The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-07-13
O. ROURKE GIVES
HIS VERSION

There are always two sides to
question and it seems only fair that
John o 'Rourke should have a chance
to have his say after the load of in
vective that has been discharged all
over the place by those who visited
the Hilo race meeting.
Mr.. O'Rourke is quoted correctly in
the following statement and it is pub
lished in order that the public can
draw its own conclusions after having
had both sides of the question pre-.
scented.
John o 'Rourke made the following
statement to the Advertiser represen.
tative before the latter left Hilo:
Had it not been for the III advised
action of the judges in not allowing
Jockey Maluna to fill his engagements
of the day, the trouble in the Mer.
chants Stakes might have been avoid
ed. Maluna was ruled off for pulling
Weber in the first race on Monday in
which race 1 declared to win with his
stable companion Adriana Leeouvreur.
There was no other boy in sight and
I had to put up yincente, stableman
weighing 40 pounds. on Major Collier
in the stake race. The race was run
in 2:1S and Vincente rode Major Col
,lier for dear life. The latter should
have carried 121 pounds and / am will
ing to wager that Weber will beat
Brughelli s horse at the same weights
ATnin ho 81
race in the Hawaiian bred mile on the
first day and the ride Vincente with
40 pounds up gave him pretty near
finished the horse. And they say that
Major Collier was pulled.
"T tried hard to get a competent
jockey to ride Major Collier in his en-
gagements on Monday and offered Nc
Auliffe 800 bonus beside the regular
fee to ride the horse in the Merchants
Stakes and in the six furlongs for Ha-
wniian-breds 1 selected him because
/ knew that he was one of the best
boys at the track and would take care
of the horse. One of my Jockeys was
in Jail and another was suffering from
broken collarbone. For some reason
McAuliffe refused my offer and l had
to put up whoever I could get.
az don't think that the judges in
tended to work an intentional hardship
on anyone in ordering the stake race
re-run. They simply didn't know the
rules of racing and were up against
man who knows them from begin
ming to end and did not hesitate to
invoke them for his own protection.
"Both l and Mr.. Brughelli told the
judges that the meeting was being con-
l y. A Al ~ e.
MIA Jockey Club and they cannot
| deny it.
"The talk about Banonica being pull
ed in the race for the Merchants
Stakes is childish and foolish. The
mare was in no shape to start and was
only started to make the race possible
under the conditions governing it. The
statement that 1 backed Weber to
win this race is a barefaced lie and
made out of the whole cloth for
didn It have bet on this race and can
prove it. To substantiate these state.
ments, you are at liberty to make use
of the following affidavit:
"John o Rourke being duly sworn
deposes and says, that he had nc
money on any horse that ran in the
Merchants stake race. That he never
authorized any one to bet for him oil
on his behalf on any of the horses
that ran in said race That he had
no object in having any of the horses
in said race pulled or held back, fol-
| the reason he had charge and owned
all of the horses that ran in said race
That Banonica, through the fall she
had on Saturday, July 8, 1909, dis
abled herself, and that certificate
was given by DR.. Elliot, stating tina
she was in no fit condition to run
But on account of the fact that three
horses must start in the said Mer
chants stake race, and to make it pos
sible that he (the said John o 'Rourke
obtain the purse, were the reasons sh
(Banonica) was started in the afore
said race. That after the said rae
he took the said Banonica to tn
! Judges stand and had the judges loo
at her condition. John y 'Rourke. Sub
scribed and sworn to before me thi
: Sth day of July, A. d. 1909. w. L
Beers. Notary Public, Fourth Judicia
Circuit, 7. II.
81 would like to say word wit
regard to my stable. Mr.. Brughel
and Mr.. Colin McLennan gave me thei
horses to train and race, to pay a
expenses and to be allowed to max
what could in the matter of purses
The gentlemen named were Statistic
, with the glory of seeing their color
| borne to the front. In my stable. wer
9 the horses Banonica, Major Collie
f Weber, Adriana Lecouvreur, Easte
p boy and Young Sam. They were ell
t tered all down the line and withor
their entries the races would have bee
', impossible.
n "Such a thing as repeating a mi
4 and quarter race is unhead of
s racing history. Major Collier al
t Weber had other engagements tn;
n afternoon and to have run them aga
e would practically have killed them.
IS of the judges are such sticklers f
j. turf propriety why did they ord
o Parnell out for the pacing race no
J. withstanding that the horse had be-
n properly scratchedi Also why d
'. Judge Moir order his horse j. t.