The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-12-11
GREAT RUNNER In HOSPITAL
WITH APPENDICITIS ATTACK
Chances For Victory OF Coach
Ervin's Men Are Wrecked In
Stroke Of Misfortune

Ellsworth Richter will not run In
the Birmingham Athletic clubs race
Saturday afternoon. All hope for
the great Splinter to appear under
the Blue and White of the local club
was given up Monday as the fears of
the Athletic club officials and Coach
Erwin We're confirmed by physicians
at the I. c. I. hospital that the star
was stricken with a serious attack
of appendicitis.
Richter was feeling badly Friday
afternoon at the club and late In the
night Coach Erwin, uneasy over the
condition of the runner, had two ply
sicians make an examination and
they reported appendicitis. Richter
was taken to the hospital Saturday
morning but Coach Erwin did not
give up hope until Monday when the
reports of the attending physicians
at the hospital drove all doubt from
his mind as to whether Richter would
be able to run Saturday.
The attack of appendicitis for
Richter was an almost fatal blow to
the chances of the Athletic club for
winning the road race and came
when Coach Erwin had what he con-
sidered the greatest outlay of track
material for the meet that he had
corralled SINCE his coming to the
club. Furth gilmore, from a personal
standpoint, 1t was a great misfor-=
tune for Richter. The man who had
won the race for four years in sue
cession AID who had beaten his own
time each year, finishing in 1922 in
10 minutes and Al 1-5 seconds. and
who this year was conceded the best
chance to win, to be struck on the
eve Of his fifth triumph was a cruel
stroke of fate.
Coach Erwin stated that Richter
never looked better than this year
and that he had started training earl
fer and had trained more persistently
than ever before. His chances were
very bright to win the annual road
race for the fifth consecutive time
and establish a great record for
himself. His only opponent that has
ever given him any trouble is George
Irons, of the University of Alabama,
and Richter finished two blocks
ahead of the Alabama star last year.
b. A. c. Chances Wrecked.
Richters misfortune has hurled
Coach Ervins chances of victory to
the four winds and from the bright
est prospects of victory his team has
suddenly been plunged into the deep
est gloom. The loss of Richter en-
tirely breaks up the B. A. c. COM
bination OF fleet runners and dis
appointment now reigns supreme
over the Blue squad. jenkins, an
other great Athletic club runner, who
finished third last year, has gone to
Chicago on the heels of the an
nouncement of Richter's loss and the
crashing of the hopes of the B. A. {.
The brunt of the burden will now
fall upon Chance, Hoskins. John Nc
Dougall and Chestine. These four
runners were figured in as good place
q n
the points in the low-point scoring
while Richter and jenkins crossed
the line among the foremost. NOW,
however. it is from these fotr men
that the first B. A. C. man to cross
the mark will come and the fifth
man of the team will be selected
from among the substitutes.
For the first time since he mao
been running in B. A. c. races John
McDougall will run alone. Always ms
together. In 1921 one finished III
teenth and the other sixteenth but in
1922 Wylie fell behind and finished
four or five places behind John: This
year wylie Is in Atlanta and will not
compete and John will run the course
alone.
More trophies will be awarded in
the meet this year than ever peiore.
-Four cups for different class teams
will be given outside OF the goio
medal to the first individual finish
ing. the silver one to the second ana
bronze medals to the next eight.
The Birmingham News cup will be
awarded the winner, regardless OF
class. The A. NJ. Shook. Jr, cup VIII
he awarded the Southeastern A.
u. ember team that wins out. while
II Southern intercollegiate confer
- team to hold their score to the
lowest mark will get the James Ed
ward Cheppell trophy awarded by the
Birmingham Athletic club. the
Reach Chenoweth trophy will go to
the Southern intercollegiate Athletic
association team to win. Silver
medals will be given each member OF
the winning team.
O O o
Teams Already Entered.
Teams from Georgia Tech, Ala
hama, Auburn. Mississippi A. and NJ,
Birmin CHAM Southern and Chatta-
nooxa have already entered while the
Atlanta Athletic club and several
other collegiate teams are expected
to send in their entrance blanks.
Mississippi A. and NJ, Alabama
Auburn and Georgia Tech have
chance to win three trophies. Each
can carry off the B. A. c. trophy
for the winning team, the s. 1. G.
trophy, for winning the conference
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