The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-06-22
mlI||SZP(ll RlF&&I2
SUTTON SAYS STAY
RIGHT WITH GAME
All Can be Good Billiard Players If
They Will Give the Sport the Re-
quired Attention-He Has
No Hands.

By George H. Sutton, the handless
billiard wonder)
How did you learn to play billiards."
is a question that has often been put to
! me in view of the fact that have no
| mill accident. There is nothing really
so wonderful in it all. / commenced to
watch other players and the methods
they employed and then changed the
whole scheme into methods peculiarly
adapted to myself, that of using arms
instead of hands Then 1 went to work
putting my thoughts and ideas into
execution At first the other players
were amused with my efforts but as
went along and progressed, those who
| had treated my efforts with derision
began to sit up and take notice. From
| this it went to ridicule as far as compe-
| tition with the able bodied expert play
ers was concerned-but within three
years from the time 1 started I was
champion of Wisconsin. This began to
attract national attention and there was
an immediate demand from room keep
ers and clubs for exhibition play all over
the country. Within two years 1 could
defeat any amateur in the United States
From this I went to the Paris billiard
academies to compete in match games
against the leading billiard experts of
the world I destroyed all the old pet
theories of wrist movement being nee
essary to play perfect billiards.
| The old theory that a man had to be
perfect in physique ia order to become a
| leader in athletic sports is fahacy;
for instance Mordecai Brown, Chicago's
| baseball pitcher, who has lost the first
finger on his pitching hand and has been
the most successful pitcher for the
| past two seasons in the baseball world
Battling Nelson, champion lightweight
| pugilist, has a stiff elbow; there is a
/
player Jack Schaeffer, with a broken
and stiff wrist, the worlds greatest bill
lard player, did his best playing after
this accident happened to him.
Don't Be a Gutter
The secret of success for any man,
whether able bodied or not is easily ex
| planned He is no gutter All of the
worlds greatest leaders were fighters,
they never stopped when once they had
| begun, until the object they had in view
was accomplished
| Ora Morningstar, the present billiard
champion, remarked to me in a cafe "A.
| Paris, that he was about to give up bill
| lizards in disgust Morningstar was a
production of the late Frank Ives and
| undoubtedly knew as much billiards as
any man who ever lived. His reason
| body ''outlucked him. l told him that
! I thought he was quitting-that he
more bulldog spirit, that luck would
| break even for all. Getting rid of thai
| luck notion, he Immediately gained
confidence and the result was toe
winning of the next international
championship tournament.
Is Fine Sport.
| 1 know of no form of amusen:ei,;
which combines more strongly the ele-
ments of recreation and physical exer-
else while stimulating the manly desire
| for conquest and final success over the
| friendly competitor than the game Of
remarked: 'I have a billiard table in
| my house and every Christian fanlit,
| should have one. THE game is noble
one 1t should be enc )uraged in all
safe ways. 1t must be regarded as
one of the most charming games in
vented" No recreation combines
health giving exercise and pleasant
| companionship in a greater degree than
billiards If one must be indoors, tho
game of billiards I find to :;e grand
exercise You walk miles. to begin
with. and a private table is great
attraction to keep together the young
members of the household in the
evening.
The roomkeepers in Tacoma have
the most up-to-date halls and equip
ment found anywhere in America, and
| find the class of players here COM
mare favorably with any of the pat
ronage anywhere.