The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-08-15
SILVER SPRINGS SIDE
OF THE STORY

Editor Star: Your very creditable
account of the Ocala Motor Club "fish
fry" was read with interest by all
parties concerned-but in the interest
Of the committee headed by A. G..
Blowers, which committee was in
charge of the Silver Springs, said
boat being without the presence of one
of your correspondents, we are go
ing to give herewith an accurate and
honest account of the other side. We
are doing this with full appreciation
of the fact that it was possible (you
being member of the crowd compos-
ing the load aboard our opposing ship,
the City of Ocala) that you yourself
were no doubt intimidated.
In the first place we wish to remind
you that the handicap complained of
in regard to our having the larger
boat was a self-imposed one as our
opposing membership committee had
the first choice of boats and selected
the City of Ocala. AS everyone knows
the crew and passengers of the City
Of Ocala was composed of lawyers and
bankers, while the reverse was true OF
the Silver Springs, carrying as it did
only plain, honest farmers and ma.
chinists.
We wish to complain in the very
outset of the tactics used by the op-
position, and we are led to believe aft
er hearing of these tactics, that the
"moonshine" which was held out as
reward for the winning team was
disposed of by the opposition long be-
fore the time of award
Our boat proceeded in the usual
manner of such boats; true. the "omi-
nous and bloody 'SSS' signs" were
conspicuous everywhere. We halted
down the river ways and did the
only decent thing-explained to our
crowd what the occasion was all
about, and had Mr.. Van Valkenburg
carefully explain what the folks who
became members were to get for their
money. We had nothing up our
sleeve; we kept nothing hid. We
carefully explained that "SSS" stood
for "Sink, Swim or Sign," and while,
of course, we were prepared for any
thing, we will say in justice to the
sort of crowd we carried that we
found it unnecessary at any time to
invoke the "SSS" slogan.
We then proceeded to the landing
place and there it was that we heard
for the first time of the tactics en-
ployed by the competing team. 1t was
learned that upon the departure OF
the City of Ocala, the chairman, At
torney Duval, hastily impaneled a
jury of three men, two of this jury
being members of the Ocala Motor
Club, the third man, the foreman, be-
ing a non-member. and this foreman
had no voice in the trials except in
case of the remote possibility of dis
agreement.
He who laughs last laughs best,
however, and our committee was not
slow in learning and our trial held
after we had docked from the returii
trip and proving by all the evidence,
using our own hand-picked jury and
our own judge. That r. S. Rogers OF
the opposition was guilty as charged
with stealing one of our prospects,
put US ahead with the winning number
and we were in a better frame of
mind. <.
We wish to take this opportunity of
thanking our Judge, ]. L. Edwards,
for the able and honest decisions rem
dered during the trial of one R. S.
Rogers, who despite the fact that he
was furnished with the best legal SER
vices, R. A. Burford defending him,
and that he was prosecuted by the
nearest, approach to a lawyer on our
boat, namely: P K. Van Valkenburg,
secretary of the Florida State Auto
mobile Association, was promptly
found guilty by our jury composed of
such reliable men as Mayor Chace, ct
! al
We want everybody to know that
credit for this victory over our able
opponents should be given to such
men as C. E. Simmons. Don McIver,
Nat Mayo, Albert Gerig, Art Water
man, Frank Ditto, Charlie Sage and
others who have always maintained
that honesty is the best policy"
President FL. w. Henry of the Ocala
Motor Club, never seemed to doubt as
| to the final outcome of this contest
and states that the opposing team