Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-01
AFTER OUR CHAMPIONS.

Frenchmen Anxious to Engage Jake
Play Bfliards-Foreigners Willing to
Put Up Cash for Our Experts.
NEW YORK, Nov. 3O-[ Special. What
the sporting world calls ''solt snap" seems
to be awaiting ambitious billiard profess
slonals in Paris lust now. The Partisan
sporting capitalists have tried the Ameri-
can wrinkle Of buying foreign stars, and are
ready to offer francs in abundance to secure
the presence of our crack players. The ad-
vent of the holiday season always brings a
great boom in billiards in Paris, and the
offer of the French capitalists indicates that
there is bigger boom just now than ever
before
The news of the willingness of the French
men to put up cash to secure American
talent came on Thanksgiving Day, and was
a big surprise. 1t shows that they have
planned something unusual for over there
for the coming year if they can woo our
players across the ocean. The offer that
was directed to the Brunswick -Balke-Col-
lender Company, is in substance as follows:
PARIS, November Il, 1891.
There has just been started in Paris vast
l.
Messrs. NignauX, Gibelin GARNER and other
professors of renown play matches. am the
proprietor of the Cafe Adolphe. have as
assistants Messrs. Fournil, Care and other
professors of like renown. L started tins
billiard academy about year ago, and its
success has been beyond my expectations.
In order to compete with the other academy
l. wish 10 secure the services of Mr. Schaefer
or Mr. SioSson, and will guarantee either of
them 100 francs a day net during six months,
provided they will come over and play in
hall Il 4.
men to come over, L make the following
proposition to Mr.. Carter or Mr.. Ives: To pay
either of them go francs q day net, plus per
cent of the profits of the matches.
will be greatly obliged to you, gentlemen,
if You will inform me immedia tely by cable
gram whether any of these gentlemen will
come over. III Mr.. Schaefer or Mr.. Slosson
decide to come, / can arrange matches with
MIR. NignauN which will be of general in
terest. as the game of billiards is now very
popular. Yours truly,
A. CHoUMAR.
George Slosson, who is the only Ameri-
can who ever defeated Vignaux on his own
ground in Paris, received notification of the
offer, and Immediately replied that he was
willing to go to France and exhibit his skill
against the French cracks, but he raised
considerably on NJ. Choumar's figures This
is the Students reply:
Il will go to Paris for a six months en-
gagement, beginning January 1, 1892, 1S1
days, provided Monsieur Choumar deposits
with the Brunswick-Balke Company, on or
before December IS, the sum of $40, $780,
This is at the rate OF $50 day, and Slos-
son agrees to pay his own expenses. He
said last night that he could not leave his
business in this city for that length of time
for less compensation. He added: ''I know
the project which NJ. Choumar has in hand
There is a fortune in store for him if he can
secure the presence of Americans as COM
petitors in his exhibitions. Auction
pools are made on each one of
these games, and the proprietor of the
hall deducts 10 per cent commission on all
wagers. They are great betters over there,
and on matches that might be made with
competent American PLAYER very large sums
of money could be netted by NJ. Choumar
But his offer of $50 day is not enough to
attract the right kind of talent. 1t is not
what Vignaux got to come over here, and
less money is not likely to tempt American
talent. The offer of Mr. Choumar gives
away the secret of the unwillingness of
French stars to come to America. They are
making too much at home"
Maurice DAILY has received similar liberal
offers through Albert GARNER, and Slosson
says that he has been informed that the
French capitalists are ready to put up a
purse of $4,000 for a tourney in Paris. pro-
vided the American cracks compete.