DONALD DINNIE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6784, 16 February 1884, Page 3

DONALD DINNIE.

Sic, — As the celebrated athlete is not in Hawke's Bay to defend himself from the cowardly attacks on his prowess as an athlete in certain quarters, will you kindly allow me space in your valuable paper to produce facts to prove that tbe assertions made are all fabrications concocted to endeavor to mar his success on his professional tour through sheer animosity towards the man, simply because he happens to be a Scotchman. That Dinnie's records . have been beaten in hammer, stone, caber, or 561 b throwing I emphatically deny. In Scotch wrestling he has never once suffered defeat, and in other styles, which are entirely new to him, he is rarely grassed when he wishes to stand, and in running and leaping fifteeu years ago his records figure prominently among the best performers of the day. That he has been beaten sometimes by men who could not come within yards of him at hammer and stone when in proper form ia a fact— as for instance, at Maryhill, in 3864, James Fleming, John George, and James Paton all beat him when he was Buffering from a severe attack of diarrhoea, men who a week after at Aberdeen and Nairn he easily beat by 3 feet with the Btones and by 15 feet with the hammer. At the Eoyal Games at Braemar in 1865 Charles M'Hardy was placed before him at the oabcr, through the sheer accident of the caber slipping out of his hands on his first trial ; but never again did he Buffer defeat at tossing the caber, and at putting up heavy dumbbells he has not yet met an equal, When performing a,t the New Star.

Musical Hall, Liverpool, the Era of February 26th, 1881, says, " Quite a sensation was caused at the centre of amusement by the appearance and extraordinary performance of the Scottish champion Donald Dinnie, whose fame is known not only in England but throughout the world. His manipulations of enormous dumbbells and huge weights were striking features of an entertainment which throughout elicited most enthusiastic applause." And notwithstanding the disparaging remarks that have been made here I defy anyone to prove that Dinnie is not the greatest athlete that the world has ever seen, and to prove my assertions correct I am prepared to match him against any man breathing as a general athlete, that is, throwing the hammer, putting the stone, tossing the caber, wrestling, running, and leaping combined, and he is now 47 years of age. Now, if Donald Dinnie's maligner in Napier knows where he can find his man to beat Dinnie my deposit will be placed in your hands at any time, for any sum he likes to put a name on. By giving publicity to the above you will oblige an Ex-Athlete. February 9th,'1884.