ARTHUR DUFFEY.

Grey River Argus, 26 September 1911, Page 2

ARTHUR DUFFEY.

It was .generally expected -that Oraiig, of Michigan, would be a com r petitor at the English .championships this year, amd the athletic followers there arc disappcmnited that ha did •not go. In .alluding to his pcrform^ance "Stirephon" tells some other interesting things about American visitors abroad. , He says : —

"On iread'img over my file df American newspapers co-ntainin.g the d-scr'p-tions io-f \the U.S.A. iinte:roolle,giate sports, decided recenit'.y at the Harvard stadium, I was greatly impressed 'by coils, th'mg, -the mutual agreem.ent which seems , : to have been arrived a.t to obliterate the. memory from the history of the competvticm of Arthur F. Duffcy, sthe. l-'trtle Georgetown Unive/rsi-t.v marvel.

"We read that R. C. Crang, the Michigan giant, rua his 100 yards in 9 4-5 seconds and his furlong /in 21 1-5 seconds, in each instance tying with the figures of another famous Georgetown rrvsn, Berni© J. Wcfers, set up in 1896. Duffey, of course, became a professional ; his records were expunged from American .iam-a--tPur sport. Wogers merely became a' Varsity coach; though he received payment for hi.s services he st.ands as a gferious example of aoria'tsutfism. His 9 4-5 and 21 1-5 represented until May 27 perries- iratercollegiate performamces. Then; they were eaualled by a remarkable sprir*er. I have often wondeired why DufFey's 9 3-5 was cut out. Wh"in hp put it on -he records in 1902 he .certainlly was not a professional .in the accepted sense of the worrd ; though he did not (ake along to ■find ou'ri professicjnal-mpjnoeu vres- He 1 was stiill a Gear.qfei'ow.n man. As such' his records should sureJy halve been aillowed to stand 'in the ■in +i ©nco'lleffiates. It would have -beien. but fair. ■

tc Du.fT.ey was a iTmarlca'l>!p little miam.. Mere 'than any other I dare say he was the b'el'e noir of the pistoil firor. He has had bi^ im'tators sincewe have even had ojio in the- north

of England who has tried to follow his example with 310 rdal success. Duffey was the man above all others to get a. run ion thej igun. His imethods were , a-eimarkable. He would •in.gratiazc himself into' the best tihoughts of the stcirtejvth.cn he would tell the lat'-e-r ■a pretty story. " 'Mr : — ,' he would say, 'we've ia fuminy lot in the final "to-day. I've just heand they intJon-d idoing 'this poor American. YouMl keep your eyes on 'them. .1 fancy the man on the limi^ is tbe gioods.' ".Heartily the starter would assure the Yankee th.at he would have fair play. The men would get. ready, would [be told to 'set;,' the pistol would g;o 'bang' ; when it did' the margin as b'atween scratch man and I'l-m-it holder had pra*-ty well been obliterated. Duffoy had merely got his usual flier. Alii wore taken cm in tuT-ih- T.he; American was no rsspec-r tor of persons or .assc^'atians. "In tlhie -matter of stlrikimg a financial bargain witli spcirts promoters he was likewise hard 'to boat. When hiis pace* ■seemed to be on th© wane ln'.s prico of .appearance rr.'.Cin>ey threat^ dn?d tto decrciase. And it did. " 'You k-now the terms,' he told a corbain official .at Rochdale .cm the ■morning c!f his defeat in the A. A. A. championships. 11 'Y.fis, I know the terms, but .there must be a difference this year,' was the reply. .£ if you w-i-n the ch.ampbini,'h'!.p this af'^crnocn;, £ if you are lboa.tc.Ti.' "And Duffcy had -to agree to itha-t. But bcat'c/n bo was. ' "Lesti this story should be brought . up agaiirist tha A. A. A., T h-astem to cxpljain that .cine, -contracting party >bcloniged .to the* other <te ; mp. I have not .the slightest dread of 'the consequences of <t-h'"s s'ory. Duffey was novi the cinily -sprint 'champion who was well, pawl for appearing- at that carniivial. And he was no' the lastijy >? -'uplc. So th'a-f; my xe.ißeird can put one >a.nd one tcigcither and .guess the rest. "Al the same, with his faults 'given in Duffey was ia grand li-tlo iimnea- who on whia.t we -befiield of 'i-he two men, coiuld have put U.. E. AVal:kcr tip a few yards and beaten him over 100 yds. Ask the' profßss.i ! onials what -{-hey reckonod the diifrc,ren;cc betwecai the pair, and tboi-r will be am«azdnig."

Tha ■many friends of Mr Patrick; Fi-tzgeralcl '(road 'overseer) will regret to hear of his setiious i'lrness, of which '.of was. 'apiiarron^ly suddenly seized whilst out on the Christchurch road.— The Times.