Weekly journal-miner., 1909-07-14
BLUFFS OPPONENT IN
 FOOT RACE CONTEST
lFrom Thursdays pailyl

any and all occasions, and the big foot race he was to participate ir and its abrupt termination, only ee. ments the regard entertained for him by those living in the territory to. day. The Los Angeles Examiner of Tuesday, in speaking of the race that was to have been run on the 5th with Dr. Lawrence, has the following:
 All bets are off on the ffty-yard dash between the demon rum and to- tai abstinence. But, at that, dot and carry one for the demon; it was there on the job, while total ab- stinence renigged.
 In other words, there was no foot race yesterday between those doughty eighty-year-olds, Dr. B. M. Lawrence, who runs under temperance colors, and N. P. Pierce, who paees under the auspices of self-indulgence. There was a reason, and it was that Dr. Lawrence, at the final moment, re- fused to pit himself against the cham pion of whisky, "terbacker" and other forms of stimulants.
 'I'm a-trained to the minute, {" said Pierce, a veteran from the Old Sol diers' Home. "You see, I repre- sent personal liberty battling against abstinence, and so, to be consistent, I had to down an extra amount of whisky and ehaw more weed in order to be in the best condition for the match. I ain't goin' to break train ing, though, just because this match fell through. No, sir! I'll keep con ditionin' up all right.'
 Abstainer Backs Out.
 Pierce was at Sycamore Grove, at the c. A. R. picnic, early. He came striding across the ground, regard less, one cheek bulged out with his "cud," and with suspicious bulging of the right hip pocket.
 It was hours later that Dr. Law renee was found crushed in the crowd, now and then looking furtively toward where waited the veteran who had accepted his challenge for a foot race. It was the proposition of Law renee that he demonstrate his own prowess over any man within ten years of his age, asserting that he was "there" with the wind and ae- tion because he had refrained all his life from evil habits.
 Brought out of the crowd and face to face with Pierce. Lawrence . hedged'
 "It is this way" he began. "I know I can win. Of course I can win, because l have been continent But let me tell you how it is You see my friends and my family and my doctors and all that sort, they don't want me to run. They think might overstrain myself.'
 "Nary a doc thinks that about me, " said Pierce. "I'm there like a motorcycle. Booze and terbacker in every vein and devilish keen to step off at fveseeond gait How ever, Dos, if you ain't ekal to it, got to give it up, though I'm some reluctant ike.''
 The champion of all that epitomizes selfrestraint vanished into the crowd with somewhat embarrassed look. Five minutes later he was back.
 "Ah," he said, and everybody looked interested. Maybe after all he was going to show his agility and strike terror to the demon.
 "Ah," he went on. "Now it IS impossible to have this race. Why, have just heard that there has been betting on the result never could be a party to anything that would encourage such a vice"
 "My, n.y." said Pierce, stroking his long gray beard and looking sad at the very suggestion of money changers getting busy on a mere test between alcohol and temperance. My, n.y." he repeated, by way of emphasis.
 The now thoroughly vindicated pr. Lawrence again vanished and resumed a position near the speakers stand, where he could be easily seen in ease anybody wanted to have him read his Marathonian poem of forty | three verses denouneing drink. And ] as he went, the aged Pierce slowly | winked one eye.
 "Just my luck," he said. "Here had scraped together every cent I could raise and given it to some of the boys to bet on ME! Drat it