H. WHITINO. The disgust of that portion of the American public which is in favor of u square deal over the raw treatment handed to Bobby Walt hour in the six-day race at Madison Square Garden increases as the race drnws near its close. Time after time the Atlanta rider has pulled himself up on even terms with the other racers, only to lose his advnutage as the result of erooked decisions by ofTicials whose rulings arc so obviously unfair as to he greeted each time they are made by hisses and groans from the spectators. 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. Smith-Simpson Golf Match Off; Memphis Can't Raise the Coin The proposed golf mittrh l»lwm Ales of money and made a gerotirt proposal r.>r The feeling that Walthour is getting nil the worst of it is held not only in Atlanta, but in New York ns well. All the hike race writers in New York, and especially those of the Ilenrst pub lications, are scorching the rnco management with a vigor which is refreshing. Whether Bob wins or loses he has made a hero out of himsef in the eyes of the New York public. His 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 but generally fair-minded people of New York; and, win or lose, be 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 be perhaps 12,500 richer if he does not finish inside the money. Possibly it is because the management had to pay Walthour something to start that makes them so determined that he shnll not get anything extra at the finish. BASKET BALL AT Y. M. C. A. The Y. M. C. A. Ra»kotball league firomiae* to treat Its audience to two lively gamtx tonight, when the Unit iseries of games will be finished. Each of the four teams has played two games and each has won one. This shows the teams to b« very even ly matched and there Is much guess ing as to which team will win tr night. All the teams nto 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 close of the regular class work from 8 to 8:30 o’clock. No charges for ad mission. Tonight's games: Y’s vs. C's and M's vs. A‘h. Another fighter gone broke. Joe Grim told a magistrate In Pittsburg the other day that he hud been done out of I15« In u poker game and was penni less. r Of Course fmn *CHE STANDARD OF PURITY. dooooooooooooooooodooooooci O 0 o HOW RACE STANDS. O O a 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 Hedell, 2,091-4; Breton and O O Hamuelson. 2,098-4. O O Record, 2,494-8. made by Miller O O and Waller In 1899. O 0 O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO New York, Dec. 15.—"This race crooked, and 1 have been openly robbed rcpeutedly. If It were not that I don't want to be classed ns a quitter, 1 would have withdrawn long ago.” This statement was made today by "Hobby** Walthour, the plucky little American champion, the Idol of the six-day bike race In Madison Square Garden. The police have been nsked to stop the farce, but as yet Commissioner Bingham has taken no action. He said he had received ninny complaints and he sent the deputy, Mathot, to the Garden to see what can be done. The fraudulent character of the raca has become more apparent, and the riders themselves who ure not In the plot to fool the public are plainly showing that they realize the whole affnir has been burned up, and fixed, and they are doing nil they dare to make the exhibition as unttnterestlng as possible. "The judges, I am firmly convinced, ure In a plot to prevent me from win ning. and the race, to say the least, has the appearance of being crooked. But 1 will bent them yet,” was Walt hour's final comment. And today the old. brutal exhibition. Ith which the public has been familiar so often In print—half-mad, drugged, wild-eyed, drawn-faced, attenuated creatures are plodding away, hoping to hold on to the last minute of the race. The men have been fighting v their trainers and swearing 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 stares, the cheers and curses, the abuse and 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. Rome rider would hit up a lively clip for a lap or two, but would at the least ex cuse fall back Into the old pace with the crowd. Even Bobby Walthour, the Idol of the noisome mob, placated In some manner for having been denied the firs place In the race which he would wexf the contest nn honest one, made the showing of an amateur when op sev eral occasions he essayed to lead the I 1 " ''the pace that kill*. I Here arc a few clipping, from the New York paper*, giving some detailed Information about exciting happening, of tho race: It wo. easily seen Thursday that tho rider* were beginning to »how *lgn* of the terrible strain. With hag gard face* and Inflamed eye*, the men were a ghastly sight. Their cheek * .EDDIE HAYES. The cut above ehow* Eddie Hayes, the Atlanta featherweight. In a characteristic attitude. Hayes accept* the challenge of Oscar Blanton, of Arlington. Ga., recently published In The Geor gian. and would like to hear from that pugilist. Hayes stands ready to fight any tU-Kt-pnund boxer nnd will meet any of them -or the undisputed featherweight championship of the Houth. He Is willing to light any number of round* tor a ride bet or purse. Address all challenges to Joe Trent, care Elkin-Watson Drug ! arc sunken, their eye* hollow nnd 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 tho last two or throe days of the race will be constantly under the Influence of powerful drugs. Several of the teams, most noticeable of them the Georget brother*, are beginning to cause their handlers n lot of trouble. They are cranky nnd sullen, and It la only after a great deal of coaxing that they'Anal ly obey the Instruction* 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 frnmed up with Johnny Bedell, had forced their way Into the Garden with pockets full of ground glass, Intending to throw It upon the track, thus forc ing the foreign riders to withdraw from the race. A dozen Pinkerton detectives, acting under Instructions from Pat Powers, were Immediately sent to dlf- ferent parts of the Oarden In an en- dearor to catch the