Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-04

utes before Manager Sailing arrived
on the scene, Gordon asking that moth
ing be done until Sailing came.
Leavitt lost no time after Salling's
arrival in producing the big bundle of
currency from one pocket, which he
offered to Sailing to verify by count
If he desired, and then produced the
certified check of the cashier for an
additional $4,000, which he offered for
Salling's inspection.
Leavitt's Plain Talk
Sailing" proceeded Leavitt, nov
let's get down to business. 1t was
printed in a morning paper Sunday
that you had agreed to race the Loco
mobile for 500 miles for $4,000. Here's
the $4,000 Of the Locomobile in hard cash.
Now, you Stearns people tut down
that check you have drawn up and
cover my money. The thing has gone
so far now that nothing goes with me
but the real money. Here's mine. Will
you cover it?''
Sailing for a moment appeared
abashed, and then suggested q 150-mile
race. Leavitt demurred. Nothing but
500-mile race would be considered. AS
the victor he demanded the right to
name terms, but he would waive re-
strictions regarding all other terms,
except the distance, but 500 miles had to
go. Would 200 miles do? AS emphat-
ically not, declared LeaVitt, nothing
but 500 miles. He had been promised
500 miles by Gordon and he did not
think that the Stearns people dared to
bet their money in such an amount to
back their. confidence in their car in
racing competition with the Loeomo
bileS and there was no reason why the
Stearns should not grant 500 miles, be-
cause of their having been once de-
fan Tod of c11n Sailing
then asked for two hours to consider,
and the hour being 10 o'clock noon 2
o'clock was decided upon as the time
for the answer to be delivered at the
Locomobile garage. Sailing fatty stated
during the running talk that the morn
ing paper in question had no right nor
authority to state that the Stearns had
agreed to a 500-mile race.
Newspaper Man sidesteps
At 2 o'clock the representative of the
morning paper in question was not
present to hear the Stearns answer,
and Sailing, for the latter, asked for
might be received from someone to
whom an answer had already been sent.
Then Leavitt extended the time for
the answer until o'clock last even
ing, at which time Sailing telephoned
Leayitt that the Stearns would not
cover the money pusneu at them GARNER
in the day.
During the o'clock conference
Leavitt had met Sallings' objection to
an immediate race by agreeing to race
him on any Sunday between the present
and July l. Sailing having advanced
the Fourth of July as better time
than Decoration day, the time urged by
Leavitt at first.
Bushels of Money to Wager
Leavitt agreed that the winner
take all the gate receipts of the race,
which should amount. to between $4,000
and $4,000, and also agreed to race for
$4,000 or 100000 A mining man by the
name of C. C. Slaughter from Dalhart,
Tex, who owns a Locomobile, quietly
watched the negotiations during the en-
tire day, insisting that Leavitt give him
$4,000 of the bet il he succeeded in fore
ing the Stearns into a race for the 800
miles Leavitt likewise asserted that
he could secure an almost Indefinite
sum of money from local owners OF
Locomobiles to cover Stearns- money, IN
case a race could be arranged.
He was thoroughly disguised, he
said, with the manner in which his
offer to grant the Stearns a return, or
Consolation" race, had been treated
and was emphatic in his assertions that
the Stearns did not dare enter their
car in a 500-mile race