Newspaper Page Text
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
