The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-28
A GREAT BILLIARD GAME.
The Wonderful Playing of Vignaux,
the French Champion.
The Opening Game of the Chicago TOurna-
ment-Vignaux's Brilliant Defeat
of Maurice DAILY.
Chicago Times, Yesterday.

IN last nights game, were attlreu IN reSula-
ton full-dress suits. When they advanced
to the table to begin the game they were re-
ceived with loud applause.
Iii stringing for the lead Vignaux won and
chose the white ball, but failed to score.
Daily followed, making his first point amid
vociferous applause. By careful work at the
upper left-hand corner he put together nine
teen points before closing. Vignaux again
missed. DAILY only scored four, however,
when he missed an easy draw Vignaux
found the worries we'll separated, and in en-
deavoring to collect them froze on the third
count; counting then from the spot, he
slowly scored eleven, stopping at an easy
single-cushion carrom. Daily could get but
nine points more when a missed masse
shot gave him a seat. So far the audience
had not been gratified with anything really
worthy of applause. The contestants played
very carefully, but perhaps little nervously.
The quiet Frenchman continued his bad luck
by missing an ordinary bank shot after count
ing IA. By gentle nursing the New Yorker
put together SO at the upper end, when mis-
cue cut him off Both players then made
singles, and Vignaux closed his sixth inning
with total of only 80 points, Daily, in his
half of the inning, made only "a, giving him
a total of SO and lead of SO points. The au
dience was quiet, but in exceeding good hui
NOR with the prospect of an opening victory
for the United States. Vignaux looked de-
termined when be resumed the cue, but
slipped up again on a by no means difficult
shot, after making II buttons DAILY followed
with 4, and the polite Gaul with pair, miss
ing q most unaccountable single cushion.
\ The placid Gothamite then got to work in
fgNr
points in the lower left corner, when they
split badly. Around and all over the green
the scoring continued until 40 was called,
when the spheres were in fair posi-
ton again at the upper end. The run
closed at As, showing DAILY 142 and Vignaux
~ points. The next three innings developed
nothing but another amateur shot by
Vignaux and a second miscue by Daily. The
Frenchman's average then stood at about 3.
The confidence of his friends was somewhat
restored by some artistic work which scored
him only 80 points, but yet won him APP
plause upon a very difficult kiss shot which
he missed DAILY, by some beautiful playing,
soon got the balls at the lower balk line,
touching them like eggs for 38 buttons before
they got away. In one shot then, amid vo-
ciferous applause, he collected them precisely
in the middle of the table, followed this
with pretty kiss count, and closing at Il
points on a missed masse Nignaux con-
tinued to show a lack of nerve by missing a
simple bank shot Daily kept pegging away,
winning applause on several nice draws,
closing his thirteenth inning 10 points be-
yond the second corner and 125 in advance
of Vignaux. Vignaux played with great
care in his next inning, but retired on an
easy carom with 30 points. Again DAILY
madesom draws which started the hands to
clapping, missing wide draw when "a
was reached. The. unfortunate but still
well-contaned foreigner then got his
third blank. Pretty billiards, here
there and everywhere, closing with
a miss on a difficult masse, was Days record
in the seventeenth inning. The Frenchman
failed to count on an easy one-cushion draw,
and the American drew a blank. In his
eighteenth inning, the visitor went to work
TO redeem the fame of La Belle France, and
succeeded in doing so, to the delight of the
audience, which was beginning to feel afraid
that the Frenchman was having an offnight
and would give them no exhibition of his
skill. BY careful play, and some admirable
collecting he ran to eighty-four. In the
eighty-fifth count was beautiful and diff
cult kiss which fairly brought down the
house. In the deafening applause Mr. Wig
nauX kept on playing, making foul on
eighty-six points, which was instantly
claimed by DAILY and allowed by the referee.
Mr. Vignaux in his excitement had appar-
entity not noticed that he had failed in two
shots to get one of the object balls outside of
the balk line and he therefore demanded to
told to him, he aequiesced at once in the de-
csion of the referee, but the audience, not
hearing what was said, and not fully under
standing the strict rules of the balk-line game,
we're OF opinion that the foreigner was being
iil-treated and consequently put in a veto by
prolonged Kissing. Mr.. Cowles was accord
jngly constrained to call time and explain
TO the audience why Mr.. Vgnaux was
stopped. This nice run, the largest of the
game to that point put Vignaux around his
second corner and within sixty-five points of
his opponent. In the twentieth inning Wig
naux got twenty-one more and Daily nine
teen, without anything noteworthy. Having
once broken the ice the brilliant Frenchman
chaked up his cue for the twenty-frst turn
with slight smile playing over his massive
rountenance and at once proceeded to coax
the balls up and down the cloth, into corners
aud out of corners, touching them lightly
and displaying that brilliancy of execution
which has rarely failed him in an emergency.
lie finally quit at eighty-six buttons, having
for the first time in the game placed himself
in the lead. Daily, In his reply, ran up
twenty-five points, making one very pretty
mssse The score then stood; Vignaux
S34 DAILY 1913 with an average of sixteen for
each. When the Gallo Maurice next got at
Tie worries he continued his quiet general
play and unrvaed position work. A long,
difficult masse at six points was perhaps the
hest of tine kind of the evening and was fully
appreciated by the spectators Steadily and
monotonously the marker called out the
points, and it looked as though monsieur
could play them forever without a miss,
when, as was the rule with him during the
entire evening, lie failed to count on a COM
parAtyely easy shot, The four last innings
rad netted him 26l points, or an average of
G5 to an inning. This was great playing, and
it looked little shady for the American
Maurice, when he replied with only seven
links on his end of the wire. Again the
burly but light-handed Vignaux laid hold of
the little spheres and deity manipulated
lhem in whatsoever direction he desired.
Again and again did he draw the ball into
the closest proximity from every
portion of the baize. His calculations
of force and speed could only be char