Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 October 1907 — THIS SPORTING LIFE IS H-. [ARTICLE]

THIS SPORTING LIFE IS H-.

It was a sore bunch of Rensselaer sports that pulled in from Roselawn on the 10:55 a. m., train Sunday, and thereby hangs a tale. Quite a large number of sports went up to the Newton county sport town Saturday afternoon with the colored foot-racer whom they have had in charge here for several weeks, determined to come home with all the dough that tbe Roselawn sports had accumulated during their street carnival. Sportsman, the Rensselaer racer, was to run against a Chicago fleetfoot, and about S4OO bad been staked on tbe result, it is reported. A Roselawn man was agreed upon as starter, but he tired the colored man out in scoring up for the start, and there was no race. Two of the three judges were also Roselawn men. It is alleged that he started them off two or three times by the faring of a pistol, and as the colored man got the best start, called them back for a fresh “go” each time. To use the -sport vernacular, there was plenty of ragchewing when, after several trials they were sent off and had run quite a distance with Sportsman in the lead, only to be again called back. By this time the colored man was too thoroughly winded to run, and the Rensselaer men wanted their money back, but the Roselawn sports declined to give it up, insisting that the race be run. During the squabble the milk train pulled in. but the Rensselaer crowd didn’t want to leave without their S4OO. and as a consequence the train left without them. The next train that stopped there was not until about 10 a. m., Sunday morning, and though the matter was compromised in some way by which the money, or the most of it at least, was returned later in tbe evening, they had to remain all night. Sleeping quarters were not plenty there for transient guests and the citizens generally did not seem to look favorably on the bunch of Rensselaer sports, so they were compelled to secure quarters in a hay loft, where they spent the night.