The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-12-09
FIVE TEAMS OUR RACE.
Trouble In Madison Square Garden,
Where II Is Alleged, the Six DEy
Bicycle Race Was Being Conducted
Unfairly ard by Wrong Methods.

Unfairly and by Wrong Methods.
New York. December Angry be-
cause they believed the rae was being
unfairly conducted and because meth
DDS which they alleged to be wrong a
lowed other riders to gain . lap upon
them. five teams In the six-day bicycle
race at Madison Square Garden quit
the ace early today.
The five teams which quit were Wal
thour and Monroe: Bedeil Brothers;
May and Newkirk; Mclean and ut
Ter and Moran. All of them were
among the best in contest and among
those mos heavily backed to win the
highest prize.
The trouble wac ~precipitated by the
most exciting period of riding which
the race had thus far given, when Roo.
and Dorion. followed later by Stol and
Vaaderstuyft, succeeded in gaining a
lap on their opponents. Walthour, who
acted as spokesman for the five dissat-
isfied teams, declared that the men,
bers of those teams relieved each other
at intervals lot allowed by the rules,
especially in the case of Stol ne Van
derstuyft.
Walthour was on the track through
out the sprint, and riding a little ahead
of the rest. When Root was making
his metoric dash half a lap ahead of
the rest. little Stol, the Belgian rider
who had just relieved Vanderstuyft
stole up past Walthour and began a
sprint TO catch Root. In twelve laps
he had done what he tried for, and
Walthour had been too nue. taken by
surprise to catch him.
Then the partners in the five cams
named, who We're not then on the track
made their complaint and declared
their intention of withdrawing. Their
partners then riding left the track, and
all ten riders Immediately surrounded
the officials and demanded that the
lost distance be restored them.
After trying in vain to placate the
angry riders, the officials gave up the
tangle and sent for P. T. Powers, pro-
moter of the race. When he joined in
the discussion and heard both sides OF
the dispute he told Walthour and the
others that they had no right to leave
the track as they had done, either by
National cycling Association rules or
the special contracts which they made
III the management. He concluded:
"YCu can go back upon the track or
.gCt. Take your choice"
Powers issued a statement in which
he claimed that the Vanderstuyft-Stol
and ROot-Dorlon teams won their lap
fairly and hat the withdrawal of the
five other teams was not justified.
After. a conference between Preside 1t
A. G.. Batchelder of the National Cyc-
ling Association and r. F. Kelley,
chairman of the board of control of the
association. Walthour and the nine
other riders who withdrew from thu
race We're Indefinitely suspended. The
cases will mo- be disposed of until the
regular annual meeting of the SOFA
ton IN February. Until that time they
cannot ride on any track in the United
States. Walthour has engagements 10
ride in Europe in the early spring, but
if the SUSPENSION IS not lifted he will
not be allowed to ride on any track in
the world; nor Will any of the other
suspended men,.
| Chairman Kelley, in speaking OF the
/ men said:
II intend to make an example Of
these fellows"
| When Manager Pollock ordered the
ten men who had quit the race to
leave the Garden, a lively argument
ensued and the police reserves wera
summoned. The excitement was over
when they arrived.
l The Garden was thrown into an up
| roar during the trouble in the dressing
rooms and at one time there was i
| series of fistic encounters in progress
/ all around the oval. Joseph L. Sullivan
of Boston, a handle for Keegan the
Lowell, Mass, man who is still in the
l race. was given a serious beating. At
ter the dissatisfied riders had left the
Garden, Mr.. Powers issued orders 10
| all the gate tenders that none of the
men or any of their trainers or hand
lers were to be admitted to the Garden
again during the week.
1 Sometime later WalthOur and Nc
Lean returned and had a talk with
| Powers. Walthour afterwards said he
had asked Powers for 5000 which ne
considered due him for the m~otorpaced
race on Saturday night and his work
SO far this week, and that Powers had
| referred him to an attorney. Mclean
said he was in the same boat" He
added that he had engaged a lawyer.
whom he had instructed to attach the
| gate receipts at once.
l Walthour, as the spokesman for the
suspended racers. give out their version
of the trouble resulting in their with
| drawal. He said:
Root and Dorlon gained their lap
honestly. l have no ground of com
| plant againSt them and none of us
have. 1t is entirely against the unjust
scoring of Stol N Vanderstuyft that
| we are fighting. AS a matter of fact
they should be a lap behind us instead
of one ahead. 1t was his way:
when Dorlon and Root had gained
their lap both Stol and Vanderstuyft
were on the rack making changes. l
carried the n along in an effort &c
catch the leaders. Dorlon and Root,
and in doing SO hit up such a fast
pace that l succeeded in tapping all cf
the teams except three. These three
We're the Bedell Brothers, Butler and
Moran, and Dorlon and Root. We rode
along after that, more slowly, knowing
that we had tapped the others, and
what was our surprise when the score
was posted to find Stol and Wander
stuyft posted a lap ahead. Then came
our protest n you know the result"