The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-24
CHAMPIONSHIP is
WON IN THE COURT
Vignaux's Victory Is Hardly
Acceptable to Average
Sporting Man.

NEW YORK, June 2S.-When Maui
rice Vignaux, the French billiard ex-
pert, recently obtained a verdict from
a Partisan court declaring him the
worlds champion, much discussion was
aroused among local billiardiStS. Win
ming championships in courts of law
is not regarded with much favor by
Americans.
The tournment out of which the liti-
CATION grew was to settle the worlds
championship, and when it was first
arranged the managers expected so
large a number of entries that the
playing off of the ties would be i'm
possible. Therefore a clause was in
serted in the conditions providing that
in case of ties the first prize and the
championship title should go to the
player making the highest grand aV-
erage.
Owing to the failure of Schaefer, the
champion, and several other great
players to enter the tournament, only
four competitors were in line when
play started. These were George Slos-
son, of New York; George Sutton, of
Chicago, and VignauX and Cure, the
Frenchmen.
With so small an entry list, the play
tug off of ties became a necessity, and
al four players verbally consented to
o. so. Then the manage of the tour
nament were guilty of ineXcusable neg
ngence. They failed to change the
tie clause in the written regulations
The tournament resulted in a triple
tie between VignauX, Sutton and Cure,
SloSSon failing to win a game. Wig
nauX had the best grand average by a
fraction above Sutton. The French
man, ignoring his promise, took adj
vantage of the written rule and claimed
the championship. The managers de-.
clined to hand over the trophy, and
VignauX promptly took the matter into
court and got decision.
The style of play in the tournament
was 1872 (eighteen-inch balk line, with
two shots i'm, and VignauX undOubt-
eddy will claim the championship at
that style of play.
Il do not believe" said Maurice Daily,
that the billiard world will recognize
VignauX's claim, Notwithstanding the
decision of the court. 1t was unsports-
manlike on his part and a singular ex-
hibitiOn of chiIdishness.''
by reason of his victory at Madison
Square Concert hall in the last tour
nament Schaefer is the champion at
ISL, and there is so much difference in
the two styles Of play there should be
division of championship honors.
There is nearly as much difference be-
1S.1 and cushion caroms.
Although VignauX is now fifty
eight years old, he showed by his work
in the Paris tournament that he is still
able to cope with any living player,
either in match or tournament, and his
babyish action is all the more mex
plicable.
George Sutton has certainly shown
that he is in the front rank. He has
improved remarkably in execution ar/l
to that adds physical ruggedness. which
neither SlOsson nor Schaefer possesses.
Schaefer is a brilliant performer but
is handicapped by physical infirmity.
Slosson was all out Of form while in
Paris, but tells me he is regaining his
stroke and steadiness. OF the French
men, Cure, Fournil and GibeHn are
next to VignauX, and Marva, the Span
tsh champion, is in their class.
All the players now in Paris (and
the number includes nearly every bill
liarist of note in the world) are in a
fair way to deteriorate in balk line.
Three cushion caroms, eight points up,
is the rage in the Partisan academies,
and as the players are making $40 and
$50 da.s they naturally play the
game the PariSians want to see and
bet on. Willie Hoppe, the sensational
boy player, is banging away at the
cushions, and this will check his balk-
line progress, in which he was very
promising. The same applies to Ora
MorningStar, of whom I had great
hopes. thought SO we'll of him I was
willing to back him against the WIN
ner of the tournament. The Partisan
academies are certainly bad for the
balk-line players, but so long as the
financial incentive is offered there is
small chance of the players coming to
America. And no one can blame them
BY the way, there is a French anna
teur named Rauol who can beat most
of the professionals, and can certainly
take the measure of Foss or any of our
American amateurs. He may come
here next fall, but as for the profess
SIGNALS 1 see little prospects of a tour
nament while the Partisan academies
are in operation"