The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-04-19
ALKING
IT OVER
BIZ JOE WILLIAMS

ATEw YORK, April ia COM
IN mittee of investigation repre-
senting the metropolitan division Of
the A. A. u. has absolved the non
existent Brooklyn college Of all CEN
sure in the more or less famous Jack
Elder case. You may recall the cir
cumstances, and the background. To
begin with there has been no Brook
lyn college for eight or ten years.
This institution was founded in 1903
and then went out Of existence.
Nevertheless a program Of indoor
events TO which admissions are
charged has been staged annually
under its auspices. It is explained
that the funds derived therefrom are
devoted TO the maintenance Of
athletics at a preparatory branch
Of the defunct college.
n
Last January a gentleman by the name
sf James Reilly was announced as the
promoter OF the annual meet and one of
his star attractions was Jack Elder. the
Hotre Dame Splinter who had gained the
metropolitan headlines at an earlier date
by sparinE a forward pass on his own
4-yard line and running for sensational
touchdown 70 beat the Army.
THIS achievement plus Elders
established standing as a
Splinter. made him a very desirable
box Office attraction. In the ad-
vance publicity sent to the news
papers by the promoter it was speci-
flcaIly stated that Elder would COM
pete in the popular Olympic sprint
series-a series of dashes ranging
from go yards to 100 meters. -Four
of the press notices which were re-
ceived in this Office read, in part, as
follows:
1. ''Karl wiIdermuth VIII oppose Jack
Elder and other stars IN the Olympic
sprint series at the Brooklyn college meet"
2. 'When Jack Elder meets the worlds
foremost sprinters in the Olympic sprint
SERIES
3. Despite the known speed Of Elder,
Kari Wiidernuth d the favorite in the
Olympic spring series"
I. "osutstandinx competitors: Special
sprints at 90. rs. 100 yards and 100 meters
cider, Wndermuth. Daley, etc"
THEsE quotations would seem to
imply very definitely that II
Elder did nothing else he would ap-
pear in the Olympic sprint series.
The meet was held Jan. 10 and Tor
several weeks preceding it the pro-
motors publicity continued to stress
the appearance Of Elder as a par
ticipant in the sprint series, and the
newspapers continued to feature his
appearance accordingly.
A few days before the meet the pro-
noter let Il be known, without taking the
express trouble to correct the earlier
statements. that Elder would compete In
onIy two events, a special "record attempt
against (aS it later proved) an inconse-
auentiaI field and for only one race IN
the three-raoe Olympic series. The result
was that = great many persons were prob
ably Iured to the Thirteenth Regiment
armorv through the Interpretations of
the advance press notices. This precipi-
tated the investigation referred to in the
opening paragraph of this column.
q
TOHN j. DEIGNAN presided as
j chairman of the investigating
committee. The findings Of the
committee we're interesting and
hilarious. No evidence of intended
deception was found. If anybody
was at fault it was the newspapers!
q
The prize fight fellows have been telling
reporters one thing and meaning another
With no other notion in mind than an in
creased gate figure and I imagine Il Is
only natural that q track promoter should
feel privileged to exercise the same subtle
tactics
The distressing feature Of this
situation is that Reilly may have
succeeded in making the boys
smarter and that when and if he
sends around press notices in the
future nobody will read them.