Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-27
ATHLETICS
~, ~ ~ III o SSSa'H

N UMORS were rife yesterday after
X. noon at Santa Anita that Jockey
~ Schilling would go before the
stewards after the last race and make
a voluntary confession of transactions
in which he engaged while riding this
season, and the report created some
thing of a sensation. While few would
believe that a great rider like Schilling
had been guilty of dishonest practices
in the saddle, still fewer were willing
to believe that he would imperil his
future career on the turf by risking
the condemnation and contempt OF all
fairminded persons by turning states
evidence, If he actually knew anything
of q damaging nature against horse
men or others connected with the sport.
Schilling did not appear before the
stewards and it appears that ne report
was only idle rumor. Common sense
would influence any one to forget his
own wrongdoings and try to make
amends for any errors In his conduct,
while the effect of voluntary confess
sion of a rider who is under the ban
of suspension and trying to be REIN
stated would be to keep that individual
thoroughly divorced from the turf for
life. In the circumstances, such a
confession would carry little weight
with the fairminded patrons of the
sport and would be discredited as an
attempt to curry favor and tighten a
penalty already in operation. Schilling
undoubtedly has ridden honestly at
Santa Anita and barring some rough
riding stunts there has appeared moth
ing to justify the belief that he has
been turning tricks for anybody. He
is a great rider, with greater future
ahead of him, and he has friends by
the thousand who patronize local race
meetings and who are using every eff
fort to secure a removal of the ban
placed upon him. Good riders are
scarce now and it would be quite big
blessing to the patronizing public If
Schilling were reinstated.
Racing today at Emeryville will look
like a transferred meeting from Santa
Anita. Eight of the fifteen starters
in the Bell stakes were raced at Santa
Anita this season and Preston, Powers
Burns and Howard will have mounts
in the race. Not only is this true, but
there is not a race on the card for
today that is lacking at least one
horse from Santa Anita. The Bell
stakes is a 2-year-old event at four
and a half furlongs and a carload of
babes were shipped from Santa Anita
in the last week to start in it. Carroll,
Donau, Flying Squirrel, Medallion, Old
Mexico, Rocky O'Brien, Sureget and
Star Blue will be the Santa Anita con-
tingent in the scramble.
News that Stanley Ketchel had
knocked out Philadelphia Jack O'Brien
in the tenth round of their fight last
night created some surprise in Los
Angeles, where fight fans never have
ceased to marvel at the sensational
speed of the foxy Philadelphia and his
cowardice in running away when hurt
Ketchel probably caught him I'M
awares, as he usually catches all OPP
ponents. This will make Ketchel about
as big a rage down east as he has
been on the coast and next thing heard
from him will be that he and Willis
Britt are doing a vaudeville stunt and
that Ketchel wants to fight JeffrieS
In this connection it is only fair to
refer to the remarkable success of the
talking manager, Willis Britt. He
took Bat Nelson in tow when he
champion of the world. Then he cop
pered onto Ketchel when the Michigan
bay had been stripped of his laurels
and made him win back his lost title.
Then look how long he kept Brother
Jimmy in the ring after he really was
a dead one.
The widow of Charlie Van Dusen,
former jockey, sustained a severe loss
by fire in her home near the Santa
Anita race track Thursday night. Her
home was destroyed and she lost every
thing in the house, and friends Of the
former jockey were talking yesterday
of rendering assistance by raising a
fund for her benefit. She had been
conducting a boarding house for race
track employees and was making liv-
ing thereby, but now is homeless and in
poor financial straits.
who transacts ali business affairs for
Phil Chinn, was detected in the act of
pinning a white carnation on his coat
lapel yesterday and was asked for an