Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-31

tricky player. up to all sorts Of schemes to
worry and discomfort an opponent. The
Dion brothers. Joseph and Cyrille, were
famous. ice Dion was a most attractive
performer at the table. dashing and grace
full. Cyrille was a le~ft-handed player, aud
both were champions at the old champions
game.
Phelan. Deery. McDevltt. Kavanagh.
G~oldthwait. Tieman and Foley were some
of the leading experts OF the COS, and
after them came Rudolphe, the Dlons, Gar
nier. Vignaux, Sexton. Slosson. DAILY,
Schaefer. Carter, Cation and others OF
note. Vignaux is still living in Paris, but
out OF competitive billiards. He is the
best player that ever came over here from
France. He won the national three-ball
tournament played in Tammsny hall in
1874. the other players being GARNER, slos-
son, Daily. J. Dion, c. Dion, Rudolphe,
Ubassy and Daniels. The Frenchman was
a big, commanding looking man, with a
superb stroke, and played all sorts of
shots well. He was a player of unlimited
nerve and was never beaten until the fin
ish.
Famous Match In Paris,
No billiard match ever excited more in
terest than the one between Slosson and
vignaux In Paris in 1882. 1t was at the
champions game, with 1ix2S lines. and an
immense crowd waited outside the Grand
hotel. where it was held, to get the re-
turns. 1t was necessary to have police TO
keep order. Slosson was the winner. 5000
to 1858.
Billy Sexton, who died a few years ago,
was with one or two exceptions the gamest
of cue experts. At least his associates so
rated him.. lie was a strong money player
When he entered the Centennial tourna-
ment in Philadelphia in 1876 he was con-
sidered the poorest of the field, but he
proved to be the best. They made a
matinee player OF me" Sexton used to
say, but the management soon changed
this and put Sexton on at night. He won
the tournament with eight victories and
one defeat and the field included besides
himself. Slcsson, the Dions. Rudolphe, Bes-
sunger GARNER, Shaw and Foster.
sexton became as accomplished a balk
line and cushion carrom player as he was
three-ball player. His matches with Jake
Schaefer at cushion csrroms i'm this city
in 1881 created tremendous interest. The
first was played in Cooper Union and was
won by Schaefer. The second was played
in Tammany Hall and was for $1,000 a side,
the winner to take all the money and the
loser 10 pay all the expenses. Sexton was
the winner. The third was played in Tam
many Hall and was for $3.50 a side.
Again was Sexton the winner, and it is re-
lated tina Schaefer's hacker lost $4,000 on
the result. The third match was 600 points
up, a long game for three cushion carroms,
and lasted over four hours. As to long
games Slosson beat Sexton in a 5~C-point
cushion carrom match in 1888, which lasted
l06 innings and consumed over five hours.
Sections run of a at cushion carroms still
stands as the record.
sIOssOn n Game Player.
Slosson is another billiard player who is
game to the core. The student is a danger
Gus antagonist no matter how far behind
he may be, and never quits. Modern times
furnish a striking illustration of his nerve.
He won a game from Frank Ives, the best
billiard player that ever lived, which stands
out as one OF the hardest uphill fights
ever wsged and won. 1t was in the 1871
balk-line championship tournament in Mad
lson Square Garden in 1897.
Ives had three points to go and had the
balls. 1t looked as If nothing but a miracle
could stop him, especially as Slosson had
l57 to go. He made two points and missed,
and then Slosson gathered in a run OF o.,
containing many difficult shots; one was a
bank almost the length Of the table, the
cue ball going up to the end rail and COM
ing back for a count and driving the balls
out OF balk. That shot alone bespoke Slos-
sons nerve. When he missed he left the
balls in the middle OF the table. Ives. stln
confident, as he always was. tried a niasse
and missed. He didn't get another shot,
Siosson picked up billiards here, there and
everywhere and ran the game out.