Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-11-04
Saturdays Football Game Ended
by Injury of Two Visit.
ing Players.
BOTH NOW ON ROAD TO RECOVERY
Contest an Even One and Would
Have Been a Victory for
Rock Island.

I
high schools was married and finally
terminated by the serious injury of
two members of the visiting team.
The young men who were hurt were
brothers, John and Gustaf Hall, 81
and Is years of age respectively, and
while il is now known that neither is
likely to sustain any permanent in
jury as the result, the affair at the
time caused much anxiety and the
Aledo boys started on the return
home in the evening laboring under
the deepest gloom.
The two teams were very evenly
matched, the visitors having the adj
vantage in weight by about ten
pounds per man, and the home team
that of training and speed. Both
sides fought with desperation and
the score, when the game YVES called
within two minutes of the end of the
allotted time, was 5 to in the home
teams favor. Neither side scored in
the first half, Rock Island being
placed on the defensive at the begin
ming and again at the end of the half
In fact the visitors came near scor-
ing and probably would have done so
if they had not been penalized when
within two yards of the goal line for
an off-side play. The half ended with
the ball in Rock Islands possession,
but in their own territory.
The Second Half.
In the second half the visitors were
plainly somewhat winded and the
nome team, seeing their advantage,
made the most of it. Rock Island
kicked off and shortly had the Aledo
boys fighting for their lives near
their own goal. Several times the
ball changed hands within a few
yards of the goal and once the Rock
Island boys were penalized 10 yards
for holding just as they were about
TO gain the line. They worked back,
however, and finally sent Oberg over
for the only touchdown of the game.
The kick failed through fiuke in the
punt-out for a place from which to
try for goal. 1t was after this that
the two men were hurt. John was
the first to be laid out, his trouble
arising from a weak heart which
partially collapsed under the strain
of over-eXertion. He was carried TO
the side lines, where he was partially
revived. when he learned that his
brother had been hurt and he again
became unconscious.
Gus was playing center and was
endeavoring to stop a mass play on
the part of Rock Island, who had the
ball, when he sustained his injury.
lie fell under the crush and his head
was twisted and bent back, causing
pressure on the spinal cord. The
result was that he lost consciousness
and in n short time became violent,
the combined strength of several men
being required to hold him. Several
physicians who were on the ground
were called and the city ambulance
was summoned and the two brothers
were taken to st. Anthony's hospital.
John became normal soon after ar
irving there, but Gus continued vio-
lent till late at night and had to be
kept under restraint. Prof. +. N
Taylor, principal of the Aledo high
school, who accompanied the boys
to this city, remained here, the 9th
ers starting for home about Q o'clock
in the rigs in which they had driven
over early in the day.
where the Fault Lies.
While the accidents which disabled
the two players are most deplorable,
they point strongly to the necessity
of the precautions that are observed
in the high school here with refer
ence to the rigid physical eXamina-
ton of all candidates before they are
allowed places on the football team.
Both of the Hall boys, while appar-
emily strong and possessed of pluck
and knowledge of the game that
made them the very life of the Aledo
team, are in reality unfit to be in the
game. John, the elder, was n soldier
in the late war with Spain and was
on account of a breaking
down of his system, caused by the
weakness of his heart. He is now
drawing a pension from the govern
ment and has been advised repeated
ly that he is not sufficiently rugged
to safely play football. Gus has the
same tendencies as his elder brother
and in addition plays so desperately,
so the other boys say, that he gets
hurt in nearly every contest in which
he is engaged.
Today John, the elder brother, was
able to leave the hospital and paid
visit to the high school. He eXper-
fences no trouble from the effects of
game. Gus will be in
the physician in attend
ance thinks, to go home tomorrow,
and the two boys will go home to-
gether 1t is now pretty well estab-
lished that the injuries of the young
err brother consisted more in the con-
cussion of the brain than in any in
jury to the spinal cord.
The Line Up.
Following was the lineup in Sat
urday's game:
Rock Island. Aledo.
Clark. r.. ETC. Valentine
-. WELLS