The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
BUTTE PLAYERS
UNDER PROTEST
Two of Montana's Stars
Charged With Pro-
feSSionaliSm.
But Will Be Permitted to Enter
the Game To- Day With
Olympic.
The Big Elevens Well Matched in
Weight and Fierce Struggle
Probable.

Butte and Olympic will line up for a
great struggle this afternoon on the Gen.
trail Park gridiron. Game will be called
at 2:3G.
There was a time yesterday when it
looked as though the Montana team would
be compelled to go into the contest with
out two of its most valuable players, but
late last night.the objection TO the amateur
standing of these two men was tempo
rarily removed and they will be permitted
to enter the game under temporary pro-
test pending a more detailed investigation
into the hearsay charges of professional
ism preferred against them.
These two men are the giant Hall, the
ex-Princeton and ex-Michigan guard, and
Lasweli, the line -bucking fullback who
does the kicking for the Butte team.
President Humphrey of this City, as
official head of the Pacific branch of the
American Amateur Union, heard of the
rumors concerning the standing of these
two men, and very properly, upon learn
ing that there existed a doubt as to their
being strictly amateurs, entered a protest
to their playing, for the reason that if
professionals they would, according to the
amateur CODE make the men they played
with professionals.
OF course both teams objected to having
men disqualified at the very last nome Mt,
for each wants to meet the other and win
with and from the best eleven players
available.
The facts of the case seem to be these:
Laswell, according to R. NJ. Welch, chair
man of the racing board of the League of
American Wheelmen, has been declared
professional and suspended until July 1,
1897, on the charge OF having received
money for pacing a professional bicycle
rider. Laswell' declares he has never re-
ceived the notice of this action, or he
would Immediately disprove the charge.
Last spring, he says, cycle meet was
held in Butte. He was entered in an anna
teur event and was also down on the pro-
gramme as pacemaker for one of the nomj-
nally professional events. No prizes were
offered for either class of events. LoswelI
was hurt in his race and did not have
a chance to pace. Another man
did the posing and the newspaper &C
counts following the programme used
LoswelT s name. He claims that he Is not
good bicycle rider anyway and has not
sufficient speed to warrant his becoming a
professional if he could 90 so.
Hall, while student in the Michigan
Law School, from which he was graduated
last June, competed with the Michigan
team against Berkeley at Chicago a year
and half ago and smashed the National
intercollegiate shot-put record.
A protest was afterward entered against
him as a professional. He paid no atten-
tion to it, he says, for he had made up his
mind to devote no more time to athletics
while at the University of Michigan, but
to spend his senior year in strictly attend
ing to his studies alone.
His case was followed up, and it seems
he was declared professional, though he
doaIa Ia hao ham pnfifiod Of nv
such action. Now he regrets, be says.
that he did not follow up the case long
ago and refute the charges.
1t was partly at the request of Manager
Mcmillan of the Butte team that the
protests were entered. He wants an in
vestigation to be made which shall clear
his men once for all OF the suspicion of
professionalism.
Butte. in final practice yesterday after
noon, showed that in catching the ball
and in punting the men have greatly i'm
proved over their form of last year. Los
well, so Mcmillan claims. has outpunted
every man he has opposed this season,
and can, he thinks, kick about as far as
Ransome of the Berkeley team.
Kicking was the weakness of the Butte
team last year. As q whole and almost
man for man the present Butte team is
superior to the team that played here last
winter, and easily defeated Olympic and
gave Reliance hard rub.
For new men of university experience
Butte has Dygert an old Michigan Var
sity man, who is considered star half
back; Hall, the old Princeton and Michl-
gan guard before mentioned; BeEson, the
old Berkeley quarterback and last years
captain, and Jones, tackle, formerly OF
the University of Nebraska.
The men who will play to-day with the
Olympic team are too we'll known about
the bay to need an introduction. Most of
them have been stars elsewhere.
This is the way the men will oppose
each other when lined up, the indicated
stripped weights showing that Olym pic
has slight advantage in the superior
weight of her three center men, though