Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-04-28
MEMPHIS CUP AFTERMATH
WAst Puni'hmsnt Will Happen 70 In
gtgatsr Of CHARGES
n THOMAS MAKES PUBLIC APOLOGY
Board Of Review 60 Meet for Action
tn a Pew DAys-TrottinE Assoc
citation OmciaIs Are
in Trouble.

Two questions are on every tongue when
che meeting Of the board Of review on May
7 is mentioned among the followers OF the
light harness horse. What punishment
will be handed out to the Memc;iis Trot-
ting association for the scandal It promul-
gated anent the gold cup?" This Is one
question; the other is. win Al Thomas be
reinstated7" The skeins Of the two litlga-
tons do not cross and the issues involved
are as different as chalk from green
cheese; yet at the bottom each case is be-
ueved to be due to chagrin and bad tenn
per Thomas testified at the last meeting
Of the board Of review that he lost his
temper on that fatal Grand Circuit day at
Syracuse Murray Howe, In bringing the
charges against smathers. was undoubt-
edly led by chagrin over c. K. G. Billings
defeat to be too easily influenced by the
gossip Of the track followers.
70. r. Smathers has not urged any per-
sonal animoslty on the part OF Billings,
the former president Of the Memphis Trot-
ting association, and in all the hot talk
over the gold cup and the race these two
principals, as they are generally regarded,
have displayed much GOODNESS and tact.
There has been bitterness enough in sight,
for nothing else is TO be expected when
lemons are being handed around. but the
scrappinE has been on polite lines. 5math-
srs is now confirmed In the righteous pos
session Of the Memphis gold cup by the
Judges of the race, the turf court and the
civil courts.
Rule that Was Violated.
A rule Of the National Trotting associa-
ton states that all disputes must be sub
mitted to the board OF review, whose de-
cision will be ANAL. Instead the Memphis
Trotting association rushed its charges
through civil channels, and to the con,
tempt Of the turf court and Of the defend
ants credit. had the cup seized by a
sheriff pending the hearing on the nllega-
ton. The civil court heard the case with
the stony hearted indifference OF a Just
tribunal yet the charges collapsed there
as utterly as they did before the board Of
review. where the judges admitted the
prejudice of upholding honest racing. The
court gave four days to the case; the board
of review closed II up in a day and a half
That there will be a penalty imposed on
the Memphis Trotting association and it's
officers is expected by all local horsemen
In similar acts of contempt, wherein a
principal has gone to the civil courts in
disregard OF the trotting court, the pun
ishment imposed has been ostracism. The
entries Of these principals have been re-
fused. and in every way they have been
treated as though on the expelled list. II
may be significant that the former presl-
dent of the Memphis TrVsting association
has announced the sale OF all his horses
except Lou Dillon, 1854. and her recent
foal by the champion wagon trotting stall
lion, John A. McKerron. 2:041h. The sale
T~f1 ha OF
board OF review.
Al Thomas Troubles.
Al. Thomas halls from Benson. Neb. He
Is the coming Napoleon OF the trottinE
world, the Budd Doble OF the present
decade, II indeed he has not already at
tanned that distinction. For many winters
Thomas has been the man to show the
horses at the big sales of tTotting horses
In Madison Square garden. When the num-
Der is posted Thomas, while mounted on a
speedy ranch pony, drives the horse to
lie sold around the track. He covers many
miles In this way at every sale, but the
continuous shaking up does not blunt his
horse sense and Thomas is a frequent
buyer. He buys all sorts, from yearIings
20 brood mares and Futurity entrants to
old geldings with records, and however
varied the purchase Thomas Is said to
know where to place It at a profit. Well,
the onfense that has yanked Thomas out
of the sulxy seat is a breach Of etiquette.
Thomas has made this public apology 20
the Syracuse judge, which is unique in
the annals OF trotting legislation:
In order that l may place before the
public the true facts concerning the I'M
fortunate affair that occurred at the SYRIA
isst az wbic Srf fne meeting IN septem6er
sheet, 2:o6h, in the 2;0s trot, the second
Leaf OF which ! won in 2;O7k and was
laced eleventh by the judges because OF
the claim Of an alleged foul made by one
publish this letter
rom windsor, and It was with the great
st care and attention upon my part that 1
Z az oeen able TO keep his temperature
own 50 that l could race him at all. He
was staked heavily, and his owner and
I'd decided TO race him II possible; so that
JS raced at Windsor Cleveland, Buffalo,
touBhkeepsie and at Reedville twice-a sick
torse-but by reason OF the short system
o. racing l had been able to win ali OF
these races, except at Poughkeepsie, where
ne won the first heat and finished second
TO Angola in the next two.
,,l When We reached Hartford for the $4,000
charter Oak-this was the plum Of the
2 ,ason-my horse was getting better and
Z g fever had left him, and / knew that /
ead a good chance to win The first neat
u away we'll and took the pole At the
urn, on account OF The soft footing Main
gneet stumbled and nearly fell, and by the
trive only TO beat the distance. / Thought
was safely inside, as Nut Boy won the
lent, and did not give the matter another
taought until the decision was announced
"a was declared distanced. / then en-
ayored 70 have the judges change their
acision, claiming that / was inside the
lg, as l justly believed, but they decided
salnHt me, so that the race was ended
TAR as l was concerned. then thought
mat the presiding Judge had II Sin FOR
e, 80 70 speak, and ! felt very bitter
ward HIM but l am glad 10 saw thar
rave since learned that such was NOT IN
case and that the judges honestly believed
that was distanced. SO
Row Mt Syracuse.
The next week at Syracuse my horse
was great deal better but NOT as VET
strong ana l had hoped 10 win IN tvo
leafs; Tor l knew that at Columbus Re
Would De In position over that track 10 tslro
very rast record. He was made favor1ts
over the held, consisting OF many Rood
Notgefs- II was "A stake race and I was
PARTICULARLY anxious TO win owing 10 the
4tot, principally, that an excursion mad
Zen run by the railroads from the eitV
\ acre Malnsheets owner resided ana
ANY friends Of his were there to SEE me
l-oe Inc nrst heat / drew a bad Dosition
eao was compelled to drive a hard heat 10
LAisn sixth. The next heat / GOT me bas9
,. the start ana took the pole al ths Srst
4rn, ana as ! had taken the lead my horse
a9e a stumble where the teams and We
lDcles had crossed the track ana 4 -
NnA a Hmn l.