Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-06
overall Is to pitch, now deteriorate
from the gate receipts.
Dramatic Incident at Athens

Dramatic inctdent ~ Rtneuo
A dramatic incident and one that will
not be forgotten by those who wit
messed it was occasioned when Tofalos,
the Greek, and Steinbach, the Austrian,
met In the Olympian arena for the
weight lifting contest. Tofalos Is an
idol Of the Hellenes and the only COM
petitor who could possibly prove for
midable to him was Steinbach, whom
the Greeks, because Of an unfounded
rumor, believed to be a professional
When Steinbach appeared upon the
field he was greeted with a storm OF
Kisses, and after vainly protesting, re-
tired from the arena leaving Tofalos
the victor. Slowly and with straining
muscles Tofalos lifted the weight over
his head with an almost super-human
effort. Amid Grecian cheers the flag
OF George was hoisted on high In token
Of victory. During the height OF the
excitement Steinbach stalked back,
calmly grasped the weight and with
easy grace lifted 1t several times at
arms length above his head. With a
sarcastic bow he made mock abeyance
to the assemblage, who stared In OPEN
mouthed wonderment as the Austrian
tramped from the arena.
Fencing Epidemic
A fencing epidemic appears to be
sweeping the country and mask and
foils are again claiming their inheritage
as developers of the form divine. From
New York, which has long been the
home of the sport in America, the wave
has broken on Chicago shores and the
ripples are reaching into the far west.
The feminine contingent of the windy
city decided that basketball, indoor
baseball and other forms OF athletic ex-
ercise are a mite too rough and have
adopted the foils with determination
to bring out all that is graceful In the
womanly frame. At the Los Angeles
athletic club there Is q strong tendency
to make much of the game, and the
craze is spreading throughout the city.
AS a factor in physical development,
fencing is perhaps without a peer and
the simplicity which attends it's prac-
tice Is an incentive to the widespread
popularity that has attended 1t. Neces-
sarily the sport has been more or less
confined to the more established COM
munities of the east, where its pro-
mitigation has been accomplished by
systematic methods. With the far
reaching influences that adaptable
athletic exercise Is bound to exert, the
fencing game is gradually working
westward. and the Indications are that
| fencing classes will be as much an in
stitution in Los Angeles during the
future as they are now in New York.
Eastern Humorlsts
A humor contest that promises to land
| the laurels of funnydom, has been
started by certain eastern dopesters In
regard to the boxing situation of
Southern California. In serious vein the
tale is told how not vestige of the
game remains. The boxers cannot find
meal tickets sufficient to keep them
from starving. Manager McCarey has
withdrawn from the game with a few
paltry dollars saved from the wreck of
his once fond dreams. Kid Herman,
Aurelio Herrera, Abe Attell and Bat
Ting Nelson form squad which Is
endeavoring to catch the limited freight
| in an effort to reach the effete east,
where they may at least pick up a
miserly living mixing in four-round
bouts for breakfast purses. Just what
is the object of the contest cannot be
made known at the present, though time
will doubtless give an insight to the
meaning. In view of the fact that two
of the greatest battles ever scheduled
in the history of ring annals will oc-
cur in Los Angeles during the present
month, the mystery of the eastern dope
sters becomes more of a proposition
for speculation. A $4,000 purse and d
| $500 incentive are the means which
have been employed to send Battling
Nelson, Aurelio Herrera, Abe Attell an6
Kid Herman into the ring. Under the
| circumstances the local situation does
not appear so bad after all.