The Washington herald., 1911-10-22

tCopyrEht New York Herald Co. An E1sed
~ n the Massachusetts, athletic trust the track
:s :: ss. :
for their physical betterment, for personal or
1ic competition to ofsprings of this organization
that exists without papers of incorporation or any
thing more binding than the quietly announced Si0
gan. Hes one of us"
In an eastern district Of the Bay State' that l0
bust man could cover in days walk the atheuc
trust was born thirty years ago. 1t Is still growing
Its potency draws to the headquarters oI 'ne
trns rIorfes of athletic achievements from coast to
coast and from New Orleans to the Canadian line
Through its agents the trusts power -as Deen iei'
abroad in Olympic and other games.
Originally a one man power with "StOcky Muf-
nbv of those days-the present Mike" Murphy-as
Tsar it has loOsened its grip on the amateur
athletic situation An aspiring coach may pass mus
ter without the 90 k of the trust, but If he has II
there is higher hope for the future. To gain that
never failing Endorsement He knows the game an
a,,pcant must hrst weather the chils of the trust
and warm the masters that control 1t by SHOWING
something" That something is real ability. But
being = New EnClander gives the applicant an al
Iowance of fifty percentage points before he is put
TO the test.
1T lust happens 50" expert athletic adVls
rrs answer when the writer asked why that district
within forty-ive minutes from Boston produced the
worlds foremost athletic coaches and trainers But
there's a story Of loyalty to the dean of coaches
, uari c. lIur,Iy of the University of Pennsyl-
:.nin. and OF much hard work along amoltlouS HneS
l.! .rn aroerS of the chief figures.
In the early eighties New England was the home OF
the professional athlete and nearly every one OF the
members Of the trust has been money chaser with
his own borrowed spikes Professional sprnters were
more plentiful there than in any other section OF the
country barring, possibly, portions of Pennsylvania
For a decade the sport thrived. But the specula-
tive interests eventually brought about it decline At
the height of the foot racing era for cash, Stocky
Murphy, "Pooch" Donovan, now coach at Harvard;
Johnny" Mack of Yale, and of others who do
not have any standing with the trust were active.
Working in hayfelds for weeks to establish resi-
dence in small town where hose races with rival
fire companies the leading attractions to the
sport loving natives; driving coal wagon and eventu-
ally being invited by some unknown" friend to get
off the seat and run against athlete with more
backing than sprinting power keeping right on run
Ling and going over the high fence enclosing some
track after defeating the local sprntng idol are ex-
perences that the members of the trust have
forgotten in the dgnifed that opened to
them.
On the Natick (Mass) Hook and Ladder team of
the early eighties Mike" Murphy, "Pooch" Don
ovan Keene Fitzpatrick, Johnny Mack, sid" Peet,
now trainer at AuuONeT, SlSNS dIlelL SOdSu az
the University of Ohio and Piper Donovan, fastest
of all professional sprnters when his best. That
team was a worlds champion. From it Murphy went
to Yale as trainer bringing with him assistant
"Pooch" Donovan.
Perseverance coupled with the hardest Of work.
made this cotere of muscular New Englanders Valu
able from their first attempts coaches. There is
not in the list who has not trained harder and
more conscientously than majority of present day
+,, +bora
Ioafng in the camps Near the town of Natick
road house where several of the money seekers trained
between There the daily routine was ten or
twelve mile walk before breakfast more road WORK
and outdoor exercise until noon. Then light lunch
and a handicap meet in the afternoon.
The handicaps were mutually agreed upon and each
man put up his money and ran for it as if there
not another chance for "eats" in sight When
some of this little group entered the college athletic
world as coaches they did not instruct from book
give advice from an arm chair They continued to
work and have been at 1t ever since.
In one of the largest of the Eastern universities is
a coach who would not address students upon the
subject but who could tell Of one small days work
that did as professional athlete. Left penniless
in Boston by a follower of the sprinterS who
faster on the getaway" with coin than the runner
himself this famous coach went to the Faneuil
Hall market and worked from seven o'clock in the
morning until noon an assistant handler Of sides
Of beef. He needed the dollar that promised,
because that afternoon he had an engagement in a
135 yard handicap in a town forty-odd miles away
But the butcher had gone for the day. with instruc
tions to have that young fellow with the sunburned
arms" come around the next morning.
Travelling '1ncog" precluded tie chances for
touch on any Of the sporting men in Boston, at
that time more numerous than now, so this deter
mined athlete pleaded with fireman train for
permission to stoke" his, way. And he that
chance Then he had little else to do but walk two
ana one half miles to the fair grounds and borrow