The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-07-28
cWFRANk q. MENM<E

War, as a hazardous occupation does
not seem to have much on the bike
racing game.
Eighteen years ago Bobby Walthour
became a professional biker, and this
is what has happened since then:
He has broken his right collar bone
~ times; broken his left collar bone
IS times, suffered rib fractures 80
times; has had more than 40 stitches
taken in both legs; has more than 100
body scars as the result of bruises; ;
he has about 60 stitch marks in his
face, forehead and head as the result
Of sewed up wounds: has broken six
of the ten fingers on his hands; has
been pronounced dead twice and 'fa
tally injured" at least six times.
"And I'm still able to do bit of rae
ing now and then" said Walthour
1--WE been mighty lucky during my is
years as a racer. I've been in more
than $500 spills and never once have
suffered a broken leg. If I had, my
career would have ended. A biker can
race even if his arms are in a sling
but if he breaks a leg, it's all off. He's
through for good.
Figures in Spill.
"My most peculiar spill? Well, ]
guess it happened in Leipsig Ger.
many. A bunch of riders went down
in front of me. l was so close to them
that | couldn't steer clear l hit the
bunch and down I went That's the
last thing l remember until / came to
in America four weeks later.
However, the peculiar part Of that
spill is that after l hit the boards ]
got up, climbed on my bike and al
though | had broken collar bone
two broken fingers, nasty cash in
my head and a ten inch rip in my leg
1 finished and won the race which had
only about six laps to go from the
place where the spill occurred.
Il don't remember a thing about
getting up. Ny memory was a blank
from the time l catapaulted from the
saddle until came to- nearly month
later in my home in New Jersey.
rs there very much money in the
racing game now" Walthour was
asked:
NO, not in America" he answered
"In the old days a good biker could
make from $4,000 to 100000 year
In those days a fellow worked on a
percentage OASIS. 1uele always Wds
good money in it then. On July 4th
1914, I rode an afternoon race near
Boston and got $3.50. That night
entered another race and got $1100
That made a total of $3.50 for one
days work. What I did the other rae
ers also did.
NEW YORK, July 2S.-Eddie PLANK
deserves the title of the greatest left
handed pitcher that ever lived.
For fifteen years-1901 to 1914-the
wonderful southpaw was the main
stay of Connie Mack's Athletics. Fol-
fifteen years he pitched the kind OF
baseball that helped the athletics tC
win a large flock of pennants and a
number of worlds titles.
And now in his forty-first year, and
his sixteenth in baseball, he is the
pitching sensation of the Federals
Cast adrift by his old boss, he con
nected with a job in the new league
and Is back at his old trick of rolling
up huge winning percentage.
The most amazing part of Plank's
work this year is the fact that he is
pitching to batters who are new to
him. He hasn't the benefit of the
experience gained in other years to aid
him. He doesn't know the strength
and the weakness of the batters who
face him, as he did in the American