The age-herald., 1901-11-29
Alabama and Tennessee Have Score Tied When Game
 Is Called SPECTATORS AAGERED
 AT UMP|RE'S DECISION
Excited Men and Boys Prevent the Players From Continuing Game and the Contest Is Stopped
 On Account of Darkness.
ALABAMA GAMES: At Atanta-Auburn, 0; University of Georgia, 0. At Birmingham-Alabama, 6; Ten nessee, 6.
gy BOHEMIAN c. eULeER.

After a beautiful exhibition of clean football the Alabama-Tennessee game was interrupted yesterday afternoon by the most disgraceful scenes ever witness ed on a Birmingham field for sports.
 With the score tied and the ball on Alabama's twelve yard line, Umpire Payne of Knoxville, declared the Ala bamians had made an offside play ard as a penalty the ball was advanced to with in five yards of the fatal goal.
 A similar decision three minutes be- fore had greatly angered the spectators and, infuriated at what they thought un- just treatment, crowd of 2OOO persons swarmed over the field. surrounded the officials and prevented the players from continuing the game. The police were powerless to keep back the mob of ex- cited men and boys and during the tur- moil darkness came over the field and Referee Jones called the game with the score standing and 6.
 BAD MANAGEMENT
 PARTLY TO BLAME.
 The disgraceful scene was the direct result of inefficient business manage ment of the two teams No way was provided to keep back the crowd on the side lines and from the beginning to the end there was an utter lack of discipline which could have been avoided by the expenditure of fige or six dollars. By the stretching of a rope or wire around the gridiron the policemen would have had some means of controlling the spectators and what developed into a disgraceful spectacle might have been turned into a clean, sportsmanlike game of football.
 Another thing which encouraged the crowd to encroach upon the field was the large number of pseudo officials and re- porters At least fifty men claimed to have a right on the field and the police men had no way of ascertaining their authority as no official press badges had been furnished by the management.
 with such mismanagement," said a prominent official of the city of Birming- ham," there is no chance to have clean sport and 1t will eventually break up football in Birmingham. The people here appreciate good athletic games and are not disorderly as a rule. but without anything to govern them any crowd will become boisterous.'
 At least one thousand of those who had bought tickets never saw any part of the game and only occasionally got a glimpse of the players.
 QUESTION ABOUT
 UMPIRE'S DECISION.
 As to Umpire Payne's decision there is considerable question. He claims three Alabama men were off side after the ball had been snapped and the penalty for such an offense Is ten yards to the other team. An offside play occurs when one team rushes over the line of the ball before it is snapped and fails to get back before it is put in motion. MT. Payne says three Of the Alabamians were a little slow in getting up after the scrimmage and that Tennessee put the ball in play before they were able to get side. Under the facts I could do nothing else but give Tennessee ten yards" he said. If ten yards carries the ball over the five yard line but not to the goal line it must be brought back to the five yard line. If the ten yard penalty carries the ball over the goal line, the rules then provide that only half of the distance between the ball, at the time of the play, and the goal line can be allowed.
 Several persons who saw the play say neither of the Alabama men were off side and 1t was the general opiaion tha. the umpire had erred. However, after making the decision there was nothing for him to do but stick to it. Giving Ten nessee ten yards when they had the ball so near Alabama's goal angered the crowd and like stampede of cattle they rushed across the field and surrounded the players gesticulating wildly and yell- ing rotten ''robber'' and other pet phrases known only to football rooters. The umpire stood firm and there was nothing to do but wait for darkness and end the disgusting struggle.