Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-13
WILLIE HOPPE TAKEN
FOR AN ANARCHIST
Champion BiIIiardist Has
Ludicrous Experience
in Germany.
By Willie Hoppe.


heinous offenses. but only once in my life
have i been suspected Of being an an
archistic bomb thrower. ] am unable to
say who was the most upset by the incl
dent-myself or the German government
inspectors who made the discovery. 1t
may be thought was intent on blowing
up their beloved kaiser. but whatever
they thought. they were the most fright
ened lot OF officials / ever met. Incl
dentalIy, was not exactly as cool and
collected as l might have been had
been making a long run at 1872 and the
balls astride the line.
The whole trouble was due to a papier
mache shoat that some friend of mine in
Paris had presented to me as talisman.
In the French capital the pig takes prece-
dence over the left hind leg of rabbit
killed in a graveyard at midnight. The
pig is regarded as the very quintessence
of iuck-bringing tokens and SO when l
started for Germany to do some playing
there l put the pig in my suit case.
When i reached the town where | was
to play, of course the government in
/ spectors made a dash for my baggage at
the railway station, and no sooner was
/ the suit case opened than the PAPER
mache pig bounded out like jack-in-the
box. and the inspectors all backed away
as though they feared a dynamite explo-
sion then and there. They all turned
/ white and jabbered in German at a great
rate. Although | am of German descent
i | never learned the language. and l could
not tell what they were saying. but
| realized they were commenting on me,
and not in a complimentary manner.
The red-capped chief of the inspectors
then sent out for an interpreter, who pro-
| ceeded to ask me who | was and what |
was doing in that city.
/ l answered all the questions promptly
and truthfully, but they were not salts
1 fed. and held a consultation In one cor
ner of the room station, all the time
casting furtive glances at the poor pig
/ that lay on the floor.
Finally the interpreter came cautiously
| toward me, and with a very suspicious
/ look said: What is in the pig?" Moth
| ing" was my reply. Pick it up said
the interpreter. l started for the pig, and
all the inspectors backed toward the door,
| while the interpreter edged over to win
orously. threw it on the floor. kicked it,
| AMI mussed up the poor animal gen.
orally
| 1T is one of the most mild-mannered
pigs l ever met" I said to the interpre-
ter. as l gave the porker another vigorous
| kick.
| This seemed to reassure the in
| spectors, and one of them. under in
structions of the chief. picked the pig
another room. Two of the inspectors
were left to see that I did not escape,
and the others went into executive SEES
an hour. and when l was nearly ex-
hausted they returned, and through the
interpreter Informed me that the pig
You are an anarchist" said the in
| terpreter. with threatening look.
l'Where is the explosive that you had
for the inside of the pig?" l assured
them that would not be SO cruel to the
is,t hyytf bav
still regarded me with suspicion. Finally
told them to either examine the re-
mainder Of my baggage and let me go
or take me before the proper authori-
ties, where any charges they wanted to
make against me could be properly in
| vestigated. The inspectors then held an
other long conference, after which they
examined the other things in the suit
case and told me to go.
But they kept the pig, and every time
I missed a shot after that l thought of
the lost pig.
A question that is frequently asked of
me is if three cushions is not more
difficult game to play than balk line. The
casual observer figures that because
fewer points are made by three-cushion
experts than by skillful balkliners that
| the former game must Of necessity be
harder to master.
Such is not the case. In the three
cushion game there is really but one
qualification. and that is learning the
angles of the cushions and graduating
the stroke to the distance to be Travelled
| by the cue ball.
There is no other feature of that game.
while in balk line every fine point OF
billiards must be brought into play. The
masse, the draw, the line nurse and all
the most delicate and attractive points
of billiards must be employed In cush-
ion play but one of the many branches
| of the game is shown. The balkliner
must in addition to all other excel
lences be able to gather the balls with
| around the-table shots.
/ A good basis of comparison would be
the case of a ball player who was
strong, accurate thrower, but was lacking
| in ability to bat, field and in the fine
points of the game. He would not he
| regarded as being as valuable as an all
| around player. l think three cushions is
! an interesting game, and 1t certainly has
strong hold on the amateur players. but
1t does not compare in my estimation
with balkline.
It is not unlikely that an 49, balkline
| cham ponship match will be played In
New York before the season closes. The
place for the settlement of the Cline
Cutler match has not yet been decided
on. but 1t will probably be played in the
west.
/ have a challenge in TO the winner of
that contest. and 1 hope the holder OF
the emblem will select New York as the
place. With the Demarest-Ciine match
in Chicago. the match between Morning
star and myself in Pittsburg, the 1871
icbo ,pi0 hpf nd
myself set for Chicago, and the contests
between leading experts I'm San Francisco,
it looks as though the west had enjoyed
that New York is entitled to a look in.
| The amateurs are going to have their
little joust in Brooklyn this year, begin
ming early In April. The games will be
400 points 1872, and the games will take
place at the Hamilton Club. There will
be six prizes. and the winner of first
prize will become the national champion.
The fact OF the amateurs playing 1872
shows what strides are being made in tho
great pastime. A few years ago the good
amateur performers at even 14.2 could be
counted on the fingers of one hand. Now
there are so many good balkliners among
the amateurs that 1872 IL necessary
Truly the game In getting a firm hold on
the affection Of the public.
Want Games.