The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-27

ton a form of
outdoor sport. Whether you would
or not this is where Charles Angus
tus Lindbergh built the plane in
which he flew the Atlantic Ocean.
He was known as Slim to the fell
lows around the soft beer parlors
and the hamburger stands. They
still talk Of him.
Nelson Fisher, the fine young
sports editor Of the San Diego Sun,
says Lindbergh trained for the
flight after the manner of prize
fighter. He trained himself to stay
awake for long stretches of time.
When night came he went on long
walks instead of going to bed. Mr..
Fisher is afraid some of the citi-
zens looked upon the imaginative
young man as screwball.
This is also the home of James
Wood Coffroth, the first Of Americas
great promoters. Indeed Mr. Cof-
froth is by way of being a local in
stitution. l am told people come
from far points of the country to
see the Coffroth manor, which is
something to see at that, to get a
heeting glimpse of the great man
as he walks through his gardens
f1anked by his two bulldogs.
Promoted Many Fights
If you follow sports at all you
don't need to be told Mr.. Coffroth
promoted more history making fights
than any five other promoters. He
is also the gent who conceived the
idea of erecting a race track across
the Mexican border down here. Out
of this venture grew the worlds
first 100000 race, the Coffroth
Handicap. The present-day Santa
Anita Handicap is a carbon copy
of it.
Mr. Coffroth is a. round faced,
amiable, gray-haired gent who is
crowding the sixties. He is out of
sports now, though the natives are
urging him to return as the opera
tor of a new race track which is
to be built on the outskirts of the
city.
Such is Mr.. Coffroth's standing
in the community that the good peo-
pie don't want to lose their dough
to anybody but him. Perhaps they
figure if they do they'll stand a
chance to get some of it back. Mr..
Coffroth is a pushover for the bite.
am told by those who seem to
know that it is positively Sickening
the way the man is all bitten up.
Government Money
If and when the new track gets
under way it will follow the Santa
Anita outfit in dates. Unless I am
miSinformed the money for its con-
struction is coming from the govern
ment in the form of agricultural
appropriations.
In a sense this would put your
Uncle Sam in the horse racing
racket, and in view of the ire
mendous success Santa Anita has
experienced "a mere $25,000,000
season, that's all-you can scarcely
blame your Uncle Samuel.
And it will naturally follow, I
suppose, that when the good people
write their congressman in the flu
ture they will get the morning line
instead of package of seeds.
But to get back to Mr.. Coffroth;
as local institution he has lot of
opposition right now The California
exposition is on and it is a terrific
draw. The records show that $780,
900 persons gave it the up and down.
This is more by full million or
so than the Coffroth manor drew.
So you can appreciate that the ex-
position is stupendouS, and it is.
He Grows Dahlias
Even Mr.. Coffroth is on the boost
for the exposition, despite the fact
it has taken some of the play away
from him as public exhibit A of the
community. 1T is indeed a Won
derful show and you should take
it IN while you are here" urged
Mr.. Coffroth. You will find the
flowers particularly lovely"
I wasn't sure at first I had heard
correctly Dut canQOf cOmpelS me TO
confess that what Mr.. Coffroth ac-
tually said was I would find the
flowers lovely. I am afraid it will
come as a severe shock to Broad
way sleep-outS to learn Mr.. Coffroth
has turned to horticulture in seri-
Gus way.
Indeed. the former prize fight and
race track promoter brazenly ad
mits he won silver cup or some
thing for showing the finest dah-
las grown in the county last year,
and he vigorously resents any sug-
gestion that he had his own guy in
the middle OF the ring. 81 copied
the duke on the level" insists the
champion dalllia grower of southern
California.