The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-11-22
GREATEST
Of ALL CHAMPIONS
Veteran Cueist Has Held the
Pool Title For Eigh-
teen Years.

mlEnIler IMAM elIneF lnS pen OF tle
sword is the opinion of Alfredo de
lard expert. DE Orc is the champion
of all champions. as he has been the
king of his favnrite sport longe" than
anybody in any other line.
Over a generation ago de Orc was
known the length and breadth of the
country as the foremost pool PLAYER.
and he has been going along. trim
ming all corners up to the present
time at the age OF 80 years. De Orc
side bets at pool and ~three-cushion
billiards. He is the possessor of all
the emblems ever offered in compett-
ton at pool except the n Benny AL
len recently captured from him. but
before long he hopes to reannex that.
De Orc never plays unless he has a
bet on himself. He has such great
confidence in his ability to outplay all
corners that he is willing to back him
self for any reasonable mount. but
never for the big sums he wagered on
himself years ago when his eNesight
was keener and his arm steadier.
Champ Eighteen Years.
De Orc held the pool title for eight
cen a at a stretch. the longest Pc
Rod that anybody ever held a cham
pionship in any division of sport. De
Orc was once worth a tremendous
fortune. and he really was obliged to
follow the game Of pool. which he at
hrst took up as a pastime, because he
needed the n At the time OF the
SpaniSh-American a in 1898. ne
was wealthy, but the ravages Of con-
hict and stock market upsets caused
him to lose every cent he had in the
world.
De Orc was born at M~an1anflla,
Cuba, two score and ten years ago He
came to this city when only 10 years
old and went to a French academy up
in the sixties. After about a year
uage he went to the Pennington
academy in Trenton, n. j.. and from
there to Packard's academy in this
city.
It was during vacation time when
he returned to Cuba that he got ac-
Quaintsd with the game of pool. One
Sunday. when he and his brother were
supposed to &c to church. they visit
ed q pool parlor. and there his broth
er showed him how 10 handle the cue.
When he returned to this country
De Orc came to this city and attended
Packard's Business college. 1t was
while. attending this institution that
he became we'll initiated in the gams
Of pool, and night after night he Will
ed the hours away. playing some Of
his fellow students.
Between 1884 and 1894 De Orc re-
turned to Cuba every year for visits
varying from a week to six months.
He had a lot Of money at this time
and he frequently spent as much as
$1,000 or $1,000 Just to visit some city
to take part in a pool championship.
for which he never got more thar a
$3.50 medal.
Studied Game Closely.
De Orc says he learned how to play
pool only by constant practice. He
watched everybody who played the
game better; than he did and learned
how to make the various shots. He
even went to Rudolphe. an old French
cache Of this city in 1879. and took
abo9t twenty lessons. for which he
paid $3.50 for an hours instruction.
In January, 1887. De Orc took part
in his first professional pool tourna-
ment. and he Jared SO we'll that he has
stuck. to 1t ever since. In 1889. after
a successful tryout. the first continu-
Gus pool tournament was held. Both
De Orc n Frey beat Malone, but the
Cuban lost to Frey. De Orc then
challenged Frey, but before they were
able to play Frey died. That was on
April %. 1889. In 1890 De Orc was
beaten by Al Powers. but afterwari
went eighteen years without losing the
championship.
De Orc didn't take up the three
cushion billiard game until 1904,
When he made his debut in St. Louis.
He won his first championship at this
game in 1905, and has lost only three
championship matches out Of twelve,
not Including the match with Carney,
recently concluded. IN that time.