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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 1916)
4 S Qur Antediluvian Ancestors MV.' J a. - " Sh. MINUTE jl HOW A (B0NERW0N A GAME Mhter Sprafka of Minnesota Saves Team from Defeat by Getting Signals Crossed. COTJUTS TOUCHDOWN BY PLAT sr rntiKfl..MnKR. NEW YORK, Jan. a Usually when a man flivvers the aoniicquencea are dire; when he makes a glaring error he usually suffers. Put a Rent named Sprafka made s "boner" en Inexcusable error last fall and thereby saved his team from a beat Ins: on the gridiron and enabled It to tie for the championship of the western con ference. Sprafgka was a substitute halfback and rnd on the Minnesota eleven In 191X Ha looked promising, but that was alU It didn't look as If he would net a reel chance to display his wares during IMS ss Minnesota had a great regular back field and some very classy substitutes. But Sprafka did get a chanoe-and at the most unexpected time. And It came during Minnesota's clash with. Illinois. Blerman. ths great Minnesota full back, was Injured a few days before that game was played and was In no shape to enter ths combat. To add to Minnesota's seem ing misfortune, soms of the best substi tute backfleld men were In bad shape. "Toti work today," ssld Coach Williams to Sprafka. whils the team was en routs to L'rbana. "Ail right, sir." replied Rprafka, "but before I do I'll havs to be ooached a tittle as to signals." Sprafka "Leans" aiaaals. And then It was tht Williams remem bered that Sprafka never had been per mitted to learn the slgnais, Williams Im mediately busied himself In teaching the signals to Sprafka. but they were long and complicated ones, snd having so many of them drilled Into him at one time slightly confused Sprafka. Well, the game began with Sprafka back of the line. He performed brilliantly during the early part of the game, and seemed to have memorised the signals thoroughly. And then came the "slipup." Minnesota had the balj somewhere near Illinois' thlrty-ysrd line with score 0-0. Ths Gopher quarterback chanted his elg nsls, snd as the first numbers dropped from his Hps, ths bsckfteld shifted over toward ths right side of the Minnesota 11ns. Ths end came In close and it looked as If ths Gophers were going to try for a drive through that side. Thst's Just exactly what the plan was, but Sprafka kicked It to pieces.. When the ball wss passed to him he didn't shoot toward the right, where a mess of Interference wss afforded him where his teammates were drilling holes In ,' the Illinois line for him to plough through. Ges Wroas Way. Not Mr. Sprafka. He did something else. He grabbed that ball and ran to ward ths left, where there was no Inter ference waiting for him, where there was nothing but enemy linesmen In front f htm. And Sprafka broke through that Una, outran ths Illinois end. dodged the de fensive halfback of the Illinois eleven and planted the ball behind the Illinois goal Pne for a touchdown. The Illinois players wiers amssed at the daring of that play of sending a man through the line without any help what ever. But their amasement waa nothing tn comparison with that qf Sprafka'a teammatea. JWhen the ball waa given to Pprafka his mates hurled themselves at the Illinois line. They made a hole and they thought Sprafka was following them througlv They turned to look and they saw no Sprafka. They. looked back to see If he had stumbled or fallen, at which moment a wild roar broke looae from the Minnesota cheering squad. And not un til then did ' the ' Gophers know thst Sprafka. by getting the algnala .mixed. had scored a touchdown, unaided by his teammates. rafk Saved Cass. That touchdown made by Sprafka was Minnesota's only score during the game. A short time Ister Illinois mads a touch down, bringing about a to ( tie. That's ths wsy ths gams ended. If Sprafka hadn't got those signals mixed, the chances are that Illinois would have emerged as a victor and that Minnesota, Instead of tying for the championship. would havs been listed among the "also rans" la ths rac for the conference title. DOC MILLER IS LEARNING MORE OF MEDICAL GAME Outfielder "Doc" Miller, the former pinch hitter of Boston, Philadelphia and Cincinnati, is at present taking a post graduate course In Cornell's medical school, which is located in New York. It, I . M LEWIS SHOWSHE IS A CHAMP English Laddie Disarranges Fea tures of Willie Ritchie and Earns Bid to Title. IS THE BEST OF THE WELTERS Rr HIX.slDK. NEW TOIIK, Jan. . We rrltrrato our clnlmj made severs! weeks an, that Kid Iewla la the greatest welterwelRht ex-t tant And as such he should be uni versally recognised as the champion of that