The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-12

mandarin of the first rank He was slain
in battle while in his 3lst year and China
evidenced it's respect for him by laying
away his body in the temple of Confucius
and building great memorial to him.
The greatest chess player the world ever
has known was an American youth who
after touring his native land and Europe
and beating the masters almost as easily
as he did the amateurs, retired at % 1t
is only few years since the world was
treated to the spectacle of an American,
still in the early 3Os, in practical control
of one of the most ancient empires of
Asia The most brilliant figure in the
realm of lawn tennis is an American who
has yet to cast his first vote.
The California Comet" is the name the
English have given to Maurice Nc
Loughlin. He is greater in tennis than
Ouimet is in golf That he did not win
the championship of the world at singles
this year was due more to staleness or
too much play than to lack of class In
serving the ball he is almost irresistible.
In defensive work he is as great as in Of
fensive. IL he played less and husbanded
his strength he would be unbeatable
Just now he is little more than an ardent
boy, eager to strain himself to the limit
and play every day, IL called upon. Few
tennis players have gone through such an
ordeal as he subjected himself to in Eng
land this last summer. He was the lead
ing representative of America. Teams
from France, Germany, Belgium and
other countries met those of Great
Britain and America. Mclaughlin took
part in the semi-fnals in singles and
doubles and then in the finals. He had
to play twice as many games as any
other man in the competition. Tennis
such tennis as Mclaughlin plays-is ex-
hausting. A man must keep himself
keyed up to the highest pitch He played
1xy IL, eli o1a
every match in which he entered except
that of the championship in singles. The
day of that game he was tagged out and
the English title holder. who had taken
part In none of the other play, won. His
victory was deserved but 1t is doubtful
that he would nave retained his honors
had Mclaughlin been Mclaughlin.
The young American whose exploit was
the most spectacular in naval history
was stephen Decatur. The frigate Phil
adelphia, Captain cambridge commander,
had run upon a reef in the harbor of
Tripoli in the latter part of 1903 and Balm
bridge and his crew We're sold into slay-
cry by the Bashaw The frigate was
fioated by the Barbary pirates and used
by them In their raids on American COM
merce in the Mediterranean. The idea
OF an American officer and American
seamen being subjected to slavery by
pirates and the picture of an American
lilBule DelnS nelu DY Ir1poHfan bf1gandS
stirred Commodore Preble, who had been
sent to the Mediterranean to assume COM
mand of the American fleet there, to
sanction an act which Nelson pronounced
the most daring act of the age. Under
cover of darkness Decatur one night in
February, 1904. entered the harbor of
Tripoli in ketch The Philadelphia was
In position well under the guns of the
forts. For Decatur to be discovered
meant death or slavery. Slowly and care
fully he worked the ketch over toward
the frigate AS he approached he was
hailed by the pirates and ordered to keep
off. He replied through an interpreter
that the ketch had lost its anchor and he
ASKED permission to make fast to the
Phlladelphia's anchor chains. While
those aboard the frigate were debating
whether to permit him to do this he kept
working closer and closer to the big YES
sci An angry order came from the
frigate that he must sheer off, but bv
this time he had made fast and the next
minute he and his party of volunteers
We're climbing upon the deck of the Phil
adelphia. With swo-s and pistol Decatur
and his men cut and hacked their way
through the pirates who We're on deck
Many of the Tripoltans. In the surprise
the decks were cleared Decatur had oil
and other inflammables hastily brought
from the ketch to the frigate. Then he
set fire to the big ship in a dozen places.
When the fire was well under way he and
his men jumped into the ketch. They
tried to get loose from the Philadelphia's