perpetrators. HAS TO DO IT ALL. Walthour, although making the light of bis life. Is riding under heart breaking conditions. Bedell, hla part tier, has been suffering for almost for ty-eight hours from an acute attack of Indigestion, and during that time hard ly a morsel of heavy food has passed his lips. He Is constantly under the eye of Dr. Creamer and Is kept from (he track as much as possible. Con sequently Walthour Is farced to en dure most of the pedalling, and his wonderful recuperative powers are al 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 hours. BOBBY “DYING GAME- SAYS FRIDAY'S AMERCAN Less than IS minutes of constant Jockeying and shifting of positions while traveling at a 2:10 gait followed Thursday's games! effort (o recover the lost lap. Then at 22 minutes past 11 Walthour Jumped away from the field again. Instantly the Garden was In an uproar. After three laps Bedell caught his mate and swepC by him riding like the wind. Fogler. who was towing the bunch a half lap behind, was 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 hurst Into the stretch behind his rival and rode by him as If he were sitting still. Relieving Iledell In faultless style, Walthour continued his dash Smith, the tornl golf professional, ami Uoliert Slmpsou, professional of the Mem phis rlnli, Is probably off. The Memphis golfers proposed the match and wanted to mako It for 1:50 a side. This looked like a pretty large-slied uiateh. tinder the elrcumstatices, lint the Atlanta players derided to risk It nml ac cepted tho challenge In liehnlf of Smith, raising the money one afternoon among n car-load of golfers coming hack from East Lake. Then Memphis changed her mind. The goiters of the llluff City, lielng “called,'' decided that 1:50 a side was a lot Ills n side. This offer Smith refused to seeept nnd handed them back their own offer-1*) a able. Thin Is too warm a game for Memphis, Judging by the following article which Appeal: of the M “Member* of the McmphlM Country ciui» who have nttetiipteil to brlnx about a mn i Inif iN'twi'oii Smith, the Atlanta Instrartor nml ofwn champion, nml Mnipaon. the local Wp*”, ore ou record iin liclnj* i>ppo*e<| to the |500 groan purae propoaltlon, therefore mi I cm tho match lx taken under conaldem- tlou ngnln all rhnticea for an niite-riiriatimi* 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 ries of the old-time electric light rac ing nightmare at Mospeth, L. I., and again at St. Louis, Mo., are revived to day through the request for bida on a lighting contract asked local lllumlnanl companies by the Suburban Park Rac Ing Association, of Algiers, La. Be hind this Is a plan the race track peo ple have of raring every night from January 1 to the middle of April. Electric light racing at St. Louis, Mo., and again at Maspe'tlt, L. I., courses 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 sissippi river from New Orleans, the good friends of racing In Louisiana foresee breakers ahead. As a matter of fact. Interest* close around the track and In leas than a mile had lapped the entire Held and was within 20 feet of Root when Matt Downey fell on the Madison avenue turn. It abemed for a moment the crowd would vent Ite disgust In a way more serious than mere hooting. But Wal- thnur raised hla hand to quell the tu mult and was seen to amlle grimly ns he said tq <’aidwell: “They don’t want us to get It. Frank. 1 Ills philosophical acceptance of the conditions caused the crowd to rise to Its feet and give him a roaring volley of cheers. While the crowd was still discussing the several decisions which seemed so unfair. Judges and scorer* were en gaged In a lengthy conference as to t|je result* of the last and most exciting of the morning's four sprints It was Anally 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 In particular had the sym pathy of the crowd and the Atlanta hoy was cheered to the echo by the late division. His plucky efforts to gain back the lap lost by teaming with Iledell were recognised. The slightest Increase of pace on his or Bedell’s part was the signal for an outburst of cheering nnd the demonstration* con tinued at every opportunity throughout the evening. to the governor's chair aay that should night racing come to hand, anti-racing legislation will quickly develop. Tin Suburban Park Racing Association is an eyesore on the American turf. Here Sunday racing has been conducted with Impunity for two years, because under the Louisiana state laws, "racing” Is a "public diversion" and must bo classi fied with baseball as such. Of course baseball Is played on Sunday all through tho state. Hence the Sunday plant hns not been nmenable to legal discipline. Not satisfied with reaping a rich financial harvest every Sun day, Ihe 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 nml the Fair Grounds has been amicably ad justed, a tight between Suburban Park and these 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.” However, the Suburban Park game has added no end of life and Interest to the sporting winter season now un der full sway, for thousands of the sports go acroaa the big river by the ferries every Sunday afternoon In * desire to try their luck and fortune on the "outlaws." _ ATHLETIC8 AT MERCER. 8p*e|*l to The Georgian. Macon. On.. Dec. Is.—There I* » great deal of Interest belug taken In athletics at Mercer now. Coach Tarr baa liegua work with the ket ball team, and hopes to put out a strong one. The athtetlc association will name a mar- aier for next year's football team soon, and It la likely that Dean Newman will I'* S ven the poaltlon. As soon as s manager elected, there wilt be a schedule arranged for The next football season. Mercer hopes to hare s much better testa la the Held next year, and s much bethr aebedule. DOUGLASS ELECTED. . Annapolis, Md„ Dec. 15.—A. Hugh Douglass, of Knoxville, Tenn., has been elected captain of the Naval Academy football team for next fall. NAT KAISER & CO. CONFIDENTIAL LOANS ON VALUABLES. 15 Decatur St. Kimball Hoots- Baronina in Unredeemed Diamonds.