Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-05-25
ALL THE D0INdS IN
A ATHLETICS
FULLY COVERED.
1t Was in I905-Wet Weather
Sets the Riders to
Tanning.


morning, on account of the rain,
and while they sat around waiting Tor
the sun to peek through the clouds
long enough to dry the track they in
dulged in a real interesting mil bee
1t started when Referee Walter Bard
gett asked Frank Kramer what was
the most exciting moment in his racing
career,
Champion Kramer's story ran as FOL-
lows: cit was in 1905, my first year In
France. I had cleaned up all the
| cracks of Europe and was a strong
card everywhere. I vas engaged to
appear at Roubaix, France, to ride in
a three-cornered match race against
the crack French sprinter Piard AMI
Willie Bader, the little German rider,
who had won the indoor championship
!, the winter previous.
1.-THE race proved a big drawing card,
and n of the biggest crowds ever as
| sembled at the historic old track was
| on hand for the races. The program
| was a long one, and the match race
was the last event on the card. 1t was
late in the afternoon when We were
called to the mark, n while we were
receiving instructions from the referee
1t began to rain, The track is a cement
affair, and we figured we could ride
one heat before it became too wet. The
starter gave us the gun, and we were
on our way. I got off last. and rode
high on the bank, which was of the
whaleback variety,
"Piard and Bader took the pole, and
when I started to come down from the
bank I slipped so much I saw 1t would
be useless to try to finish the race. so
l dismounted and walked back to the
judges stand I suggested to the
judges and the referee that it was best
to wait for the rain to stop before at
tempting to run the match. They
agreed with me, but in the meantime
Piard and BAder had made one lap sue
cessfully, and when I went to my cabin
to get out of the rain the crowd
thought that I had refused to ride the
match. When I left the rack there
was quite a commotion in the stands,
but. as I had received quite an ovation
wherever l rode, / thought the demon
stration was in my honor. When l
reached my cabin I lay down. l had
been there probably five minutes when
/ heard an awful commotion outside
the cabin, and in the rear of the little
structure there was someone ~chopping
at the walls with an axe. The i'm
pulsive French people had honore me
with so many varied demonstrations
that | thought this was simply a new
one and they were merely cutting their
way in to 'mitt' me when Bob Coquelle,
the French promoter and sport writer,
came tearing in and told me to lock
the door and hide under the rubbing
bench.
BY this time two of the boards were
knocked off the back of the cabin, and
/ could see an awful mob outside and
hear them talking excitedly in French.
I did not know what they were talking
about, but I could see they were sore
about something. Coquelle was talking
to them through the small window in
the cabin, but Bob was not making any
impression.
Jack Neville had escaped through a
crack, and, as Coquelle did not look
like a pear as a fighter, | was getting
scared, when the director of the track
entered through the door of the adj
joining cabin hat opened into mine.
All the cabins Joined in this manner,
and l was enabled to reach the last
one, which had a window facing a corn
field in the rear. They opened the win
dow and showed me out. and then
Coquelle, who was the only person
there who could speak English, told me
to run for my life. Well, I ran. l just
tore through that corn field, and before
I had o n fifty. feet the mob saw me,
and. with a yell that is ringing in my
ears yet, they started after me. Right
then was the most exciting ome of
my life.
LAS I ran / turned and looked over
my shoulder; there appeared to be at
least 5000 in close pursuit. | never
did look around again. I beat it
through that cornf1eld and down the
country road until I collapsed from ex-
haustion. | looked around and there
was not a soul in sight, but there was
a turn in the road not far back, and
l did not know where that mob of
fanatics would come tearing around
the corner. ] was too tired to go any
further, so entered a farmhouse across
the road. and managed to make them
understand that ! was in danger and
they hid me away. An hour later Co.
quelle and Neville appeared in a cab
and drove me to the hotel at Roubaix.
My clothes were torn and covered with
mud n / had to go to bed while
they were being cleaned and mended.
while ! was waiting for my clothes
Coquelle explained that the people
thought hat l had refused to ride,
and when ii was announced that the
match race would be postponed until
the following day the crowd became
incensed at me and wanted my life.
Most of the audience was made up of
the working class and they would be
unable to come the following day. This
was what caused their anger.
When l was informed that the race
was to be run or the morrow my first
impulse vas to nea off on a train
for Paris, but when Coquelle and the
track officials assured me that there
would be no trouble / consented to
stay for the match, When / went on
the track for the first heat my heart
was in my mouth, but the 1
was seen by the crowd they started to
shout Viva Kramer, viva!' and I
knew l was safe. l won the match in
two straight heats and received one CT
the greatest ovations of my career as
a rider.
Il certainly must have run some
through that cornfield and down that
country road, for the farmer told Co
quelle that the track was almost five