Letters Threaten Runner Harris

Northern Advocate, 3 April 1947, Page 2

Letters Threaten Runner Harris

(P.A.) WANGANUI, This Day. About 18 anonymous letters, some of them threatening, have been received by Sergeant John E. Beamish, trainer of Doug, Harris, New Zealand champion middle-distance runner, who recently established a record for the half-mile within a fifth of a second of the world’s record. “It is perfectly true that since I became trainer for Harris he has been less approachable by the public than before his contests, ’ said Beamish in an interview at Taihape. Beamish then referred to the anonymous letters he had received and said he had decided to keep Harris more or less in the background. Among other things the letters stated that certain athletes would defeat Harris and, if he started in certain races, he would carry a spike scar from knee to ankle which would put him out of athletics. Beamish said two courses were open to him as Harris’ manager—to inform the police or destroy the letters and forget about them. He had decided on the latter course, as he felt that if there was publicity around any prosecution it would have a detrimental effect on Harris. Beamish added that he had kept the knowledge of the threats to himself and only told Harris about them some 10 clays ago.