division. It la not for us to plnre Iewls on the welterweight pedextsl, and Idolise Mm as the champion. It Is for I-ewls himself to fight his way to that position. And, It Is our humble belief,, that he will lose no time In doing Just thst very thing. Lewis started his championship cam paign some ten dsys ago, when he took tha best welterweight in America Willie Ritchie Is that person and lambasted out of him every titular aspiration the latter ever entertained. Ritchie went into the ring one and three-quarter pounds above the welterweight standard of 142 pounds. while Lewis came In scaling Only a disparity of four pounds, but enough of an advantage for a fighter of Ritchie's caliber to enhance Into a victory. But Ritchie could not turn thla advantage to profit, for Lewis always showed the master hand. The welterweight division waa really exhumed In the Lewls-Rltchle fight. Aftr a hiatus of msny years the division has Jumped Into popular favor once more, and at the head of It la a Britisher a Brltlaher for the time helng at moat. For Ted-Kid Lewla desires to become an American citizen, and aa soon as prac ticable he will forswear his allegiance to King George. Lewis has Just passed his majority, and when his claim to the welterweight tltlo la established he will he among the young est of ring champions. Iwls flrsti be- i gan wearing crowns of the sort lined to distinguish boxing champions at tlio tender age of IT. That waa less than five years ago. lie won the bantamweight championship of England and then hit the trail for Australia. There he added woUht rapidly and became featherweight cham pion. He returned to I2nKlnnd, and chal lenged to a brush for the llghtwrlKht title of the Isles; but Freddie graciously re treated and came to Ami rlra. Lewla. peralstent lad, followed the Pontypridd boxer across the Big Prink. But Welsh. Just as persistent in dodging, refused to have anything to do with Lewis, so far as the ring was concerned. ( leans Vp rhtl Bloom. Tew1i came here In the fall of 1!14, and In hla flrst'appesrance here disarranged the features of one Thll Bloom. The lat ter outweighed his tow-headed rival many pounds, but Lewis shewed latent possi bilities and he was promptly placed un der the protecting wing of Jimmy John' ston, who Is managing His affairs after a "break" had occurred. . The climate of the amalgamated states evidently agreed with Iewls. for he bounded right into the lightweight divis ion, where he snopped around for nearly a yesri beating some of the best per formers In that' division. Kven Charley White, -. the Chicago Whirlwind, sue cumbed to Iwla' clevernens. ' As there were no more llghta-etghts to ronquer. Iewls begKed his msnager to resurrect the welterweight division and proclaim him the champion. Thla John ston unhesitatingly did, after Ils had promised to defend the self-imposed title sgalnst all comers. Wl'lle Ritchie waa the first legitimate welterweight to fall victim. Iwia has' gone so far aa to box middleweight with unfslllng success, hut now thst be has a regulsr vocation bossing the welter weights It Is unlikely that he will step out of thst pasture unless forced to do so by added weight. He still has three pounds to go to hit the welterweight mark. And he la at his best under the 140 pounds. Parky Raters a Word. Hark! We hear a sound aa from a tomb. Why, II is the moiirnful wall of our own Patrick McParland. He desires to know why he, of all-persons, should be left out of the welterweight considera tion. , Of course,, Packey Is about trying to prove his right to the lC-pound cham pionship; but he neglects to state that he can never make that oundage. Yet he would be champion, although he has long outgrown the weltarwclxiu division. For yeara Packey went along beating up lightweights when he was a welter weight htinkelf. Now, a hen he la a full- V 1 I V I VWUW 1 1 ' I I ' " I l '!T I m i i 1 -St vis. - . wW rAYU IS I I ' " l0M A ' Till; OMAHA Copyright, Omaha's Skating Champion New York can boast of Its Brokaw snd Its Itaptte and its Charlotte and the rest of lis assembly of expert and fancy skaters, who step forth on an ammonia rink sinl cut InnmmTable and unfathom able figures on the Ice, but Omaha laya claim to the amateur champion at fancy skating. Omuha's amateur star Is G. C. Vaughn, more familiarly known aa "IVte." Mr. Vaughn Is the Omaha representa tive for Coca Cola. , If there Is anything In the line' of fancy skating that Mr. Vaughn can't do Omaha li-e sharks want to see It. Every trick that Brokaw and Baptle and the other highly aalarled professionals perform, Vaughn performs, even to Brokaw'a sen sational trick of whirling a girl or boy around his