The herald., 1895-12-24
The Stearns Team Working
Hard at Santa Monica
RECORD TRIALS TOMORROW
Trials Against the Watch Will Then
Be Made
All the Riders Are in the Very Best of Con-
dition-Dad Gieezen Answers
Dave Shafer's Letter

the flying thrd.mle unpaced, and Shefski
will try the same distance from stand
ing start. Brother BIZ Hatton, who is
riding in really fine shape, will have shot
at the two miles unpaced, flying start. In
the afternoon. the triplet team, Randall,
Shefski and Hatton will go for all worlds
records on that machine, and they will
undoubtedly get them.
"Dad' Gleezen, the kindly manager of
the team, has sent up for Emil Uibricht,
and the latter will probably go to Santa
Monica today. He will at once get into
shape for long distance records. Brother
Bill Hatton will shortly be sent for the five
mile record, and the ten mile record may
also fall to his share. Both are nard nuts
to crack, but Brother Bill is riding in very
handsome shape just at present.
dad Gleezen has sent the following
letter to The HERALD in answer to the
communication of Dave Shafer, the Syra-
cuse trainer:
Sporting Editor The HERALD-Dear Sir:
My attention was called 10 letter in to-
days's issue of The HERALD, from the
trainer of the Syracuse team. which seems
to me entirely uncalled for, inasmuch as
he should have answered the article refer
red to in the paper in which it appeared.
l know nothing whatever of the article i'll
the Syracuse paper, for have not seen
Syracuse paper since have been on the
c ,ast; but did see clipping from the
Syracuse Standard, shown to me by Mr..
X K1ippenberg, which seemed to cause con-
siderable worry in some quarters,
Now the only thing which appeared in
in the article in the St. Louis Post of De-
cember 10, that should personally cara
to take exception to, are the words rival
teams to meet" as l have never looked
upon the Syracuse team as rival. or even
competitor to be considered in this chase
after records. We came to the coast to
make attempts for the records and to at
tend strictly to our own business. In regard
to the Rigby matter, l would say that Mr..
Stearns had a verbal agreement with him
to ride on our racing team. made at Sprlng-
field during the meet. l took him with me
to " altman, Mass, where he competed as
member of our team and on our wheel,
then to Syracuse to the meet held there on
September 18th, where he also competed
as member of the Stearns team. From
there he went to his horne in Toledo, Ohio,
where he was to remain until we decided
whether we would go to the coast or not.
When we decided to go to the coast ad-
vised Rigby to meet me at Louisville, and
he answered me by wire saying: IAN un-
der the DOCTORS care; cannot ride for some
weeks" This was the only thing that
heard from Rigby un!il l learned through
the press that he was a member Of the Syr-
acuse team. There must have been some
correspondence in regard to the Rigby
matter between Mr.. Rowe of the Syracuse
Cycle company and his trainer, for Mr..
Shafer came to me and wanted to know il
could use Rigpy. l told him that l did
not think that | cou d. White / consider
Mr.. Rigby one of the best competition meu
on the natiol al circuit, | did not see how l
could use him in record work
In regard to his superior management
in securing the track at Coronado, the sub
Joined letter from Mr.. Babcock, president
of the Coronado Beach company. also one
from Tibbsls, Hannahs Il Cobb OF San
Diego, may throw some light on the sub
ject. While these letters do not show how
much his superior management cost his
firm, they do show that Mr.. Babcock con-
ceded me the use of the track. The date
of these letters will show that something
like two weeks passed before the trainer of
the Syracuse team went to Coronado and
made his deal. In my supreme innocence
and ignorance in believing in all men, l
thought no more about the Coronado mat
ter, believing that Mr.. Babcock would
stand by the letter he had written me. In
a letter from him on the 10th inst. he uses
the term: The track has been leased to
the Syracuse people,"
Now as to making the best of a bad bar
gain, can only say this: consider that
have by far the best of his so-called bar
gain. for all will agree with me that a
record made on a third of a mile track is
far more desirable than one made on a
mile track.
This track here is in every way equal to
the famous Louisville track, besides pos
sessing climate that is far ahead OF any.
thing in the east or in the south. The
dressing rooms and the accommodations
at The track are superior to those OF any
track in the world.
As to waiting for any one else to make
records before l made the attempts my
self, say that such an assertion, coming
from the source that it does, is very unrea.
sonable, for the trainer of the Syracuse
team must have known at the time he
wrote that article that l had no pace-mak
ing machines here with which to make the
attempts.
Trusting that some day I may become
we'll enough known in the cycling busines:
that without rejecting discredit upon those
write myself up as the famous trainer ant
the famous manager of the Stearns racing
team, am. sir, very truly yours,
III. B. GLEEzEN.
The letters referred to by Mr.. Gleezer
are as follows:
December 6, 1895.
H. B. Gleezen = Dear Sir: W.
recent date and are very glal
indeed to hear that you are coming
We have secured the entire track for you
which will be kept in A l shape. You viii
certainly receive hearty reception from
the wheelmen of this city. Yours truly,
TIBDALs, HANNAHs & COBB.
December 3, 1S95.
Fl. B. Gleezen, Esq. - Dear Sir
Mr.. TibbaIs called on me ant
showed me your letter to him. You cal
have for the use of your team our track FREE
during the coming winter, if you come herr
and practice. That is to say, you cal
have the inside thirty feet of the track
The outside track is being used by two o
our guests for their horses, but they agre
not to interfere with your work. We have
also another mile track here, which in cas-
of rain is always dry. and very good nat
ural roads. Yours truly,
f. S, BABcOCK, President.
Out In the World Again