Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-22

are protected The outlawCd professional j
riders have reapcd the benefits collected by |
the professional base ball players when they |
formed a brotherhood and rcbelled against |
the National Base Ball League in 1890. |
Purses for professionals were rare and few |
this year. Fewer professional meets have !
been held in this state than for several |
years before. About all OF the League OF
American Wheemen meets have been for !
amateurs only and they have been sue
cessiul in point of financial returns and gen !
eral interest In nearly every instance, On the |
other hand, the outlaw professional meets !
have been costly experiments for the pro-
meters in nearly every instance, az the
books OF the outlaw association will show.
Still the League of American Wheelmen
has many things TO do besides looking after
racing. The o1cials Of slme Of the state d.
visions are about and doing, and the on-
cials in some states which might be men
toned are not"
The other side Of the question Is thus out
lined by the New York Times; From all
over the country come reports that the rae
Ing sQuabble between the League of Ameri-
can Wheelmen and the National Cycling as
ISOLATION has injured the sport. The good
riders have been divided some having cast
tion. Indeed a majority OF the best men
left the League OF American Wheelmen, but
there are still some good obes left in the lat
ter organization. The riders who furnish the
sport are not pleased with this state of af-
fairs They believe that II all the racing
were controlled by one organization the sport
would again prosper When the election for
chief consul in the various states takes place
the question of the League Of American
Wheelmen relnquishing It's control of racing
will form an important part in the cam
paign. Pennsylvania and Illinois are pre-
pared to turn over the control OF racing to
some other organization. New York opposed
racing last year In all these states the
| leagues persistency in continuing its con-
| troll OF racing has caused a slump In men,
| bership. The average cyclists will not join
| an organization that controls racing"
In the struggle for racing control the
| l.. A. W. has lost an important position
through the Hopping of Dave Shafer with
Earl Peabody, John Nelson, George Leander
| and several amateurs, who We're going to
ride as l., A. w. disciples, during the fall
| festival at Chicago. The middle west has
| been the stronghold OF the league through
out the year. This gives the n C. A. a
| standing in practically all the large cities
of the country and places another powerful
argument in the hands of those in the
league who at the February assembly
will favor the L. a. w. abandoning the
field.
The annual international professional six
! day race will be held at Madison Square
| Garden, December 4 to Q, inclusive. The
event this year will bo a team race. Instead
| Inf ir,,n nd u,hia oh "a,
hibited, each rider of a team will be on the
track twelve hours each day. This will
mean the fastest kind OF riding from start
to finish. Indeed according to this ar
| rangement, the race Is likely to be in the
| nature of sprint all the time Four thou
| sand dollars will be distributed in team
and individual prizes. There will be seven
| team prizes, the first 81 500, and five individ-
| ual prizes, first $3.50. In this way the win
| ming team, will receive the bulk of the
money. The indoor racing season will be-
gin at Madison Square Garden on Saturday,
December O. with a program of short-dis-
| tance events.
The cycling public are interested in the
challenge issued by e. A. McDuffee to meet
| Charley" Murphy who rode the fastest
mile on record behind a locomotive. in an
unlimited paced race for from $500 to 81 900
side The challenge Is the outcome OF
Murphy's declaration to race McDufee be-
hind a locomotive, the two to ride on the
same board track. McDuffee iu his chal-
| lenge says there is no such track in exist
ence, and if there were it would not be
practicable to ride behind a locomotive on it
without danger to the riders. II Murphy
will agree to race at New Bedford or Brock
ton, Mass, McDuffee will allow him start
Of half lap in a tive-Gnile race, or he will
race him an unlimited pursuit race on any
| track in the country. McDuffee will allow
| Murphy TO use his motor triplet while he
| (McDuffee) will use his tandem, or If Muir
| ply thinks that McDuffee's tandem Is faster,
another will be provided for Murphy. Nc
| Duffee has motor tandem that is said TO
be as fast as any machine of this kind ever
built, having been driven mile in close to
lis over straightaway road.
Charles Fitzpatrick of New York, one
legged bicycle rider, who has done a few
stunts in South Africa, relates an expert
ence he had with President Kruger of the
Transyaal Republic. 1t was in 1897 that he
was in the Transvaal making money out of
his "bum leg by doing stunts" on bicycle
with the good one. For charity's sake he
went before an assemblage of school children
and gave an exhibition. President Kruger
was present and Fitzpatrick was presented to
Dom Paul. Tell the president" said Kill
patrick to the Interpreter, that ! come from
the country Of the two greatest men in his
tory-Washington and Lincoln" The an
swer from Kruger through the interpreter
was quite characteristic. 1t was: TELL the
young man that probably know more about
those two men than he does" Subsequently
President Kruger presented the one-legged
man with medal.
An automatic pedal bell Is one of the latest
devices in this line. The bell is fastened
underneath the right pedal. By, turning the
toe slightly inward it throws a striker by
means OF trigger which rises above the
top Of the pedal, into engagement with staI
wheel causing continuous gonglike ring
ing of the bell. The bell Is completely hid
den from view, and is considered good
device when riding on a crowded thorough
fare where both hands are needed on the
handle bars.
The mechanical dreamers are still brows-