head. Vaughn frequently does the stunt out at Hanacom park, when he can find a youngster who can hold him fledged middleweight, he wants to lick all the little welterweights. Naughty I'ackey. By the wsy. Psckey Is becoming a reg ular promoter of sports. He has Inter ested himself tn the promotion of a six day bicycle race In Chicago; and now he la thinking of hiring a base ball park to slsge fights and other sporting events during the summer. Packey Just can't keep out of the sporting limelight. Kid Pitcher Gets Funny with McGraw And Is Out: Fifty McGraw had a pitcher nemed Elliott, and for aome reason or other McGraw In sisted upon the rookie warming up every afternoon during the game. Klliott oc cupied the bull pen for four straight months without ever breaking Into, the box score. McGraw missed his usual sig nal one afternoon and forgot to send Klliott to the "pen." McGraw spied Klliott on the bench, "What are you doing there? Get out. get out; down there for you," from Mo- Uraw. "lown there and ami up." Elliott picked a ball out of the bag and put on a Juggling act In front of Muggsy. "What's the ides?" queried McGraw "I've been warming up for four months answered Elliott, "and I'm Just limbering up for next year now." The penalty waa 'M fine. "FIELDER JONES" DAY TO BE HELD IN C0MISKEY LOT President Comlskey of the White Sox says he really means to give a "Fielder Jones Iy" on the first appearance of the new Browna In Chicago and that he means to make It one of the big events of the whole season. SUNDAY BEE: JANUARY 0, 1016. 115, International News Service. self rigid and Is willing to take a chance. Cutting continuous figures Is a pastime for the Omaha chap, either by using the points of his skates or continuously on one skate without the use of the other one at all. Vaughn Is a familiar sight at Hanscom park and one or two other of the city's ponds. Often Vaughn has appeared on the Ice at Hanscom park with the result that the police have had to refuse to allow him to show his tricks, because the other skaters crowd around htm so that there Is danger of the Ice breaking. Vaughn la an Omaha product. He ; learned all his akstlng here and he Is still , content to do his tricks In this city. While Vaughn Is only an amateur and skating is a pleasure, not a business, Omaha skating fana do not believe that Brokaw or Baptle or any of the rest of them can give "Pete" any lessons. Sisler Lines Up Half a Dozen Jobs Before Taking One Toung Sisler, of the Browns, who is as good a pitcher as he is outfielder, and equally clever at. first base, la no piker. As soon as the bsse ball season wss over he started hunting for a Job. Branch Rickey, manager of the Browns, took him on an auto tour and tried to have him spend a few days at hla home, but Flsler wanted to go out after a pos'tlon as soon as possible. He went to Detroit and started out on a search through the auto factories. In a brief time he got half a dosen offers, while most fellows are satisfied with one Job. Tie finally ac cented one, the name of which we will t not mention, but which manufactures fine car. "Why did you go after so many Place, after you had one cinched and nslled down?" asked Rlckev. when he . . , .1 . ... this way," explained Staler. "I wanted to get as many as I could so as I could choose out the best one." JONES AND SANF0RD ARE STILL AFTER YALE JOB NEW HAVEN, Conn.. Jan. I.-There is still no authentlo news as to who will be selected as head coach for the Tale foot ball eleven. Tad Jones Is still men tioned as a likely candidate by those who know little or nothing about the matter which s not to say he may not be named while Foster anford Is still In the running. From the west contrs In formation that no surprise would be oc casioned in .Minneapolis If Pr. H. I.. Wil liams was aelected to serve as mentor to Yale's Tel emach us. " " -iKi-f Drawn STARTED AS A PILL PEDDLER Ten Years Ago Harry Sinclair Was a Clerk in Drug Store at Tulsa, Okla. NOW HE IS WORTH TffTT.T.TOKS Residents of Tulsa, Okl., who patron ized the town drug store ten years ago had no idea the energetic young clerk who waited on them would some day be a millionaire and the biggest figure in base ball. Neither did the clerk. But Harry Sinclair the clerk got some moneyon an accident policy and Invested It In oil fields. Before long his oil wells were pouring a stream of gold Into his pockets. He built a mansion that cost $150,000 and became one of Okla homa's most Influential ctttsens. Just about the time the oil wells were producing In the neighborhood of 8,000 barrela of oil a day, with oil selling at more than $1 a barrel, Phil Ball, a mil lionaire who had backed the