The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-30
HARRY WELDON DEAD HE WAS PRINCE OF SPORTING
 EDITORS. One of the Greatest Writers in the Country Passes Away. Came as A Shock to His Many
 Friends.

The announo ement of the death of
 MT. Harry weldon. the prince of sport
 Cincinnati E'-aufc: for years, came as
 d suudon shock to his many friends in
 this ci,.. m wnicn hc Was well s,nown
 and very popular says The New Or
 leans. States.
 Mi. W eldon was one of the greatest
 spor ting writes this country has pro-
 auced. As "a baseball and pugilistic writer MT. Weldon never mad his sa.
 -rior. Hts Al Sorts" which appeared III The Cincinnati Enquirer every sunday
 was quoted and used Dy sporting writers throughout AmerIca and Canada.
 MT. Weldon was known and well liked
 ands purchased me Cincinnati Enquirer
 mainly for the spoi ting news that paper contained. lie WAS tlreless worker, and
 the matter that he served up was
 ture at every championship battle fought in this country within ;he past twenty five years, and has never failed to. at tend every baseball meeting of note since the National League was organ ized.
 Mir Weldon was one of the few "for-
 eign' sporting writer! that was well
 liked in this city; He numbered ms
 were not numbered among the sporting fraternity alone in this city, they were in every walk of fife and none were more pleased to see him than the local news
 paper men.
 When pugilism was at it's height in this city and when championship battles were held, once or twice year, MT. weldon was a regular visitor to New Orleans. It was he who reported all the big bat ties for The Cincinnati Enquirer, and alone at that He made friends in those days that will cherish his memory for years to come.
 That Mir. Weldon was the most popu- lar sporting writer in America was shown plainly in Cincinnati shortly after his illness. A benefit entertainment was ar ranged in which the gate receipts were over S100O0. Every sporting writer in the country took the matter up, and those interested in sports showed their appre- citation by responding nobly to the good cause. It was fitting testimonial to a good man. and it showed. although helpless he was not forgotten.
 How Weldon Began Career. One day along toward the close of the seventies, a slender. freckle-faced youth, who in every way gave evidence that the hustle and confusion of a big city were not familiar to him. landed in Cln- cinnati.. Repairing at, once to the officee of The Enquirer, at that time owned and published by Faran and Mclean, the country lad with fear and trepidatiop presented himself at the desk of John R. Mclean, at that time entering upon his career as managing editor or the paper which had been Lounded& & py ms ms who having decided on newspaper work had begun his career as devil on ms home paper at Circleville. Ohio. was ann bilious and armed with ietteE oI M hi- troduction and recommendation from his fellow-townsman. Allen 0: Meyers the then political editor of The Enquirer he applied to MT. Mclean for work on the big Cincinnati daily. It was In July and the terrific heat had had~a disast- rous effect on The Enqurers reportorial force. The day in question was one or the hottest ever experienced In the ono lI I,r ifnFr xaya fn at the time the applicant put in an ap- pearance. There was something about the country boy that impressed the young managing editor of The Enduirer, ana ne forthwith gave the lad an assignment Though almost overcome with the heat. he covered the assignment in the fullest and most complete manner. Inat was practically the beginning of the journal istIc career of one whose name snbse- duentlv became household word Tn every city. village and hamlet Tn tniS country where, interest. Is taken in the three great branches of sport. baseball pugilism and hq@ae-raclng-Harry M. Weldon.
 For several years after his engage mont with The Enduirer. MT. Weldon was employed in the capacity Of a city reporter. In the meant ne. warm per sonal friendship had sprung up between him and the young managing eoaSor' Iow H the millionaire proprietor or ne ri- r. auirer. 1t was during their after work hours-and that on big morning uailE means anywhere between I and a. m.- that MT. Mclean learned that young Weldon was an enthusiast on oasepa,l M and all other vigorous sports, and ac- cordinClv with the retirement or MT J. B. Mccormick CMacon) rom .he sporting editorship of The Enquirer, MT.
 1t was just about the time the Latonia Racing Association was organized lSH' As d home institution and one controlied by the best business element or Cinch, natl, Weldon threw his whole soui ana energy into an effort to make the race meetings at the "over-the-river track, as ka was won't to speak of 1t, second in importance to none held In the west with the possible exception or Washing- ton Park and how well he succeeueu' any of the old time guard among the and turf followers now at the fair grounds can tell It would pc of course, to say that ' ne Enouirer through it's sporting page, was alone entitled to the credit for the pros perity which the Latonia Association pe- gan to enjoy soon after Its entry lhto the racing field. but that the space and the attention devoted by MT. Waldon [" inc meeting at the Milldale track, had a powerful influence toward bringing about that prosperity. no one can gain say As long as the sport was conduct ed along right lines tho big sporting ed- itor of The Enquircr-for he had long ceased to be the slender country hoy continued to throw all the powerful in- fuence of his pencil in favor of ''beauti- fur Latonia. When, however, that fla nous plant passed into strange hands. and the octopus of syndicate betting be- gan to show its tentaclcs. MT. Weldon ceased to be its ardent supporter. and the racing was treated in half-hearted way. and the consideration he showed for it was simply because of it's being home institution. When in the meantime. 1t was proposed to build another track. Oakley, MT. Weldon threw cold water on the proposition. both because outsiders were to he the controlling factors in the new track and also and chiefly because he foresaw that In its overdoing the sport would eventually be killed about Cincinnati-an npininn that has since