Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-14
LINCOLN WINS CHAMPIONSHIP
Capital City high School Team Carries OFF
the Prize,
DEFEATS OMAHA BY A SLIGHT MARGIN
Last Event, the Vile Relay Race, in
the One that Decides the Case
Annual University Field
Meet.
DEFEATS OMAHA BY A SLIGHT MARGIN

Crete High school .............. 20
York High school ............... .
Seward High school ............ q
Beatrice High school ............ ~
North Platte High school ........ u
LINCOLN, May 13.-(Special. This table
announces in short meter that the sturdy
athletic prowess of the Lincoln High school
carried off the first championship of the
Nebraska Interscholastic Athletic associa-
ton and the banner that is emblematic Of
It at the initial field meet of the associa-
ton held on the university campus today.
1t also tells that the Omaha High school
lads gave these Lincoln boys the hardest
kind OF a run for the coveted flag.
An Ideal Fight.
1t was an ideal fight. The representa-
tives of the seven high schools that took
part in 1t were on hand for business, and
especially those of Omaha and Lincoln. 1t
was nip and tuck between the two latter
teams, with Crete coming close behind from
the first crack of the pistol until the tape
was broken by the mile relay runners in the
last event on the card. In fact, 1t may be
said that thee championship was fought out
on the last few feet of this last event, for
IL Omaha had won the relay race, with
Lincoln second, the Omaha team would have
NUH lue CuduuplOuSnlp ny d IdISlu u OHt
point. But the goddess of fortune and the
sturdy neither limbs and stout hearts of the
Lincoln boys willed otherwise, and that is
why the pennant is proudly floating over the
capital city tonight.
A hundred or more of girls and boys who
wear the purple and white of the Omaha
institution watched the gallant defeat of
their team. They swooped down upon the
city this morning, plentifully decorated with
their colors and bubbling over with pa
triotism that found vent through yells and
cheers and megaphones. They floated about
the town in the morning or were gathered
within the sheltering walls of the Phi Delta
society, the Omaha members Of which held
open house for them all day; in the after
noon they pre-empted a section of the
bleachers and INDUCED in the usual good
natured crossire with a big Lincoln High
school crowd that was as noisy and agrees
sive as they were.
The meet lasted from early in the morn
ing until late at night, and interspersed
among its numbers were also the events
that made up the annual field meet of the
university track men. A very plentiful and
a very interesting program was offered dur
ing the day, and, as in the case of the
small boy at the three-ring circus, the
spectator fortunate enough to be on hand
wished that he had been born with a pair
of wings, or, as long as he was wishing, a
set of triplets.
Close Contest.
1t was only after the highest sort Of a
struggle that the championship was decided.
1t was plain to be seen at any moment from
the hour that the first preliminary was
called until the final event was run off that
deep red gore occupied more than its usual
portion of space in the optics of the deep
chested and strong limbed representatives
of the Lincoln and Omaha High schools and
that neither would be able to call the pen
nant theirs until they knew they had been
in a fight. But the youngsters-and this may
also be said for the university lads-never
forgot to be gentlemen and the games were
consequently run off without the slightest
friction or pickering.
The scores made by the High school boys
in all the events-especially when it is con-
sidered that this was the first time they
have ever engaged in so extensive a compe-
tition-were exceptionally good. The 1l5-
foot throw of the underground hammer IN
the preliminaries by Tobin of Lincoln, the
mile in 5:11 3-5 by lame Lehmer, the 20
hurdles in 80 is by DePutren of Lincoln,
the nine-foot pole vault by Painter of Omaah
all Of these were performances that the
lads could be proud Of under all the circum-
stances. A raw wind that sets ones knees
to chattering in rag time and makes ones
chest and lungs inclined to affiliate with
pneumonia germs is not usually calculated
to result in good marks on the cinder path,
but the boys made them in all the events
even though they stood around a good part
of time in this sort of atmosphere attired
in the usual track costume abbreviated at
both ends.
Painters Good Work.
Captain Earl Painter of the Omaha team
did giants work for his band by winning a
first and dividing two others, thereby gain
ing ten points for Omaha. lie attempted to
throw the championship Ia Omaha's direc-
ton by winning the pole vault. This was
next to the last event on the program and
when the finals in it were called the score
was a point or SO in Lincoln's favor. The
struggle was the most intensely exciting of
the day. Johnson of Lincoln, who is built
on burly plans and specifications, was a
stubborn contestant that hung on with bull
dog persistency. He failed IN two trials to
clear the bar at s feet 3 inches and passed,
but after that he loomed up with unpleasant
prominence. When, after a final desperate
effort, he failed to clear s feet 8 and Painter
Immediately after floated over the 9-foot,
pandemonium broke loose from the Omaha
bleachers.
One of the other features of the meet was
the good throw OF the twelve-pound hammer
by Tobin, the Lincoln boy, lanky and big
boned, who would not be taken as capable
of doing it, but he did it with ease and left
the circle with as much nonchalance as II
he had plenty more up his sleeve II 1t was
needed. Lehmer made a very pretty run in
the mile, although he was handicapped by a
spraiped tendon, sustained In the high
jumps. All the runs and sprints were pretty
and one Of the prettiest of all was the tie
between Painter and Ireland, the latter of
Lincoln, in the 100 yards. 1t was nip and
tuck between them from the scratch and
their breasts seemed to strike the tape at
the same time.
summarizes.
Lincoln, Omaha and Crete had the biggest
teams on hand. Beatrice, Seward and York
had good representations, while North Platte
had but one lonely athlete, Vroman, to look
after its interests. The results of the day
were:
Running high jump: Preliminary trials
Ireland, crete; DePutron. Lincoln; Painter,
Omaha, first, 8 f5et. Shindoll, Beatrice;
Weller, Seward, 4 feet 10 inches. Worthing-