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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15,1906.
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UP-TO-DATE NEWS
OF SPORTING WORLD
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NEWS OF Bl
KERS
EDITED BY
PERCY H. WHITING
il
AS TAD SEES THE MIX-UPS
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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.