Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1908-03-27
FOR BILLIARD
CHAMPIONSHIP

New York, March 26.-Little Willie
Hoppe, the cue phenomenon, will at
tempt to regain the prestige he lost
by being defeated for the 1871 cham
! pionship by 'WiZard' Schaefer, in his
match for the 1872 championship to-
morrow night. Hoppe has been prac-
ticing strenuously for the contest and
his opponent, George Sutton, the pres
ent holder of the title, will probably
have to play the game of his life to
hold the emblem. The contest be-
tween Hoppe and Sutton will take
pace tomorrow night in Madison
| Square Garden concert hall and will
be witnessed by large assemblase OF
billiard enthusiasts.
Tomorrow's battle of cues will be
one of the most important since the
|tirst international contest in 1873 at
three-ball caroms. This tournament
was won by GARNER. 1t was in this
year that Jake" Schaefer made his
public debut at indianapolis in a
match with Parker A. Byers, 'the wiz
ard" winning by score of 300 to 1873
George Slosson's first public match
was in 1870, he being beaten by y.
Frank Dennison. Slossom and Schaef
err, first met on October 5, 1878, Slos-
son winning, 500 to 321. For thirty
five years the pair have had annual
duels, and Schaefer is today the 1871
champion.
Maurice VignauX, the French cham
pion, came to America in 1874 and
won the first three-ball championship
of America.
'Schaefer's first public match in the
East was in Washington, D. c., in
1876. In 1879 he won the second cham
pionship of the world, defeating Slos-
son, Sexton, DAILY, GARNER, Gallagher,
Rudolphe and Heller.
The balk line game was first intro
duced in 1888, being at six inch to
start with. Schaefer won the first
tournament under these rules. In 1884
the game was changed to 1872, but this
was just as easy for the experts, and
in 1885 the first 14.2 tournament was
won by Slosson in New York.
The 1871 and 1872 style of game
dates back to 1895, and it was in this
year that Sutton, the present 1872
champion, won his first tournament,
which was at 14.2. The first 1872
tournament was held in the spring
of 1896 in New York, and in May of
the same year the first ISL tourna-
mment was held in Chicago.
George Slosson was the first cham
pion at the ISL game, winning the
title in Madison Square Garden in
1897. There was no championship
match until 1901, which was won by
Schaefer, who recently forfeited his
title after defeating Willie Hoppe.
The first world championship at
1871 was played in Paris in 1901, Wig
nauX defeating Sutton.
About this time Willie Hoppe be-
came prominent by winning the cham
pionship Of the young masters in
Paris, and two years later he chal-
lenged VignauX for the championship,
winning the title by 500 to 1928. Hoppe
successfully defended the title against
Slosson and Schaefer, but forfeited it
to Sutton when he went to Amsterdam
a little more than a year ago, and
since then the latter has been beaten
by Schaefer.
The 1S2 championship series start
ed in 1903 in Paris, VignauX defeating
Sutton. The Frenchman's term as
champion expired in 1905, and the fol
lowing Year the second worlds cham
pionship tournament was held in New
York City. This brought out some
youngsters, notably Hoppe, Cutler and
Ora Morningstar. Slosson won the
tournament in the spring, but WAS
beaten by Sutton in the fall and now
Sutton must defend his title against
young Hoppe.