Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-03-03
MARCUS CATION
HAILED A Conner
Young Rock Island Billiardist
Gets Big Boost in Metro
poitan Press.
is A SON OF w. H. CATION
At IL Experts Consider Him One of
Most Promising Youngsters
Following Game.

Marcus OdItOn, the young hOCh
Island biIliardist, gets a fine sendoff
in today's Chicago Tribune, being
hailed as likely to become one of
the worlds greatest in the game. In
addition to two-column likeness
there appears the following, written
by J. G. Davis, the billiards and golf
expert:
IF inherited skill and birth en-
vironment count for anything, Mar
Gus Cation, son of the veteran bill
HARDEST. William Cation. should de-
velop into one of the greatest billiard
players in the world.
Born in Paris on Feb. %, 1894,
when his father, in company with
Jake Schaefer, Frank Ives and
Eugene Carter. was playing at one
of the French academies, the infant
Marcus lived in a billiard atmos-
phere. Last month he celebrated his
It'll birthday, the intervening years
between his advent in Paris and the
last anniversary of his natal day hav-
ing seen him develop into rangy
but well built youth, standing six
feet in height and weighing 155
pounds. In the matter of height he
has an advantage of all of the IA
nous billiard players, with the ex-
ception of Vignaux, the French ex-
pert, who is six feet in stature.
ADVANTAGE IN REACH.
Many of the famous billiard play
ers started when too small TO reach
properly over the table, acquiring
imperfections in their strokes which
took some time to eradicate. Mar
Gus left France soon after he was
born and has lived the rest of his
life in this country. 1t was not until
he was 4 years of age that he began
playing, this being at Rock Island,
the home of William Cation.
Even then he only played in
casual way, and it was not until Cat
ton, Sr.. moved to Oklahoma City
that Marcus began to study the game
seriously. Inside of three months
he made wonderful strides and soon
his father that he possess
ed all the qualifications that go to
make a champion. In a match with
his father at So the boy made runs
of 81 and SO, while with the aid of
a kiss nurse he at another time went
as high as 221.
william Cation, who has been
playing the game So years, is gen.
orally credited with having as great
a knowledge of billiards as any play
er that ever lived and always was
players of his day.
HAS PERFECT POISE.
eliminating parental pride, Mr.. /
Cation says of the boy: He executes /
all the shots of the great masters of /
the past with an ease and perfection
that astonishes everybody. His po-
sition at the table is that of master /
and already he understands what few 1
great players have thoroughly realiz- /.
ed-how much the position of the
body means to perfect execution. He /
sets himself like a machine and ap- |
pears to have command of the situa-
ton at all times and in addition has /
great versatility
while in Chicago last week /
young Cation at different times play !
ed in the presene of George Wheeler, !
AL Mannassau, Fred Conklin, Glenn /
Ellison and George Sutton, all of /
whom were surprised at his skill. /
Sutton, who is a keen student of .
style, said the boy had the greatest |
possibilities of any player he ever |
had seen.
Young Cation is at present work
ing for a telephone company at Rock
Island, but next fall will tour the
leading American cities with his
father, following which they are
planning to go to Europe. Cation,
Sr., is willing to have Marcus play
any boy in the world his age. and
hopes the time will come when the /
sons of Jacob Schaefer, George SUIT Il
ION and William Cation will be seen
together in a championship tOurna-
nent such as their fathers en-
gagged in"