Evening journal., 1908-01-23
.CRIPPLES ARE
AMONG ATHLETES
Some Remarkable Instances
Of Men Who Have
Achieved Fame
SOME ARE WITHOUT ARMS

A billiardist with both arms gone, a
champion boxer with p disloeated el-
bow a pitcher who is shy two fingers
and cricketer with only one leg.
Sounds like fiction. doesn't it?
Yet the names Of these remarkable
athletes, who have achieved proml-
nenee despite serious disqualification,
disposed Of the old idea that to be sue
cessful an athlete must have the per-
feet body, SAYS an exchange.
The armless billiardist is Albert SUIT
ton. He has appeared all over the
country; he has played the best of the
two-armed champions on even terms,
and has only had TO yield 10 men in
the very front rank.
As an exponent of fancy shots, the
kind OF exhibit that causes the aver
age lover Of the cue game to hold up
his hands in amazement that such
things can be done, Sutton is second to
no one. Sutton has been playing for
many years, and yet he has only two
stumps, both arms being off above the
elbow. 1t Is worthy Of note that he
gets the better all the time.
Pitcher Brown.
When the Chicago Nationals won the
championship last year a large part of
the credit was given 10 Pitcher Brown.
He was far and away the teams win
ming pitcher, and with him on the
slab there seemed no way the Cubs
could lose. Yet Brown is a mutilated
athlete. He has only three fingers, or.
rather, two fingers and a thumb on his
pitching hand. The first and second
fingers he lost in an accident.
Another ball player who is known all
over the country, Bill Coughlin, the
Woodworking third baseman of the
Detroit Americans. is minus one finger
on his throwing hand. but no one
would ever know it from the way he
plays the bag. Bill, who comes from
the coal regions OF Pennsylvania
Wilkesbarre being his home-was a
breaker boy before he discovered that
baseball was the right calling, and he
lost his finger in a mine accident,
which are all too frequent in that hard
life.
Sam Griffith.
But even more remarkable in base
ball way Is Sam Griffith, the one
armed pitcher Of Philadelphia.
Sam lost his arm many years ago,
yet with the right alone he has been
able to earn an excellent living. He
pitches with a motion somewhat SINH
lar to that used by Sam Lever, the
noted Pittsburg twirler. who does very
little with his left arm when winding
up to let the ball go.
Griffith can get considerable speed,
and has played on a number OF strong
semi-professional teams in the vicinity
of his home. Connie Mack, manager
Of the Philadelphia Americans. cham
pions of 1905, thought enough Of Grif-
nth to give him a trial, but the one
armed wonder was rot quite fast
enough for big league company,
The Battling Nelson.
The success Of Battling Nelson in the
ring has perhaps been more important
than the work Of any boxer OF recent
years. He is one OF the few good men
developed in the past five years, From
an unknown town. Hegewisch, ILL.,, Nell
son fought his way, beating man after
man, til he finally landed the ehanl-
pionship by knocking out Jimmy Britt.
Then he lost 10 the colored wonder,
Joe Cans, on a foul, after fight Of
forty-three rounds. saws the chatta-
nooga Times.
Sportsmen have backed Nelson and
won big money on the outcome Of his
fights, Perhaps they would have been
less willing to take chances had they
known that the Battler is q virtual
cripple, His left arm was so injured
at the elbow and is so stiffened that
he cannot straighten it out. This
makes Il almost impossible for him TO
jab for he cannot deliver the straight
left. But Nelson says that, far from
being a handicap, his crooked elbow is
a halp TO him. It enables him 10 de-
liver a terrible blow at short range,
and he can hike up the stiff left arm
with as much energy as though he had
II filled with cement at the elbow TO
prevent any give when he lands a
blow.
Liked Close Range.
1t is a noticeable feature Of all Mel
sons fights that he is clever on the