The evening world., 1911-03-16
Moissant Was Allowed to Make
0fficial Start In Statue OF
Liberty Race and Good Sport.
manshIp Demands That He
Be Given the Prize.

VIM ApfN 'Sif'b
-HERE 10 an old saying. Mean
enough TO steal the pennies from
. dead mans eyes"
Perhaps that doesn't apply in the
case Of Moisssnt. the dead aviator. aud
the Statue OF Liberty purse OF S1o.Ju.
But II does seem that somewhere there
10 . iamsntabls lack Of sportsmanship,
at least.
Moissant won the Statue Of Liberty
race In such sensational style that he
became . popular hero. His own ma
chine smashed. he secured another that
he had never tried out. assembled Il
hastily and In this strange vehicle Of
the sky made the flight with such skill
and daring that he defeated Grahame-
White. with his machine OF double the
horse power OF Moissant's Bleriot. lie
also defeated the Frenchman. DE Les
ssps.
The English aviator demanded m
other trial. and II was refused. Later
he protested the race. Now, long after
Noissant's death. the association has
decided that Moissant wasn't entitled
TO the prize because OF a small techni-
cality. since he had not made a certain
night before the big race. The English
aviator was disqualified for having
fsuled q pylon. and the prize goes TO
the third and last man. 40 Lesseps.
NAssant, being dead. had no chance
TO defend his right. and his family will
never see the prize he won. II seems
unfair-this decision-and for this .'ea-
con: Moissant was allowed by the
Judges to make his oficial start In the
race. II ineligible. he should have been
disqualified before the start-before ne
had risked his life In that hazardous
I tsat. But he was officially started and
ofAcialiy timed. After that II was unfair
70 disqualify him for anything but a
foul committed during the race-and
there was no foul. This is good sense
and good craftsmanship.
Those who attacked the rights OF a
dsfenseless dead man may profit nnan-
I cial)y. but they have lost caste In the
eyes OF the sporting world.
= inside dope" Is sometimes amusing.
Tom Jones. man. ger OF Ad VOL
CAST, makes n great point of telling
every one how wise he IS. rive made
! two worlds champions. Papks and
Wolgast. What have you ever done?"
10 Toms favorlte In this
connection one OF Toms friends occa-
s~ionally rises TO make a few remarks.
Tom" he says. was nicely ituated
up In Grass Valley a few years ago.
He owned a road house and was making
Y Seod money. But he had the managing
bug. One day he saw q chance TO grab
Papke, who looked as IL he could make
good. Tom left his roadhouse and be-
gan travelling with Papke, After q
while Papke Knocked out Ketchei and
became worlds champion. Tom swelled
up until he felt like the King OF Eng
iaad.
after a while he had q ohance to pu'
papke against Ketchel again in sai
Francisco. Jones was right on the 10,
with Q frown and a nat demand for hi
champion. IA take Sl2.ovo for Papke'
end. or nothing doing he told Gleason
After q lot OF argument. Gleason agree,
70 the terms. Papke was to set sl2, On
ana Ketchei 5000. When It was al
framed up and Gleason was boginnin
to advertise the show. Jimmy Coffrot
rot hold OF Jones one day and bega
talking 10 him. coffroth can talk
man out OF las eye teeth. When he one
gets you into his office he can pedd.
that soft bull until you think you're
smart fellow having a million handed
you on a gold platter, He got Jones a
fused up. and when Tom left Conro'
haA the match and Tom thought !
knew what he was to get for Papke.
.Papke and Ketchei fought for Co
fro,h. Before the men left their dres
ing rooms Jones hustled around 20 co
sroth and said: Where's that none,
-u.,, ma md hafnra We get iutn Il
ring Jim put on the soft pedal al
whispered a few kind words and Jon
went back 10 Papke. Billy wanted
know where the money was. JONI
with a dazed sort OF a look IN his ey,
told Billy that there was so much
IL they hadn't been able TO count
vet. hut II was all right. So Pap
went on and fought. He got lick,
After the fight Jones went TO get
money. and Conroth handed him S.
Jons yelled SO loud you could h'
him up TO the oregon line. Coiir'
pulled out the papers and showed Joi
that lie was only entitled TO a perez
age, and that as the crowd was sin
people were sore because the night !
been snaked away from Gleason 4
taken out TO colma-that percentI
amounted TO Just $500. And all
time Jones had been so hypnotized
conrotn's smooth talk that he thou
the least he could pull down would
no less than the $4,000 he was to
from Gleason.
How he ever explained that s.. 500
Papks without being killed nobody e
knew. Papke was 80 sore that he y
with Jones on the spot. A few d