The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-07-12
THE GAME OF JAI-ALAL.
NEW YORK REVIVAL OF A FASClNAT.
ING BASQUE SPORT.
Huge Profits When Conducted Profess
sionally - The Sixty-sixth Street FROM
ton-A Round or Two In Havana
Gold Coin Thrown to the Players.

ton IA Round or Two In Havana
| Gold Coin Thrown to the Players.
/ Only one enterprise, excepting thai
of keeping hotels for tourists-and the
word ought not to be used in any sense
for that business-is really prospecting
greatly in Havana this season, writes
a correspondent of the New York
Post from Cuba At the Fronton Jai-
| Alai, or court where the ancient game
| of pelota is played in the fashion of the
! old Basque country, the proprietors
| must clear $4,000, perhaps 100000
| possibly more, each week. Expenses are
| light, income enormous, beet-sugar is
not competitor, and there is no de-
pendanco on fariffs. Still it is not an
enterprise Of profit and advantage to
Cubans, for it is run chiefly for gam
bling purposes. You are going to see the
ton is being built in West SiXty-SXth
street; whether for pure sport or for
betting, it doubtless remains for the
law to determine. There is no reason
why jai-alai should not be kept, as
tennis and golf and hockey have been,
free from the debasing touch of pro-
fessionalism. One knows no other
play which is SO vigorous. even violent
and needing more precision Of sight,
quickness of judgment, agility and
powerful young muscles.
.Jai alai. the popular term for pc
lota, you may read an entertaining de-
scription of it in Pierre Lofts Ram
untcho:"
At last they enter the arena, the pei
otaris, the six champions, among
whom is one in a cassock: the vicar of
the parish. At the right
wrist the players attach with thongs a
strange wicker thing, resembling a
large curved finger-nail, which length
ems the forearm by half. 1t is with
this glove manufactured in France by
a unique baske-maker of the village of
Ascain that they have to catch, throw
and hurl the pelota-a small ball of
frightened cord covered with sheep
skin, hard as wood. This is
the rule Of the game: When one of the
champions of the two camps lets the
ball fall it is point earned by the adj
verse camp-and ordinarily the limit
is 60 points.
In Havana there are two jai-alai
evenings in the secular week and an
afternoon of matches on Sundays
which you will be reminded of by the
stream of carriages running out to the
Fronton, at the fixed hour. 1t is the
great excitement, the great dissipation
of many people, the sad ruin of some,
and Americans quickly succumb to its
strong destinations. If there is one
Americans to common admiration
(Which is often as uniting between
persons as to have a common aver
sion) it is the game of jai-aai.
There is to be great match. Ma
Gaia and Trecet (blues) are to play
Eloy and Machin (whites). The last
time these teams met the blues won,
but by only one point, in total of 80,
close fighting all the way through.
But that was in the evening; today
they play by daylight, and it is known
to the expert that Machin's sight is
better in daylight. He is a marvel
this Machin, with the long eyebrows
that denote the real Basque, and mus
cles as responsive as elastic. His part
ner, Eloy is lanky and stopped, but
al md of lie 70 1n
will be opposed to Macala in front
(which would be "at the net in ten
lis), and Macala is small, catlike, very
lovely. the girls think, to look upon,
With moustache just shadowing his
ip, and shoulders like a grenadier.
the handicap of ladies' men!
he plays to the boxes. plays for ap-
)lause, to hear his name shouted, and |
Zee flowers thrown from some throb-
ling breasts to him. His partner, |
rrecet, is also handsome, 1.-THE. rather
blonde, graceful. and he, famous
Jack, will be opposed near the far wall
o the dark Machin, and Is likewise
matinee idol-consequently you, being
man, decide against him and Macala,
nd pin your faith to the less well-fa-
ored whites, Eloy and Machin, though
hey were defeated before
Where they begin there is an asphalt
curt bounded on three sides with ma
onry walls painted black. On the
ourth side sit the spectators, tier on
Ter. The game is to fling the ball with
id of the long costa, basket glove
ard against one end wall, when the
ppOsing team must catch it on the fly
r on the first bound, and hurl it back;
nd SO on as in tennis. or, to be under
TODD. nowadays, perhaps one should
ay ping-pong Between spectators and
layers is line of corredores. or men
'ho record bets between lookers-on.
caring brilliant scarlet Basque caps
lat make startling color spots against
lie black wall of the court One man
ants to wager to 4 on the blues. A
)rredOre calls out the terms, and
takes the bet, the money, in
old centenes, is paid over, and regis
red. The admonitions, comments,
Dplause OF the spectators, and the
les of the corredores create ire
endous din. 1t is Macala's first
rive; he selects one of the eight fine
amplOna balls from the box carried