The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-17
BY r. A. THORNBURG.

The Liberty newspaper. commenting
on the Liberty-Richmond game in the
finals of the district basketball tour
nament here, says:
AS 1t was Eckle'S men had as bad
a case of rattles as it has been our
pleasure to witness in many a day.
Then, in the closing minutes of the
first half, when Richmond had scored
three goals to the firing losers, the
timers stretched the time three min
utes according to Coaches Moore and
Richey, of Connersville and Milroy,
respectively. These two disinterested
coaches held stop watches, and accu-
rately computed the time. They both
agreed that Liberty was forced to play
three minutes overtime in the first
half. This could have been done but for
one purpose, the increasing of the
score while Liberty was temporarily
confused. Had the half ended at the
fifteen minute mark, as it should have
done. the score would have been not
over to 0. 1t is not to be wondered
at, then that Coach Eckle fatty re-
fused to allow Liberty timer to sit
at the timers table. 1t is just such
crookedness as this that is rapidly
dreds of fans who journey to the tour
nement each year.
Twelve fouls were made by Eckle's
crew, most of them being of the per
sonal order. Besides these a number
of foul attempts were made to put
Samuels out of the game, Van Allen
deliberately going in the All-District
center with both feet Cor attempting
to do sol near the south goal, and
again jaming Samuel's head against
the floor at the north goal. Many
spectators allege that Dollins was
guilty of intentional tripping time aft
err time. We are not giving this as
an alibi. We lost, and we are not
saying that we would have de-
feated Richmond had clean playing
been INDUCED in. 1t was case of one
very tired team playing fresh team,
and it was question only of minutes
when the break would come. Hun
dreds of fans are certain that Liberty
has a team that can give Richmond
the fight of their lives any time"
There is no use fighting over some
thing that has been settled for over a
week, but some defense is due the
Richmond men and the time-keepers
who let the time of the first half run
over for thre minutes, as Liberty al
leges.
1t must have been a great pleasure
to see Richmond have case of rat
ties and hold Liberty down to four
goals, all of them from free throws by
the way. Richmond must have had
a terrible case of rattles if the guards
could hold the Liberty boys down to
no field goals.
Next Liberty says that the time
keepers let the time run over three
minutes past the fifteen minute mark.
According to the official rules of bas-
ket ball the time of each half shall
be twenty minutes. Of course if the
officials had known that the Liberty
boys could not play that long at a
time they might have shortened 1t to
fifteen minutes, but as. Liberty made
no such request the rules were obeyed.
Never before has the work OF
SPEEDY" Meeks been protested and
Liberty is afraid to go to the Board
of Control and protest in the right
way.
Coach Eckle had nothing to do with
who sat at the officials table for he
was just a coach of one OF the teams.
The officials, however, were agreed
on and hired before that game was
started and there decisions were con-
sidered correct.
The paper says, Liberty was tenn.
porarily confused" From the score it
would look as If Liberty was confused
most of the game.
We must correct one statement
made by Liberty and that is that Rich
mond made IL fouls instead of II,
and most of them were not personals.