Federal league club in St. Louis happened to meet Sinclair In Tulsa. "How's the base ball business?" Sin- 1 clalr asked. "Expensive." said Ball. "Any money in.lt?" "No; but it's lets of fun. Better come In and get your feet wet." Before many months passed Sinclair was wet clear up to the knees. He got in for tiiOO.OOO. He backed the Kansas City Federal feague club. When the proposition lost more than JSO.OOO for him last season, he did not bnt an eye. He simply had the Kansas "lty franchise transferred to New York, took an option on property valued at f l.ono.000 and announced he would give New York the finest ball park in the country. No Yellow Oil Mil. Magnates of Organized base ball had always wanted peace, but figured the Feds were licked to a frazzle and the only thing to do waa to alt back and wait for the blowoff. When they saw there was no quit to Sinclair and no limit to his coin supply, they began to figure differently. "This Sinclair's got too much money," they said. When Fed magnates offered a settle ment proposition, they found listeners. Garrv Herrmann's office became head quarter of the peace dove, and an armis tice was declared. Sinclair, a man with a gambler's Instinct and the money to back it up, had forced a move for set tlement of bae ball'a biggest problem. Now Sinclair will take the million he Is going to spend for ball grounds and buy his way Into the New York Giants. Once In Organized base ball, he ll have a lot to say about how it's conducted. Red Watson Tries To Put One Over in Australia Curtain In Australia they take their sports very seriously. Sport is a great pert of the life In that far-off country, and they In dulge In It to their hearts' content. The public likes to have the promoters and the contestants live up to the rules, and thry do not take kindly to excuses. Red Watson, the California welter weight, wss recently given taste of the way they do things over there. Wat son bad made an agreement to fight at 143 pounds. He neglected his training, hoping that by keeping out of sight un til the night of the flgtrt. the promoters 1 would be forced to use him. as they at:. . . . , , ,i,. w"1"" " " " " j hl" aee on such short notice Wafs.n appeared at the rlng-lde weigh- I )ng !.". pounds. But that is as far as he called the fight off at once, gave the spectators their money back, that la, all who wanted It, and then put on a substi tute bout. Butler College Has . One-Legged Athlete Butler college at Indianapolis has a one- legged athlete who is said to be a won der. His name la Robert Carver, and he plays basket ball, tennis and base ball. Garver nil Injured five years ago. neces sitating the amputation of his left leg Just above the knee. He is very shifty and rsn go -to the side er back more quickly thsn many of his opponents In basket ball. for The Bee The Hypodermic Needle By rSES Ottr Travelogrne 75o. lO. Seattle, Wash., Is a city of two seasons June, July and August and rain. Thus the abbreviation of Washington to "Wash." Is quite apropos. Seattle adver tises that Its climate is exceedingly healthful and inviting'. It Is, If you don't live there. The business district of Seattle runs along three streets, First. Second and Third avenues. Edward Peyton Weston could have a good time shopping in Se attle, but the ordinary Individual would do better to take a Pullman in taking the trip along one of the above avenues. Seattle used to have one other street of more importance than First, Second or Third avenues. That waa Pike street. But on January 1, 1916, they hung crepe on Pike street, so the avenues now have the edge. Yesler Way la another thor oughfare of Seattle with a distinction. Yesler Way is the one perpendicular street of the United States. You can fall down It or roll down, either method is good. Going up you ride in a cable car and try to keep from falling out of the ar by grabbing the grlpman around the ear. Seattle is also some city of hills. Rome boasts of seven hills, but Seattle has Rome cheated by about eight hundred thousand. Mount McKinley Is said to be In Alaska, but Its twin brother Is some . where In Seattle. Seattle has a Totem Pole. Wcfd tale of the theft of thla Totem Pole from the Indians oftAlaska are always related for the edification of visitors. The citizens declare it is the only genuine Totem Pole in the United States. Then you go down to T.coma. some thirty-three mile, south, .nrt im .n,w rlm rv,, in tne public square. Tacoma Insists its Totem Pole is the only genuine one, and applies such uncomplimentary phrases ss "four-flushers, liars, scoundrels, knork ers and bums," to the citizens of Seattle. Seattle and Tacoma also have another row