Omaha daily bee., 1897-02-28
or THE BICYCLE RINGER.
Innocent Young Riders Worked by

Innocent Young Riders Worked by
the professionals.
"The first professional bicycle race ever run
in Omaha remarked an old timer, was
that between Fred Westbrooke and Tom
Eek, some ten or twelve years ago.
"Wostbrooke came here incog from Brant-
ford, Ont, and the whole thing was
cooked up before his arrival. He reached
here In September, and in October an
amateur bicycle tournament was held at the
old ball park out on North Sixteenth street.
A cinder racing track had been put In and
the amateurs were all agog over the affair,
as 1t was the first real bicycle excitement we
had ever had in Omaha.
Among the well known local riders of
that day were Charlie Deuel., Ed Lyle,
Frank Parmelee, Charlie Peabody, Perry
Badolet, Tommy Blackmore, Johnny Hitch
cock, Warren Rogers, Frank Clarke, Billy
Townsend, o. II. Gordon, George Kay,
Stuart Shears and others. Many Of these
were in these races, as we'll as others whose
names cannot be recalled.
"Westbrooke, who was sailing under the
name of Patterson, was also a competitor
and he just simply wiped up the earth with
tho local lads. winning every race In which
he started, and with such ridiculous ease
cs to provoke the ire of several OF his rivals,
as well as awaken a suspicion that he was
just a little more than he represented him
self to be. Johnny Hitchcock was
particularly wrathful, and swore he would
yet produce a man who would make a
monkey of the pseudo Mr.. Patterson. Time
rolled by and excitement had been alleged,
but no one appeared to be anxious to try
conclusions with the speedy stranger for
even the smallest sort Of a side bet.
Late in October, however. the redoubt-
able Tom Eek, accompanied by a wealthy
young physician from Kansas City, together
with his usual retinue of riders, trainers
and fakirs, came to Omaha. Eek was riding
a pretty stiff game himself in those days,
in fact, had a couple Of creditable records
marked up against his name. He and
Johnny Hitchcock and the doctor got to be
thicker than peas in a pod, and the up
shot of the matter finally was a challenge
from Eek to Patterson to ride him a
heat race, two out of three. one mile each,
for 81 1000 a side. Several days elapsed
| after the issuance of this, but at the ex-
~piration of that time Patterson accepted
the def through the papers, the money
was posted and the two men went into
active training for the event.
HOT TIME o THE SPORTS
1.-The day of the race, late in November,
at last arrived and a great crowd
at the Sixteenth Street Ball park. The
track was four laps to the mile, and con-
| sidering that little was known OF the ne
| c~ossities Of bicycle tracks then, 1t was a
rattlfng good one. The grand stand was
packed before either of the men showed
themselves, ana by tine tlne they uu SoHo
out on their old high ordinaries for a 1T
tie warming up trip there was a big crowd OF
excited men, women and boys gathered
around the entire track.
1.-THE minor details were at last mutually
agreed to and at the crack of the referees
pistol Eek and Patterson dashed aWay at
tremendous speed. Eek took the lead and
held 1t until the commencement OF the third
lap. when the Canadian came up on him
like the wind, and with a yell OF defiance
passed him as If he had been tied to a post.
He was an easy winner, and IN explanation
Eek told his hackers, Hitchcock and the
doctor, that he had been seized with d
crarnp in one OF his legs, and would ride the
/ Canadian out OF the park In the next Two
heats. OF course they took all OF this gun
of willy old Eek in, and went to work among
the crowd. laying odds on the next heat. Or
course Westbrooke had his pals among the
spectators and they quickly gobbled up
everything that came in sight, and this GER
tainly amounted to several hundred collars
to say the least.
''The intermission between heats was hnaily
IN. and amidst a breathless excitement
the two racers again appeared on the track.
They got a good start and, as IN the nrst
heat. Eek took the lead and held 1t all the
way round to the stretch. He looked ike
a sure winner, and came down the last quar-
ter like a shot out of a gun. Patterson was
laboring manfully at his heels, but 1t was
seen that he could not win. About forty
yards from the tape ECk was seen - 81
flying head over heels over his big wheei
and came down ON the sharp cinders. His
wheel had struck some slight obstruction
and just when victory was within his grasp
the header came. The crafty Patterson OF
course shot by the s%prawling Eek and shot
over the tape the winner OF the heat ana
race. There was a good deal of hard feel
ing over the outcome of the race, and not a
few we're convinced that there was some
thing crooked about 1t. but Eek displayed
his skinned shins and bruised arms and face
as evidence OF the genuineness OF MS accl-
dent and at last succeeded in restoring con-
fdence among his followers, Patterson loafel
about the town for a few weeks after TINS
event, beating everybody who dared to tackle
him, and then, Just the day before he took
his departure, 1t was announced on the
streets that he was no less a parsonage than
Fred Westbrooke, the famous Canadian pro-
fessional. And Eek, oh, he got out OF town
the night before"