The Portland daily press., 1898-01-12

Lose an Eye-An Exciting Game.
Any old thing went at the Rockland-
Portland polo game in City hall last
night.
1t WAS the roughest game ever played in
this city. Lincoln of the Portlands,
weight 1856, and Rockland's S big centre,
McGown, Weighing about 1s0, got into
rough and tumble fight behind Rock
lands cage and were ordered from the
floor by the referee.
From this time out it was simply
case of do your opponent or he will do
you, andsthe playing was of the roughest
and most disgusting description. Referee
Snowman was about as much use as
snowEinan, and allowed any old thing to
go. Curtis, Portland's s second rush, was
struck in the right eye by the ball at one
of the rushes and had to be assisted from
may lose his eye sight on account of the
injury.
After Curtis retired from the game,
young Shaw, an amateur goal tender, was
put into the game in the place OF John
Allen, while Allen played centre. The
score was then tie, but Portland won
out by two goals after an exciting period.
The above are the main facts Of last
nights game with Rookland in City hall.
1t was a case of bad blood all around
with wooden man to referee the game.
Mr.. Snowman halls from some little
town down east and pretends to know
all about polo. Judging from the exhi-
bition of his knowledge of the game last
night he is better fitted to referee prize
fight than any other kind of contest.
But he is ot,alone responsible for what
occurred last night, and though 1t may
seem strange to say 60, the other men
who pretend to referee polo games in the
Maine league, are as much responsible
for the way the game is being played in
this state today as is Mr.. Snowman.
They allow any old thing short of a
knock down and drag out fight, to take
place on the floor and never think of such
thing as calling foul on any player.
We don't know what kind of polo Bath,
Lewiston, Rookland and the other towns
of the league want to see, but we do know
what Portland wants.
II the secretary of the Maine league
can't fnd a man rs referee with sand
enough in him to prevent the polo games
from deteriorating into a.prize fight or
gladiatorial contest, it is about time that
soma other kind of secretary was
found. The players are not altogether
responsible for this sort of thing for the
referees have allowed the game to run
away from them and rough playing Is
the rule now where once it was the ex-
ception 1t spoils the scientific polo play
ing which oil lovers of the game want
TO see; it dsmoralizes t! 81 layers; it hurts
the managers of the teams and it disguats
all true sportsmen. So much for the
referees in general and Mr.. Snowman in
particular. Now for the game.
Everyone knew that Mr.. Snowman had
refereed the game between Rockland and
Portland at Rockland on Monday night.
They also knew that Kockland won the
game by the roughest kind of rough polo
and had gone 80 far under the eyes of
Mr.. Snowman as to tear the sweaters of
the Portland rushers and hold them at
will whenever they got chance to Go SO.
This led people to believe the game would
be exciting and 1t was.
When the game was started Rockland
went into the contest in the same old
way and with an intention of playing
dirty polo. Any old thing went from the
very send off. Mr.. Snowman was blind
to everything that took place. He allowed
the Rockland men to trip up Portland
players right under his very nose He
did not try to stop any of MoGowan' &
rough playing, nor did he even caution
him when he found that he was getting
angry and doing things which he ought
not to. Rookland won the first goal on
long shot by Maynard. The crowd was
disposed to be friendly to the visitors and
literally applauded this play. Portland
returned to the charge with vim and
showed that they were determined not
to lose SO easily. MCGOWAN was playing