The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-18
IN SPORTING CIRCLES.
PaIo Alto Lowers the Stallion Record
to 2:08 "a.
THE LEAGUE OF PROFESSIONALS.
A Scheme to Boom Professional sport
The suliivan-Conley Contest viii Take
Place Tomorrow Night-Barney Hub
bard and Montreal Meet Tonight.

This has been the greatest Of all sea
sons on the race track, so far as record
breaking goes, and now Palo Alto has
taken another half second off the stallion
record. The game son of Electioneer trot-
ted mile without a skip at Stockton,
Cal, yesterday in 2:0ss4, and by this re-
markable performance the horse not only
breaks stallion record, but wins all rec
ords of the world for the famous Palo
Alto stable Marvin had his charge well
in hand all the way, and drove the fuil
mile without even a sign of distress from
the horse. The quarters were made as
follows: .3l9l, 1.031E, 1861, 2.0ss4.
There is a scheme on foot to form pro-
fessional athletic league, to boom" field
and track sports. Sparrow" Robertson
of New York and Mickey" Finn of Wor-
cester, are behind the scheme and are con-
fident of its success. They propose TO call
it the National League OF Professional
Athletics, and il IS the intention OF the
promoters of the organization to form
branch associations in every State. 1t is
proposed to run il on business basis,
solely for the money which can be made.
Regular Spring, Summer and Fall meet
ings will be held under the auspices OF
the league, which will call out the best
professional athletics in the country:
Bicycling will be included in the list of
sports. The prizes, If the scheme Is car
ried out, will consist of hard cash.
Such an organization can be made sue
cess If it is run on the right basis. Some
thing of the kind has been needed for
long time to govern professional athletics,
and with an organization something on
the line of the amateur association, with
rules governing all events, and penalties
for disobedience or "crookedness," pro-
fessional athletics could be improved in
marked degree and there would be more
interest in them.
In these days il has come to that point
in foot racing and kindred sports, where
professionals participate, there are SO
many throw downs" that the public has
tired of patronizing them; Something
must be done to brace up this decline aud
union of forces is the only way in which
it can be done. / was talking with an
old-time runner yesterday about the
scheme. He was carried away with
il and expressed it as his opin-
ion that it was just the proper thing
for all departments of professional sport.
Take the sprinters for Instance" he said;
"lf they are all bound together in one big
league with rules governing their races,
there would be less crookedness. Profes-
sional athletes have not the best
regulations in the world, but
if there were penalties for disobedience
such as there are in the amateur clubs you
would see fairer sport and hear less of
runners giving their hackers the double
cross" Right here in Rhode Island we
have number of good athletes in all de
partments, from track and field sports to
boxing and wrestling, and IL the organiza-
ton il go think this State can make a
very reputable showing for branch asso-
citation.
John Whitman, known as Ajax the
ch impion, who gave an exhibition of his
strength before the members of the Metro
pole Club when he was in the city a fort
night ago, and Charles +. Perry participa-
ted in the teeth-lifting contest in Harlem
last Saturday evening for 300 side and
the Police Gazette championship trophy.
Both lifted 150-ponnd weights from the
floor, and swung 30 pounds from side to
side. Whitman then lifted 150-pound
dumb bell and two chairs. This Perry
could not do, nor could he lift $50 pounds.
Whitman was therefore declared to be the
winner.
And so it appears that Peter Maher the
Irish champion, who Billy Madden refuses
TO allow to spar or make match of any
kind with any man who has been de
feated, was himself sent to Sunderland in
round and a half by Peter jackson when
the latter was in England two years ago.
And this is the man who Billy Madden
IL wouldn't be very hard to pick the win
ner if Corbett succeeds in making the pro
posed match with Maher, when the former
could fight siXty-round draw and the
latter couldn't stand a round and halt
with the same man, Peter jackson.
Tonight at Temperance Hall, Central
Falls, there will be some rare sport and
variety enough to suit all tastes Boxing
will be the principal feature, but for those
who enjoy other ethletics better there will
wrestling, club swinging and other events
and all first-class. OF course the drawing
card will be the wind-up between
Montreal" and Barney Hubbard,
and il either does anything like
what they are capable of the four rounds
will be a whole show in itself. Hubbard
will be the toughest man Montreal: has
yet met, and the rushing tactics of the
Pawtucket man will just Barney.
who is the hardest hitter for his weight in
the East, and If he succeeds in landing
about three times on Montreal | am
afraid the latter will study astronomy
for a few seconds.
The Johnston Town Council has passed
the ordinance which the Rhode Island
Athletic Club protested against so yehe-
mently, making IL necessary for the club
to get license from the council each
time they want to hold meeting, and
also that two weeks must elapse between
the asking and the granting Of the license.
The Sullivan -Conley contest will take
place tomorrow night as scheduled, with
out fail, so the club says