Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1903-12-10
cREScEUs' FAST
MILE A BIG FAKE?
As Much Is Charged Before the
American Trotting As
ISOLATION.
MANY WATCHES SAID 2:o5
While the Time Returned was 1:59Ia-
Testimony About the World Beat
ing Wichita Performances Is
Very Conflicting.

Chicago, Dec. 5.-The board of APP
peals of the American Trotting assoc
citation took up the question of the per-
torrance of the stallion Cresceus at
Wichita. Kan. last october. when the
Ohio horse was credited with u RECORD
Of 1884 by the track officials. which
mark has been the subject OF a good
deal OF discussion. Decision was re-
served for further evidence.
Secretary knight made u visit to the
Kansas town as soon a. the Cresceus
mile was announced. and found there
were people at the track m the day
the mile was trotted whose timing did
not agree with that of the official watch
holders. 1t was also found that other
features of the affair warranted in
v~estigation, the inquiry begun yes
terday is the outcome of MIR. knights
work.
George H. Ketcham. owner and driv-
err of Cresceus. was on hand, II the
Wichita track was represented by some
OF Its officers, one of whom was a law
yer. while MIR. Ketcham's interests
were looked after by Attorney Clarence
Brown Of Toledo.
No Flaw in Records.
President Ijams stated at the out
when news of the performance reached
him. and that 1T was on his suggestion
that Secretary knight went to Wichita.
The records of the Kansas track
showed the performance was regular,
and. so far as the official report Is con-
cerned. there was no flaw. The timers
made affidavit their watches all showed
1:59N. n two Of them agreed pre-
cisely as to each quarter. The other
timers watch was not a split second
affair, SO he could testify only as to the
whole mile.
There was a lot of irrelevant talk
by witnesses and interested parties.
while the board of appeals held tina
h session was merely an inquiry in
to the record as submitted. In his
statement to the board ketcham said
the questioning of the record was a
direct injury to him.
For fourteen years." he said, II
have been building up an export bus
mess in American trotting horses.
Within the last ten days l nave de-
posted European drafts for about $43.-
600 in payment for horses odd by me
to people abroad, n about $24, 900
more of such drafts will be deposited
In the near future. For the last six
years my sales of trotting horses
abroad have averaged $50, 900 annually,
more Than these of all the other Amer
lean breeders combined, and his bus
mess has been built up on my personal
honesty. l am selling to the same peo-
pie l sold to six years ago. and you
know it is pretty hard to keep a Gus
toner for fast horses that long. II
there was any fraud at Wichita. the
fifteen men who must have been con-
nected with 1t did the work on my be-
half, and they woul not go into any
such scheme unless by previous ar
rangement with me-"
There were afidavits by three or four
wichita men who timed the stations
mile. and all caught 1t around 2:O5. Two
Of these men keep a restaurant, and
Mr.. Amidon Of Wichita. who did the
talking for the Kansas people. en-
deavored to belittle their testimony.
This trough on q spirited tilt with
Secretary Knight. who retorted that.
II 1t came to repeating talk about peo-
who would not go unscathed. BY his
time the fact had been pretty we'll es-
tabltshed there was q serious question
as to whether the meeting-carried
over from Saturday until Monday. on
which latter day Cresceus trotted his
famous mile-was regular according to
the rules of the American Trotting as
sociation. and the statements on this
point were conflicting.
Another Investigation Made.
This decision will be awaited with
interest by the harness horse world.
An investigation Of the Cresceus per-
Torrance, entirely independent of that
carried on by the A. T. A.. was begun
by some Cleveland people. who sent
George Schneider out to Kansas to see
what he could discover. Mr.. SCHNEIDER
was on hand yesterday, n there vas
also In evidence a statement by him
in which he said that after a full !nves-
tigation. he believed the horse was en-
titled to the record. The friends Of
Cresceus claim Schneider was sent to
Kansas at the behest Of a Cleveland
man. who owns a fast stallion. and
make no bones about saying SO. Every
stallion owner Of consequence in the
land is interested in the matter now
more or less. and the case has revived
talk about the famous Stamboul rec
ord of 2:07h. which was rejected by
the American Register association
after a trial of the issues involved.
h board OF appeals of the Ameri-
can Trotting association adjourned to-
day without taking action on the rec
ord made by CreSceuS Mt Wichita. =