The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-17

ing Start But His Wind Gave out at the
End of Thirty Miles and He was Com
PEELED to Give Up the Race at Udall-
Great Crowds Witness the Start and
Waited for the Returns-May Ride
Again.
Ross Miller Of S. Louis still retains
the honors Of champion century road
racer of Kansas When he was a
Wichita boy he won it and has since
defended il against all competitors.
About six weeks ago John Crib the
young era cker-jack of this city thought
It a pity that the championship medal
of Kansas should be worn on the breast
Of the Missourian and he accordingly
challenged him. Mr.. Miller promptly
! accepted.
All the details were arranged as soon
as possible and the course was agreed
upon 10 extend from Wichita to Win
field and return.
Mr.. Crib adopted the colors Of the
Wichita Wheelmans club while Mr.
Miller wrote here for permission to
wear the colors of the Wichita Eagle.
pleasure and while the championship
stil resides in Missouri it was again
won, as il always has been, under the
colors Of the Eagle. While these col
ors are a Mascot yet it takes muscle
and skill TO win championships and
Ross Miller the brave little rider, has
them Ross had a claim on those col
ors. He used to carry papers for the
Eagle when he was a boy and every
body around the office liked him. He
Is one Of the Eagle family as II were,
and he is all right. If the champion
ship Of the state must be worn outside
Its borders, there is no man in Wichita
but what is proud that a former Wich-
Ita boy has them.
This championship will come back to
the. sunflower state some day and John
Crib will bring them Mark this pre-
Fiction
Nine o'clock was the hour set yester-
day morning for the start and the
Eagle Office was the place. Long before
that hour Douglas avenue was throng-
ed with people. Every wheelman in
town was present and, in fact, every
body else. Staid business men came
down town early to see the start and
have good place TO view it. Wo-
men came with their baby carriages
and as for the sweet girls of sixteen
and over, the avenue was full of them.
They wore the cOlors of the Wichita
Wheelmens club and while they were
all, heart and soul. for handsome black
eyed, dark haired, dimpled checked
John Crib. yet they had more friend
ship than they would be willing TO ac-
knowledge for Ross Miller, who has
that sweet smile and those gentle bash
{ ffTI ill TIL
forty Ike so we'll
And kids. Well. the city was fuIl.of
them. Hundreds Of them played hook
ey and hundreds more Of them were
late for school. All Of them were Girl
bi symDathizers. All the kids in the
First ward would stake their whole fu-
ture on his success and they Will not
believe yet that he lost the race. The
estimation Of a small boy is that a BIZ
cycle champion is bigger man than
the president Of the United States and
they sized John Crib up something
like the men will view Senator Tillman
today-not as president but as a man
who wants 10 be.
Promptly at o'clock the contestants
drew UP in front of the Eagle office.
-Four stout policemen with clubs and
fierce looks opened the avenue through
the crowd for them. John Crib rode
a Tribune wheel and Ross Miller rode
an Aluminium. Both men were appar-
emily in the pink of condition but Mr..
Crib was by far the most likely look
ing Of the two. He showed greater
muscular power than Ross Miller while
Ross showed the most confidence. Ross
Miller won the toss for pace maker for
the first ten miles and when the word
go was given he glided out like a duck
sailing on water. OF course he went
lil1e a blue streak of lightning but not
by any means al full speed. At the
end of the ten miles John Crib set the
pace and he darted out past Ross Miller
like cannon ball When Ross saw
his speed he Chuckled to himself and
said: 81 have got him." He knew
right well that Crib would fairly kill
himself at such speed. It must be IN
derstood in this connection that while
two riders are going at the same rate
of speed, one after another. IL is al
ways much easier TO ride last than first.
Miller saw that Cribs pace was too
fast and he knew that the end would
come soon He was right, for when
Miller took the next pace he was COM
para lively fresh and when they reached
Udall Crib had lost his wind and could
not see out OF his eyes. He thought
he was done for and threw up the
sponge The fact is he weakened too
soon. for his disability lasted less than
he thought 1t would. In a few minutes
he had regained his wind and the sight
came 10 his eyes again. but he did not
know that he was almost as fresh as
ever until Miller got SO far ahead of
him that he knew il would be impOssi-
bic 70 win. Miller pumped into Win
field Ike a sewing machine and arrived
at the hotel at 12:5610 y. m. There ne
learned that Crib had given up the
race snd he concluded 20 take his time
IN coming back. II was reported from
Udall where Crib stopped that he had
heart disease and his father telegra phed
10 him not TO attempt 10 go further
but 10 come back on the train. He did
come back on he freight to Derby and
then he got OF and rode into town He
was met there by several other wheel
men. He set the pace for them and
beat them all into town. The boys who
came back with him said that he came
10 town like a bullet from a Winchester
rife. Mr.. Miller got in al $50
The boys praise Crib for manfully
acknowledging that he was beaten
without irving 10 shift the responsible
~ on a punctured tire or anything Of
that sort.
The Wheelmens club Is not at all sat
tsfied with the result A great many
Of them think that Crib can win the
Championship. but that he must give