Evening star., 1927-05-30
EGAL battles over technicalities
have taken a prominent place
in sport circles in recent years.

r EGAL battles over technicalities
have taken a prominent place
in sport circles in recent years.
IL Probably the most notable of
these affairs centered around the
then champion heavyweight, Jack
Dempsey. last Fall, at the time he
was preparing to battle Gene Tunney
to defend his title. His difficulties
with Jack Kearns, his expelled mana
ger, were partly responsible for the
champions downfall, some of the ex-
pertS Opined
Controversy which several times
has threatened to close the big racing
plant at Laurel heads the list Of
local legal battles in sport circles.
After several years of various liti-
CATION. Maryland State Fair, Inc. the
orga MIA ton operating the Laurel
track. is about to close it's court bat
ties for the use of a small parcel Of
ground, owned by outside interests.
Small Strip Causes Trouble.
A slight fatiron-shaped strip Of
land, owned by group of heirs, who
came into it's possession several years
ago. has caused the race track owners
plenty of trouble at the most incon-
venient times.
This small piece Of land, which
probably would be worth but few
dollars but 70" the fact that it Is
a part of the race course md needed
to preserve the present track, is situ-
ated at the head of the back stretch,
and unless the fair body can retain
its injunction obtained last Fall or
tLtain the partition of land now be-
| fore the Circuit Court at Annapolis,
| it will be necessary to discontinue
racing at the present site.
Continued efforts have been made
| to obtain the triangular plot in dis.
pute, but each effort has been futile.
An injunction restraining the owners
of the disputed land from halting the
racing at the track, which was gra mt
ed last Fall. still is in effect. and ii
| is probable that racing will continue
there each October.
No New Course Possible.
The situation of the track, with
most of the surrounding land owned
by the same persons who claim the
land causing all of the controversy
makes it impossible for the track pro-
moters to lay out a new course in
| front of the present stands.
/ At the seyen-eighths pole the horses
run over a very small portion of the
slightly larger projection, but should
the present injunction he set aside
| and the request for the division of the
land, now in court, be refused, IL
would be necessary to close the entire
track at the present site.
The sector owned by the outside
! interests crosses the entire width OF
the track, and protrudes slightly into
the inner oval. Although only few
| feet wide at it's broadest point. il
| fo
| ing off the meet last Fall had not the
injunction been granted.
Officials of the fair organization and
| the Title, Guarantee & Trust Co. OF
Baltimore, which firm has insured the
track owners, claim that the petition
for division of land will be granted
before June 80, and that no longer
will the annual legal battle have tC
be waged over the matter.
Seek Right to Use Land.
The owners of the track ask tha
the partition give them the right Il
use only what land is necessary fol
t..5 course, stands. stables, paddock
and other space necessary.
VI this request Is granted. the small
projection of earth will have caused
its last legal battle. 1t is said. While
the slice of land will not become the
property of the fair association. il
will be available for use as part oi
the track.
AS the result of the many lega
battles waged over 1t, the land III
question has become known as one
of the most valuable bits of race track
turf in the country. To the track
owners it is almost invaluable. as the
loss Of it's use would mean the clos
ing of the entire racing plant. and