The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-16
MILE HOPPEIS
BILLIARD GENIUS
|oy'S Father Declares He
Knew Game by Instinct and
improved Only in Execution.

BilliarS champions are born" said
rank Hoppe, sr., father Of Willie
oppe' referring especially to his son.
mis- holds true of genius in every
ne. but it has been so pronounced in
me case that there appears to be
room Tor doubt. He was a master
4 Ihe technique of the game before he
iuerstood the meaning of a stroke. He
Sayeo by instinct that came TO him
Dnth, and which has been as UNI
ing as the movements of the plan
> BEFORE he could reason out PLAYS
I made his moves as correctly as the
latest masters of the cue, and as ex-
renee ana muscular power came he
proved an the finesse of billiards, I'M
AT 10 he was ready to pit his skill
any style billiards against the
orids best men. True, he was at
81 looked upon as d child wonder. to
petted and patted on the head, and
Is clever fellow TO play an exhibit
pr with. But as an opponent i'm Il
rlous match, with a title and cash
dkes AT lsSue-nO, never. He was
Id by those whom ne challenged that
must get reputation. Like many
hsrs, he was forced TO go abroad. de
at NigneauX for the worlds cham
onShip and then compel the Ameri-
II stars ITO recognize his ability as a
al nasty by defeating them at their
sames' And let me tell you. Willie
Soppe played less than ten games of
billiards before he met VignauX
n the title in France. That he could
Jhis is but added evidence that he
fs born a billiard genius.
And now. in his twentieth year. still
with VIII hiIIfaf-f4c. ig- h1rF
slime, just as tag or shinney may be
ia other healthy children, he chal-
lges the worlds best men d ISL and
for the championships at these
les"
pse Study Shows Hoppe Is Wonder.
That the words of the young won
RS father are not exaggerated is
1 I'm from a close study of Hoppe in
". Not only in his practice work in
Rdemies, but i'm his matches on
ich big stakes are depending. he is
marvel Almost with the close of an
ponent's inning he is at the table,
cue i'm position, his moves selected
d the shot made almost without hes
tore He is very fast in his work,
Fps N1he balls moving and adds in
est TO his game by the rapidity with
ich he carries the play along.
Undoubtedly much of Hopes skill
Tue to his marvellous eyes and hands,
combination seldom seen in such per-
ton. His eyes are exceedingly
In, but NJ abnormal. With them he
able to iSdge distance with wonder
accuracy. and thus to follow his
Y with the greatest economy of eff
: lis hands are are remarkable in
ir way as his eyes. Though slender
king. they are Well muscled, long
pliable. The fOrehngers OF both
hds are capable of a powerful grip
z of the cue. while the spreading Of
other fingers adds to the fiTmness
the stroke. Possibly of all the bill
ID stars his hands are the nearest TO
ideal
Billiards is one of the Oldest games
existence. The origin of the game
always been a mystery. But it
not until 1860 that a public pro-
sional tournament was held. In
se days they played fOur-ball
ne on a ex12 carOm table. Philadel-
a mas to have had a representative
ChIH ian Baird in this tournament,
ich was played in New York. but
some reason Baird failed to play.
dley Kavanagh of New York won
tournament The first champion
. OF the world was played i'm 1873 at
lee ball carOms. This tournament
won By GARNER. 1t was i'm this
r that Jake" Schaefer made his
blic debut at Indianapolis in d match
n Parker A. Dyer. the wizard"
ming by a score of 900 TO 1888. George
sson's first public match was in
he being beaten by B. Frank Den
On. Slosson and Schaefer met on
3. 1873. SlossOn winning, 500 TO 321.
thirty-five years the pair have had
lual duels. and Schaefer is today the
champion.
Iaurice VignauX, the French cham
n. came TO America in 1874 and won
first three-ball championship Of
erica.
Shaefer's Eastern Debut.
chaefe2s first public match in the
WaYfn Washington. d. c, in 1876.
1879 he won the second champion
p of the world. defeating Slosson,
ton, Daily. GARNER, Gallagher, Ru-
phe and Heiser.
he balk-line game was first intro
ed in 1888. being at siX-inch to start
n. Schaefer won the first tourna-
n under these rules. In 1884 the
lE Was GldAStu 10 TO- Dul tiiio was
as easy for the experts, and in
the first 142 tournament was won
Slosson in New York.
fter winning the shOrtstop cham
lship bII default in 1883 in Chicago,
Sensational Frank c. Ives two
re- later made his first eastern APP
rance, and AT the ZAP game beat
Schaefer and SlOsson.
he 1S.1 and 1S.2 style of game dates
k to 1895. and il was in this year
Sutton, the present 1872 champion,
his first tournament, which was
h42. The first 1872 tournament was
i'm the spring Of 1895 in New York,
IN May of the same year the first
tournament was held in Chicago
Gorge Slosson was the first cham
at the 1871 game. winning the til
= in Madison Square Garden in 1897,
re was no cha mpionship match UNI
sOI, (Which was won by Schaefer.
he fneXt worlds championship at
wss held in Paris in 1904, NignauX
Eating sutton.
bout this time Willie Hoppe be
he prominent by winning the cham
hship of 'the young masters in
lis. and two years later he chal-
Eed Vigndux for the championship,
ming the title by 500 to 1923. Hoppe
,essfuIly defended the title against
son and Schaefer. but forfeited il
-,++o,, when he went to Amsterdam