Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-03-17
COLUMBIA'S SHAME.
Crack Foot Ball Eleven Was
a Professional Team,
Illuminating Admission Made by Fac
ulty and Athletic Directors.
Manager Mitchell, Finding Team Weak. Used
Foul Means to Strengthen.

New York, March 1G-The Herald
tomorrow. will publish the following.
| Columbia's crack foot ball eleven of
| last fall, which defeated Yale on Man
| NATHAN held, was profession eleven
! The humiliating confession is now
made by the university faculty and tn.
! athletic directors and w. T. Mitchell
| the manager Of the eleven, has been
| mad" the scapcgoat. The graduate adj
| visory committee after examining his
accounts has removed him from all
| participation in the uniycrsity's ath-
letics. Mitchell has left Columbia.
AS the story now comes out in letters
published in the student organ th4.
Spectator. F. II. Hutton, acting chair
man Of the faculty committee on ath-
letlcs, writes to the paper, under date
Of March IA, as follows:
During the last foot ball season
charges were made that the foot ball
team was not a genuine college team.
At the request Of the president the
faculty committee on athletics made an
investigation through the manager of
every person challenged. The mana
ger stOutly asserted that every person
on the team was bona fide student
The records upon the surface were in
every case correct. so far as enroll
mcnt, payment Of fees, etc. was con
ccrncd
The investigation has shown. how
ever. that this state Of affairs was So
cured by assuring the student that ha
had obtained a scholarship in the uni
versity, which is contrary both to fact
and the policy of the institution. Fob
lowing the uniform custom at CoIum
ba of believing every student until he
has shown himself untrustworthy. the
committee reported To the president
that the criticisms upon the team were
not justified except in the case Of Gil
christ, who was Immediately forbidden
t. play
During the last few weeks. rumors
have been in circulation involving both the
financial honesty of the manager and his
truthfulncss. As soon as these rumors
reached the ears Of the faculty commit.
tee on athletics. this committee asked the
graduate advisory committee to cause the
managers books 10 be audited BY a pub
Tic accountant ana To report the results
of their inquiry to the faculty committee
on athletics
The report Of the graduate advisory
committee shows that the manager has
not used money belonging to the team for
his own purposes. 1t shows. on the other
hand, that he had doctored the accounts
in order To conceal payments made to va
rious members Of the foot bali team for
tuition. or for board, and that, in two in
stances. what appear TO he mistakes Of
bout 500 in each case We're made in the
settlement Of visiting teams. These er-
rors will, Of course, be promptly cor
rected.
1T also appears. by admission of the
manager. that. finding himself at the
opening of the college year without 4
foot ball team. he deter
mined mat it was better 10 form one at
an hazards than frankly to face the
facts. This gricvous mistake made.
the faculty committee believes under the
stress of great temptation, accounts for
the Justification of the managers books
ana for his blameworthy attitude in many
other directions"