The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1860-11-14
DneStickS ON Billiards.


DOeStCkS on Billiards.
M. Berger, the celebrated French player,
(says the Sunday Mere'ry,) who is as much
the King of the Billiard Table as Paul
Morphy is Emperor of the Chess Board,
has lately arrived in tkis country, and is
Michael Phelan. His wonderful playing
has been the theme of the daily papers for
several days, but we think none of the re-
porters of the daiies are quite equal 10 the
task of describing the miraculous shots of
the rotund Frenchman, and we have pre-.
vailed on our friend, Doesticks, TO give us
his impressions, as follows:
81 need hardly tell you that the game of
billiards consists in punching ivory balls
about on big table covered with green
cloth, that looks like half an acre of
meadow land, with an india rubber fence
around it that the balls are punched with
long wooden ramrods, with wax on the end
to save the wood, and leather put on TO
save the wax, and chalk put on TO keep the
leather from wearing out. You take your
lamrod and rub some chalk on the little
end then you lean over the table then
you squint; then you lift up your leg then
you fiddle a little on your left hand with
your ramrod then you punch your ball
If your ball runs against the other mans
ball, you've done big thing, and you poke
up LOT OF buttons that are strung on a wire.
sg oil .har e - n l.
Anybody can punch billiards. can, and
maybe you could
"Well, Berger has come the great French
puncher; and of course I've been TO see
him punch a few billiards with Phelan.
PheaL is a pretty fair puncher himself, but
he can't punch so fast as Berger in fact
has TO give p. a hundred buttons or so in
every game. I've often played with Phe-
Ian myself, but he always beats me he
has private understanding with the man
that pokes the buttons. When Phelan
punches the balls, the man pokes buttons ;
when punch the balls, nary button will
the man poke. So Phelan goes out but
my game is a little the best: in fact, I've
challenged Phelan 10 play me a thousand
buttons for lot OF money, and I've offered
TO keep the game myself so as to be sure all
is fair. Phelan's conspiracy with ;he men
who poke the buttons is a disgraceful thing;
it discourages young men. and makes them
think they can't punch billiards well as
Phelan can. I'm bound to break it up
But Berger has out generated Phelan. Ber-
ger has bought over all of Phelan's button
pokers-pays 'em more money than Phean
did, and know !hey give Berger all the
buttons.
"Ha ha: Big thing on Michael
'Well, on Friday, Berger was going to
do some punching, and there was in the
midst. Berger is big fat man the top of
his head is as bald as goose-egg, and he
has got stomach as big as a three foot
celestial glo5e-in fact, he is shaped Just
like billiard ball. and might be used for
one, if you'd take his boots off and tie his
heels 10 the back of his neck-only don't
want him to carom on me
tHe brought all his own tools with him
from France-a table that isn't so long by a
few feet as Phelan generally makes his-a
lot of balls and rarnrods, and everything
Room was full, all anxious TO see the
Frenchman punch; and the Frenchman
punched, and pretty good punching it was.
He made the balls hop all over the table,
and generally had four in the air at once.
Neil Bryant was there, and Neil is pretty
good Judge of billiard punching. did my
favori,e shot with great success-jum
my ball off the table, caromed on Neil
Bryant, and holed it in spittoon.
s'Phelar said it was big thing, so did
Neil. Berger rolled himself round TO the
corner of the table. chalked his ramrod, and
executed fancy lick. He made his ball
run three times round the liable, on the edge
Of the cushion, leap off at sharp angle,
carom on Neil Bryant, come back to the
table, take eighteen cushions, and stop ex-
actly on the centre spot.
"Phelan had try. He did one of the
simple shots that | taught him-the one
when the ue-ball takes twenty-one cush-
ions, knocks the hats off three Dutchmen in
the corner, comes back, and stops inside the
string. Berger didn't think much of that
so he took off his coat, rolled up his 7leeves,
and put in a tremendous lick the ball hii
Phelan on the middle vest-buuon, caromed