The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-01
DEATH OF FRANK 6. ITES.
II Remarkable Career of the Worlds Cham.
MON Billiard PLAYER,


Frank Christian I've 3 the champion billiar<
player OF tho world. died OF consumption. OF
Wednesday. at Progresso Mexico. whittier he
had gone to try and stem the ravaRes OF tho
dread disease. His wife was with him. Tho
body will be brought back on the steamship
Seguranca. and later taken to Plainwell. Mich,
where he was born on Oct 30. 1868 II 10
understood that he leaves comfortable
fortune.
Frank Ives was remarkable athlete. but
when he became proficient in billiards he gave
up all other forms Of sport, except to OCCASION
ally play u game Of base ball for fun. as John
l.. Sullivan used TO do when he became the
prize ring champion. In the line OF athletics
there seemed nothing Ives could not succeed
ut directly he started In to master any form OF
sport. He was tlrst-cass baseball catcher.
having caught few games for the ChicuRos
at one time; good jockey. driver OF trotting
horses. a bicycle rider in the DAYS OF the old
ordinary" and during the roller skating
craze he one OF the speedlest men ever
| seen in a rink. He made a living out OF all
| these pastimes and contributed to the support
| OF his mother. who lives in NJ chgan.
Ives was never Il natural born gam
bier" as the saying goes, but ne
| loved the excitement OF wager
| and he loved race horses. too. so it was not
| unnatural that. when there was no one to play
| billiard matches with him. he would follow the
| races" lie was good business man and ale
ways had an eye out for the main chance.
| Therefore when he went racing it was for the
| purpose Of making book and letting the pub!
| lie do the guessing Yet in spite OF this wins
| ming system he was not altogether successful
| as book maker. and before long gave 1t up al.
| together. deciding to stick to his legitimate
| profes sion. that OF billiards.
| As a billiardist Ives was the wonder OF two
| continents and was probably the most won-
! derful master Of the cue the world ever pro-
| duced. He rose from obscurity TO the top 81
| the ladder within n period OF three years.
| something after the manner OF James j. Cor-
| bett in pugilism. just as the young David Of
| the prize ring arose and Stayed John L. Sulli-
van. the hstic champion OF a decade. so did Ives
| the Young Napoleon Of Billiards" appear in
| the arena OF green cloth and conquer the NTH
Wizard" and Geo. +. Slosson, the student"
| There is this difference in the smile. however:
When the mighty John l.. was knocSed out.
cerned but the game OF billiards is different,
the the title from Schaeicr and blossom. debating
| them both in quick succession early in tie
nineties the old fellows have frequently
match games. However ives won the lns5
cham ionship match and held the title up 10
The so6rlquet OF Young Napoleon OF Bil-
liards' was first applied 70 MIN IN the tournu-
SIosson. Daily. Ives. Cation and lieiser were
the contestants; 1t was q handicap affair.
bak line while the others played the eight
inch lines Slp1son won the ,odrney :, Sehaete55
third money, In the champion tournament .
month later at Chicago Ives finished second t9
| Schaefer The Young Napoleon. IN 1881
competed in the shortsrop tournament--so
called because it was limited To second-ciass
{Gr nshs Sss s@ond ito to Eugs1S CARER Then
| he practlscd nard for another twelve months.
Em aSnE and IN hS wSnT Of s5
| Schaeior for the championship emblem. me
match was played m Chicago on March ~.
| 1902, ana Ives won by score OF 800 TO ~.
Everyone thought the Wizard had been caught
OF an OF day and that Ives had Won by iluSs:
champonshIpa short time before. shared this
h-lot and he promrtly ,chaIIenGed the Young
on 1'M May 81. 1872. ana ives won by 500 to 400.
in a game Of ike length. Ives is said to have
The SANG year |hr crack American o,ll1ardLsS
Was enjoying an immense boom. OWING o. its
being made the medium OF extensive gam biinR.
Ives. Schaefsr and SIosson went over, stayed
there until the police stopped the fun and then
returned homo laden with god.
Before returning. however Ives visited
London and attempted to make match Win
John Roberts, the English champion Nothing
came ot tho decker until tho next year when
was played which was destined to botomo
famous. 1t was Il COMPROMISE game. for every
with Roberts ut the regulation Eng iSh
game. On April -. 1885, ARTICLES
were signed calling Tor a match oiD.OOO polnts.
under English rules. for 5000 IA side. the
table to he 0Nl2 with SIX pockStS; size of balls.
"a inchce, winch is smaller than the American
standard Ives returned home Tor practice and
reached London again during Derby week "
when the match Was played. Rpperts started
oil ike n race horse scoring 900 points .
night for thru nights, lyos. IN the meantime
puttIug up ESi HSl aud , - for the three nIghls.
1t looEed easy for Roberts when, on the fourth
night. Ives got tho balls Iawed near the pocket
chance TO chalk mis- cue, IL rurnsrly
destroyed the lock he had on the spheres a. tho
game was practically his. Tho score was, lyas.
O,OOO; Roberts, 3,S3l; Roberts visited this
country during tho Words Fair aud p,aySd
two moro matches with lyc- sputtins even On
tn" deal.
During tbs past six years Ives played NUM-
Der OF matches aud tournaments, aud up he
time of his death wHs the acknowledged "hnm-
piOn Of Ia" world for two years he was hsso-
c ated win Maurice DAY in tho Manufacture
OF billiard tables until IA" In tluass va, hOught
by tho BrunswIck- lake Contender Company.