Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 July 1908 — DISPUTATIOUS SPORT [ARTICLE]

DISPUTATIOUS SPORT

Seems To Be the Characteristic of the Olympic Games at London. SERIOUS TROUBLE AT THE MEET One of Our Bunners Disqualified for an Alleged FouL Committee in Charge for Uncle,Sam Ignores the Decision, Claims the Race, and Protest*— Great Uproar.

London, July 24.—The unfortunate scries of. disputes which has arisen since the opening of the Olympic games, culminated in an occurrence which threatened to wreck the interOlympic meetings. The trouble was over the final beat of the 400-metres flat race, for which J. C. Carpenter, Cornell university; J. B. Taylor, IrishAmerican Athletic club; W. C. Rol>blns, Cambridge, Mass., and Lieutenant Wyndham Halsewelle, United Kingdom, qualified. With the exception of Taylor the men got off quickly on thf flrlnig of the pistol and Robbins sprinted in front, taking thf pole from Carpenter, who was just behind, with Halswelle trailing along beside him. It looked like anybody’s race as they approached the last turn, the three leaders being bunched. Carpenter Charged with Fouling. Their spurt for the final hundred yards was just begun when one of the officials rushed upon the track, the tape'across the finish was torn down, and the race was declared void. The official pronouncement was that Carpenter had fouled Halswelle at the turn. An uproar followed such as sei dom or never was witnessed on an atheletfc field. The uproar continued for nearly half an hour, and as the people poured out of the stands the arguments were taken up in the aisles and gateways by excited thousands, and the race is still the subject of the bitterest wrangling everywhere. Matthew P. Halpin, the manager of the United States team, who was in the arena. Immediately entered a protest claiming the race for Carpenter.

Decision of the Committee. A committee meeting of the Amateur Athletic associaiton was called and the judges who rendered the decision and Halswelle were called to state their case. Neither any member of the committee representing the United States nor any one of the three runners from that country was called on to make any statement, and the committee after upwards of two hours consideration rendered the following decision: “The judges decide the race void and order the same to be run over again on Saturday at noon. Carpenter is dis.]iialified.” When they beard th" decision the members of the committee in charge of the United States teams met ami passed a resolution ordering the men not to run tomorrow.

\ DECISION TO, BE IGNORED Our Men Will Be Given Medals and Declared Winners The committee from the United States is disgusted and vigorous in its denunciation of the decision. Thp members say the arrangement of the track was unfair, and that Carpenter ran true and fair; the officials are unsportsmanlike, and that they declared it no race without consideration, the referee being ignored; that the United States committee has been silent on several occasions when British contestants did unfair acts. The decision will be ignored and Carpenter and Robbins declared the winners and lie given medals by the United States committee. • Carpenter says there was no foul, and so do several United States athletes who were where they could see the runners at the time the foul is alleged. Whatever mgy be the facts in the unfortunate episode both the English and the representatives from the United States firmly believe that their men are absolutely right and the others -wholly wrong. The British public takes sport more seriously than any other nation, has fullest confidence in the English judges and accepts their decisions in all sporting events with implicit confidence. Moreover the Englishman concerned in this event, Lieutenant Halswelle, is a gentleman of the highest standing, and an officer of a popular regiment, which counts for much with his countrymen, who nre certain that he would not knowingly profit by an unfair ruling in his own favor. STATEMENT OF THE OFFICIALS They Say a Foul Was Undoubtedly Committed by The following Is the official account of the incident: “It was distinctly understood by the runners before they went to their marks that in the event of any boring the race was to be rerun half an hour later. The draw for positions resulted in Carpenter getting the inside position. Then came Halswelle, Taylor, and Robbins on the outside, Carpenter darted off in the lead at a great pace, with Robbins second, Halswelle third and Taylor fourth. To the middle of the bend the positions were the same. Then Halswelle drew up, according to the umpire stationed

at the spot, and led so near as could be judged—half a second. “Carpenter then-ran wide, elbowing Halswelle on to the outer sid of the track. Then Robbins crossed to the inside. A signal was given by the umpire when Halswelle was fouled, and ail the men with the exception of Carpenter, who ran right out, partially pulled up. as the worsted having been broken there could be no race. Taylor ran perfectly fairly throughout.. The judges themselves inspected the footprints, which showed with- perfect clearness that what had happened was unquestionably such as to bear out the umpire’s signal and prove that a foul had been committed.” In the general description of the race this morning newspapers unhesitatingly adopt the view of the Judges that Carpenter was guilty of “boring.” They quote Halswelle as asserting that he was elbowed out by Carpenter, who gave him two vigorous Mows on the chest. It is alleged that a doctor examined Halswelle and found bruises from these blows. The Standard quotes a prominent athlete, who is unnamed, as saying: “I should be sorry to say that. Carpen ter knew precisely what he was doing, so impeded Halswelle as to make it impossible foi him to win. To have allowed the race to stand would have been a scandal. Halswelle was grossed more than once. The best runner in the world could not have succeeded against such tactics.” OUR ATHLETES NOT POPULAR Former Troubles Remembered—Sween Also Has a Complaint. It is an undeniable fact that athlete, from the United States have not been popular in England since the famous Cornell rowing episode. The public mind has tieen charged with the belief that hmateurs from the states are tainted with professionalism and this suspicion has been vastly increased by charges of the sort reproduced from the press of the United States. No one attending this Olympaid could fall to notice the disinclination of the public to applaud United States victories. F. Leroy Homes, of Chicago, had an unpleasant experience with the spectators Wednesday. He was giving a splendid exhibition in the standing high jump, when without any cause whatever the spectators commenced to “boo.” This got so bad that the referee had to call out that if the disturbance did not stop the jumping would be postponed. . This threat served to bring quiet. The French correspondents who have been following the sports are condemning the way in which they assert the athletes from the United have been treated. Sweden has withdrawn all her men from the GraecoBpman wrestling contests on the

ground that one of the Swedish -representatives, Anderson, was unfairly deprived of a bout Wednesday. As to the wins for the day, they were declared as follows: Two-hun-dred-metres sprint, Kerr. Canada, first; Clough and Cartmell, United States, second and third. Standing high jump, Ewry, United States, first; Isiclitaras, Greece, and Bailler, United States, tie for second. Catch-as-catch-can wrestle, O’Kelly, British, won. Fencing contest, France. Saber contest, Hungary. In the llOmetres hurdle the British took seven heats and the United States five. z