The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-14
BILLIARDS


The friends of Jake Schaefer. the ia
nous bill1ardist, are considerably wor-
ried over the Gripping of one of his
hands. The fourth and little fingers of
his left hand are drawn down toward
the palm by some mysterious contrac-
ton of the cords and it is impossible
for the great little expert to straighten
the digits. This will affect his bridg-
ing and it is expected to be especially
serious in the matter of masse Shots
In the latter style of shots, at which
the Wizard" is an absolute master,
he will be able to use but one finger,
While he formerly used all four fingers
and maintained a most rigid bridge
This misfortune is particularly serious
from the fact that the expert is on
the eve of a couple of billiard duels
with his old time rival, George Slosson
of New York. Schaefer has been par
ticularly unfortunate in the matter of
disabilities. Within the last eight
years h has twice broken his right
arm, one by a fall down a flight of
slippery stairs and another time by a
fall off a street car. This last injury
gave him much trouble, the last frac-
ture near the wrist making it neces-
sary for him to entirely change his
style of playing masse Shots
From Cricago come tidings that
Schaefer is looking. feeling. doing and
playing we'll. Carter, Sutton, Cation
and other lights and heavies in that
section have been giving him especial
practice for his nearing battles. Some
enthusiasts VOW that Jacob was never
in better caFoming shape. This, how
ever is something they cannot posi-
bly, know. 1T is good enough news that
his stomach no longer demands oyster
cocktails; that he is neither drinking
nor smoking, and that those rebellous
fingers, whose stiffening caused him
worry weeks ago, seem to be growing
timber again.
For a man who two years ago had
but so days to live, according to the
yellow journals of New York. Frank
Ives has certainly been a disappoint-
ment and the yellow journals should
either sue Ives for disappointing them
by not dying, or Ives should bring a
suit for damages against the yellow
journals for breach of veracity. That
so shrewd a man as Frank Ives, writes
the billiard sharp of the Sporting Life.
who should have been lawyer instead
of billiard player, has overlooked his
advantages for so long a time is mar
vel to us. At all events Mr.. Ives is
again out in his old challenge and
wants to play Slosson five nights for a
stake of $4,000 a side, and will con-
cede the game to be played in Slossons
favor as that of cushion caroms,
game which it is generally conceded is
entirely new to Ives. For a man who
has been SO long dead this proposition
is rather startling-not so much the
playing cushion caroms as the desire
to play five nights. 1t is true that
Ives previous challenge to this was to
play six nights, and at a time, too,
when the yellow journals had Ives
practically dead. Ives now, out of CON
sideraton no doubt for the physical
condition of Slosson, is willing to con-
cede one night in favor of the student,
who frankly admits that he is physi-
cally not able to play more than one
| night at a time. Thus it will be seen
that it is a question after all if Frank
Ives has ever been seriously i'll, or if
his alleged illness was not but a mere
ruse on his part to play a game not
yet entirely familiar to the experts of
| this country!