Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-28

Description of the Young Man
Who Has Set Up Long,
Distance Figures.

water ana with a power OF dreaming III
their depths. brow which goes with the
poetic temperament, CLINT of gold in the
hair, in height and shoulder and build a
reproduction of that great lightweight
champion of half a dozen years ago,
Frank Erne: skin as fine and clear as a
colleen OF his native Glare, his features
delicately nodded and refined, and there
you have Matthew Maloney, the new
Marathon hero. who smashed all records
Saturday last in the twenty-six-m race
from Rye to Columbus Circle.
He's Only a Gossoou.
He's no more than gossoon, this sud-
den hero in athletics: he has just started
from the scratch Of his twenty-third year.
1t is only little more than a year ago
that he turned his back on Erin and came
to this country. where there's bread and
work for ALL" Seven months ago he
would not have been able to tell you what
running trunks were If you had shaken a
pair under his eyes. He was farmers
boy in the '.Ould Country" and there
was no time in the economy OF things
there for him or any of his brothers to
give an hour to "sportin' things"
Being Irish, 1t was only natural that a
cousin should be waiting to greet "Matty"
when he landed at the Battery, and this
cousin being saloonkeeper, claimed the
lad for bartender. And good one he
made from the start, for he never had
touched, tasted or handled a dhrop O.
spirits until Thanksgiving day. II it had
not been for that drink 'Jim' Crowley Of
the Irish-American Athletic Club, whom
''Matty" beat Saturday, might not have
the Thanksgiving Marathon to his credit.
But that part of this yarn will come
later.
'It wasn't that I thought I could do
anything grand in athletics that made me
go in for it." said ''Matty'' yesterday with
the mist Of a Glare brogue on his tongue
Il wanted to meet some nice fellows and
I had watched things and thought that
the men in athletics would be the kind I'd
like to know.
But at that the running has come easy
and wouldn't be surprised If there
weren't some Maloneys far back who
knew how to turn the trick
Picked by the Trinitys.
There are sharp eyes among the Trinity
Athletic Clubs membership, and they saw
the markings Of long distance man in
Maloney. In the middle Of June last they
were made as sure of it as they are to-
day that they were right. Any man who
will turn out alone at midday In June and
run twenty-five miles around a quarter
mile track. with only sleepy carpenter
for an audience, must have sand in him.
That's what Maloney did just for wind
practice.
MaIoney's first real race was In the six
mile national junior cross-country cham
pfonship run, In which he finished third
Next came a ten-mile junior. and he got
a medal for finishing eleventh ard within
the ffty-eight minute limit. Then followed
the Thanksgiving Marathon race from
happened to "Matty'' that day is best told
by Harvey Cohn. one of the champions OF
the Jrish-American Athletic Club. who is
the Trinity clubs coach and who trained
Maloney for Saturdays race.
THE Lord only knows what sort of
stuff Maloney is made off, said Harvey
yesterday. He went to work in the sa-
loon at 5 o'clock Thanksgiving morning
and didn't get off until 10. Then he put
for Yonkers with his togs in a bag. and
In the time he did.
"Matty took it on the run from the
trolley and reached the start with Just
minute left to get into his track togs He
made the shift and was off with the
bunch. Somewhere along about the six
teenth mile his attendant wandered away
and somebody offered Matty a drink OF
whisky. and he foolishy took it. When
the reaction came it was like the kick Of
a mule and fifty yards from the finish he
YES" put in Matty, that was the day
crossed to the other side for about two
hours.
Kept His Eye on Crowley.
"But l wasn't the fool to take any,
thing to drink Saturday last. l started
off with the first of them, with Crowley
and Ressinece for company. l said to
| myself. Forget everybody but Crowley
1t was at the fifth mile that Crowley
began to force the pace He stretched his
stride until thought he would split him.
self open. We were going up a hill and
/ said to myself You're q GOOD paca-
| maker, Crowley. but I think I've got
YOU
Crowley had the best of the road. He
was In the center, where 1t wasn't cut
up, and l was to the side. 1t was fair
going where l was. and held my own
came to me Of sudden that Crowley
couldn't stretch his stride any more. He
was looking out of the corner of his eye
at me. weird like, and I said to myielf,
Matty, it's right here that Jim Crowley
| is going to kill you of II he can-if he
can
Il was going easy and fine and saying
| to myself ''Tis you or me, Jim Crowley,
| that has got to win this day. and I'll stay
| with you Till l drop dead made for
| the lead and got it, and never again uid
of his eyes at me when passed him told
me that l had him.
when it came to the finish / saw an
automobile with officials in 1t, and some
one threw a door open and ! started to
get aboard. l thought it was the end, but
! had yet to cross the tape. and Mr.. Sui
Ivan told me TO keep a-goins, So started