New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-28
Viking Ship and Bust of King
of Sweden, Won i'll Decath-
lon and Pentathlon at
Olympic Games. Must
Be Returned.
ATHLETIC MARVEL PENITENT
Sac and Fox Indian Who Startled the
World or Track, Field and
Gridiron Last Year Says
He Did Not Realize the
Mistake He Made.

! IIISJukc Ilt MAUI.
James Thorpe. hero Of the olympic
games. national all around champion
and football player extraordinary, is Il
self-confessed professional. The man
who helped pile up the points for the
United States at the Olympic games
! in Stockholm. Sweden. last July by
! winning the, decathlon and pentathlon
| admitted yesterday in letter to James
! T.. Sullivan. secretary of the Amateur
Athletic Union. that he had played pro-
, fessional baseball i'm the Eastern Caro-
! lima League in 1909 and 1910.
This puts an end TO the doubt and un-
certainty concerning his standing, since
! charges were made q few days ago, and
also TO the necessity for a hearing OF d
/ trial. while public apology To all ma
/ tions was made by the Amer lean Olym-
! pic committee.
! Thorpe will now be called upon 10
return all the prizes he has won in
competing as a registered athlete in
the Amateur Athletic Union. and,
metaphorically speaking. the laurel
| wreath placed on his head 10y the King
of Sweden with the words, You. sir,
are the greatest athlete in the world ,
will be stripped from his brow
Must Return Olympic Trophies.
/ Thos much coveted trophies, the
Viking ship offered by the car of Rus
/ sia to the winner Of the decathlOn at the
Olympic games and the bronze bust Of
, the King Of sweden offered by him
self TO the winner Of the pentatlllon,
+ both of which were all around com
petitions. viii be lost 10 this country
I and must be shipped as soon as possible
/ 10 their new owners. II. Weislaudcr, of
| Sweden. who finished second 20 Thorpe
in the decathlon, Will now oe the proud
| possessor of the Viking ship. while L..
/ X. Bic, Of Norway, VINO finished second
, in The pathathon. viii get the bust Of
the King Of Sweden.
( will profit through the stripping OF hon
/ Ors from the great athlete of the Car
I lisle Indian school, as he finished Sec
ond 10 Thorpe in the all around cham
pionship at Celtic Park last September
/ ON that occasion Thorpe established a
worlds record 10y piling up a total Of
/ 7,41G points. This mark. too. must be
wiped off the books and the record VIII
revert TO the previous holder. Martin
| Sheridan. with 1,3SJ points.
! Thorpes admission viii rock the ath-
| letic world 10 its foundation and the
shock will be none the less severe even
/ though its force was partly broker
I by the developments Of the last few
days. The effect will be farreaching
and through the Olympic games will
! involve every country where track and
I field athletics thrive. 1t may lead 10
/ criticisms which will amount to slurs
/ and may be responsible for investiga-
| tions in other directions which will stir
up much muddy water
Thorpe's Letter Of Admission.
Thorpe wrote straightforward let
| ter, throughout which one may easily
detect "A note of sadness. He made "a
| clean breast of the whole ease and
spared himself nothing in writing as
| follows from Carlisle, Penn, under date
of January 20:
! When the interview with Mr.. CLANCY
! stating that ! had played baseball OH th'.
4 winston Salem team Was shown me, /
| told MI Warner thai II was net true and,
| in fact I did not play OF that team. But
| SO much has been SAID in the papers
| since then that ! went TO the school au-
| thorities this morning and told them just
| vhai there was in the stories.
played baseball at Rocky MoJnt and
! at Fayetteville. y. G., ln the summer of
| 1909 and 1910 under my own name. On
/ the same teams ! played with were sew
/ erJI college men from the North Who were
| earning money by ball playing during
! their vacations and VINO were regarded as
I amateurs at nome.
aid moi play for the money there was
! In il hccatIse my property brings mo IN
! rnoii.h money 80 live on, but because |
! iikod 10 play bail. ! was not very wise
! in tho WAYS uf IL" world and old not
realize that this was wions' and II would
! make me a professional in track sports,
/ nithouch / learned rom the other players
! Ibaf il would be better fOr me nOj Co let
any one know that | Was playine. ana fof
! that reason ! never iold any one az the
/ srhool about IL until TO-DAY.
in The fall oi iJll applied for re
! O. adtnfysiru TO this school. ana came back
/ to continue nay studies ana take part in
/ The school sports, and ii course ! wanted
( TO get on the olymiic team ana takc the
Z rim TO stockholm. ! had Nj. warner
/ sond in nv application FOR registering In
tho Amateur Athletic Union, after ! had
anywered tho questions and signed IT, and
/ 4 roc,ived my card allowing me 10 com
J ,ete i'm the winter meets and other track
/ sports. ~.
I n,istokc I made by keeping IL a secret
! aboat my ball playing, and ! am sorry !
! aid 20. ! hope | viii be partly excused
( by the fact that | was simply an Indian
I schoolroy. ana did not know all ahout
| such things. In fact, did not know tnat
! | was doing wrong. because ] was dong
what | knew several other college men
"
' Continued on tentt,- page, first column