Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-11-07
LOOKS VERY SLIM.
Prospect Of a Sporting Event in
Which "Smith" Figures.
FOOT RACER Oh PRIZE FIGHTER

A Sweeping Challenge for Somebody He
Believes to be in the City Abuse OF a
Newspaper Courtesy The Event at
Hsrper's Theatre.
There is a well grounded suspicion
that an attemet is being made to
palm off on the people OF Rock Island
of athletic inclinations something
that smacks decidedly of fake
The fact that this city has in the past
been the scene of number of scien.
tific wrestling matches and that Car
roll and Nc Leod are to give legiti-
mate exhibition strictly on its merits
at Harper's theatre next Saturday
night may be responsible for bring
ing to the city, sports who are
looking for scrap and regard Rock
Island as easy. This mornings
Union gives considerable space to
what purports to be an interview
with one Smith-Billy Smith-who
is spoken of as "a nice looking man
of perhaps 80 years of age. who in
troduced himself in the Union office
on Wednesday evening"" and who de-
sired to challenge Charley Harris. of
London, "whom he understands is in
the city. for 24-round boxing con.
test for $3.50 side" The sporting
editor goes on to interview the nice
looking visitor on boxing and prize
fighting in general and who upholds
the manly art as child's play COM
pared with football, for instance. and
who tells of his conquests for light
weight honors, of his experience as
boxing master, etc.. and finally ex-
plains that the business which
brought him to Rock Island was to
meet Harris and, IF Harris is in
town he is requested to call at the
Union Office this evening to arrange
for a meeting between himself and
Smith"
Who Is Smith.
The identity of Mr.. Smith in the
sporting world will probably be diff
ficult to establish, although the
Union. after saying that he an
nounced himself as a boxer, remarks:
''This statement was something of q
surprise. as Smith neither in speech,
dress or manner suggests the prize
fighter. In fact, most people would
take him to be professional man. -"
The reason for The ARGUS suspic-
ions is that through a peculiar coin
cidence Mr.. Smith called at The
ARGOS office yesterday and desired a
sweeping challenge issued to all
corners for a foot race, presenting
credentials intending to show that he
was none other than Cow boy" Smith.
and something OF marvel in his
line. The ARGUS treated the object
OF his call with this announcement:
There is a chance of Rock Island
having a first class foot race among
other sporting events in the near
future. Money and man are ready
at 127 Eighteenth street and The
ARGUS is instructed to say that all
corners will be met with a chance for
something for their life"
Harris Here, Too.
But the most peculiar part of the
transaction was that Smith was ac-
companied by an individual who on
the quiet dropped the significant re-
mark that he was Harris, the Lon
don pugilist. and that he. too. would
like TO meet some Rock Island aspir-
ant. The part which gives the ap.
pearance of job to which the Union
has been innocently made party, is
that Smith is now looking for Harris
for boxing match.
If this should chance to be the case,
the Union will doubtless devoutlv
wish that it had adhered to its char
acteristic custom of avoiding inter-
views.
The Event of Saturday Night.
The event of Saturday night, when
Carroll, the Canadian champion, and
Mcleod. who holds the champion
ship of the Pacific slope, are to meet,
will be one of considerable impor-
lance. and it promises, as previous
wrestling matches here have been,
governed by such rules as are neces-
sary. to insue an exhibition purely
on its merits.