on. It Is over a certain peak nearby. Seattle calls the said peak Mount Rainier. Tacoma calls it Mount Tacoma. All of which la something to fight over, as the peak doesn't do either town any good. Seattle Is one of the several towns of these United States which did not greet 1916 with open arms and eclat. For w hen the young new ye,ar heaved Into view he began to run things. He started out by closing the gatea of Seattle's irrigation project. And Seattle had some irrigation project. More people could be seen on the streets of Seattle at 11 o'clock at night than at Sixteenth and Farnam streets at midday. And tha large ma jority were always well Irrigated. Now all the irrigation Is confined to water, and the people of Seattle are for the first time learning that water la used for other things besides running ' under bridges. They will play slow and sad music in Seattle in distant years when 1916 Is mentioned. ' . But 19JS will make one thing possible In Seattle. Its people may be able to pronounce the name of--the morning newspaper there. It Is the Post-Intelligencer. In the psst this handle was too much to tackle, so they.merely called It the P.-I. Seattle has a forty-two-story, building, snd to hear 'em talk about it you'd think the Woolworth, Singer and Metropolitan buildings didn't exist. Seattle is chiefly noted for the fact CAN BE CURED Free Proof To You All I want is your osme snd sddrras so I rsn srnd yon a fr- IrUI trt. mnt. I want you Jut lo try tiiis treatment that's sIi-ImI trv tt. That's mj ouly argumeaL I've been In the dreg bnnisess In Fort Warn for tn ,. , knows about Sf ..iccewful treatmeuL Over U.a -T..S JZZIT . 7 m ! Wayoe l.a. according to the ewa sUUueuU, Uu .4 Tj, '"J " ' t"rt sude this Oder public ' Utlmtut foce I flj.t If you have Eczema. Itch. Salt Rheum. TdttMim mh4 h,w ,. , cured the worst cum I ever uw-atva me a chaa ta eweaVy lmT T trtmn' asa Rend rae your name end sddreman tlx coupon brlow and art It., trl.i ,, . . you RtK. Ths wouders sccomptuitrd la your o. o csm i u wef mnl 1 wn tosead T AMD Mail. TODAY I. C. HUTZCLL. DrsuUt, 856 Wast Mala U, Fort W.yn. Ind. eead without cost or obligation to saa yeus Free Proof TvsatsMaC FostOfBoa- Street and Ka- by F. Opper 8. HUMTEB" that Portus Baxter, its leading sporting editor, is the possessor of $46,000 and an eight-cylinder automobile and, believe us, that is some distinction, EAST 19 EAST. AND WEST IS WEST. AND NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET. Enter Guy Heed of the University otr Nebraska at the meeting of the National Athletic association in New York City. Introduction of Mr. Reed to the various delegates. Much emphasis placed on the fact that Mr. Reed represented Ne brsska, for whom the well known Mk Chamberlain played foot ball last year, and will also play again next fall. "I , would like to schedule a foot ball game with some eastern team." sug gested Mr. Reed. Mr. Reed spoke thusly to the representatives of Dartmouth, West Toint and Colgate. Conferences of representatives of Dart mouth, West Point and Colgate. "Nebraska Is in the Missouri Valley conference," announces the man from Dartmouth. Look up rules of Missouri Valley con ference. Find rules will not permit mem ber of the conference to play any place except in the city or town one of the opposing schools is located in. Rush back tj find Mr. Reed. "We'll show you westerners up. We'll show you the east has got the west beaten a mile when It comes to foot ball. We'll give you a game. We'll play you In New York City." This unanimously 'or" representatives of Dartmouth, ' "k frV .u . , I ""T" """'V" ,OC"tM !' f. N'""r I f. "5" N' T" and Colata "l Hamilton. , Then. Twinkle, twinkle, base ball star. Now. Kow I wonder where you are, Then. A year ago you were so cute. Sow. t But now we see you chute-the-chuta, Shades of Barnnm. Chicsgo is going to have two slx-day bike races at one and the same time. Still we do not understand how there fa to be absolute peace in base ball as long as there are umpires and Johnny Ever. The msgnate counted o'er hla dough. -And hsd enough to last a year or so. And Mr-lght awsy he threw In hlgH, And bellowed forth this curdling cry, , "War" The majmate counted o'er hla dough. And found said dough waa mighty low .r-nd strslght away he bowed hla head. And thla soft word was what ha said BRANCH RICKEY, IT IS . SAID, WILL BE A LAWYER One report In St. Louis' has It thai Branch Ttlrlcev K l. . . . , wy iq rieides Jonea as manager of the Browns, will gi into a law partnership with Judge George Williams, who wss one of the attorneys of Organized Hall in the anti-trust suit brought by the Feds before Judge Lao., dls. A,. .Stata...