A Sham Battle for a Bogus Title.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 40

A Sham Battle for a Bogus Title.

TO THE DRAUGHTS EDITOA.' "Let all thy convciau be sincere, Thy conscience ad the noonday clear." —Eliot. Sir,— During the post wttk my attention bas been called to a letter which appeared in a recent edition of the Wanganui Chronicle, emanating from the prol'fic pen of Mr H. Montgomery, the Port Chalmers representative at the recent draught tournameat held at Wanganui. Were it not that the letter is a grogs mlsstatement of fact* concerning myself and my title as draught champion, I would not hava deigned to notice it. However, the utter fallacy of his argument*, and the amooat ex ufldesi matter introduced into hia

lengthy epfs^le, are wincing! vo proofs th*tih« wrong man waa selected in the interests of PortGhahnerß to represent them at what Mir Bfoateomerr is pleased to call the "ohamptoaflbip taonunnenW" It is delightfully refreshing to bear the tana " championship "applied to fidt Kttle tournament and equally refreshinjc is it to kasw fha-wioßcr was lauded and toasted as tie champion, fox after all the affair was more of a load oae than otherwise, and few. indeed if any, of the reprs* sentative draughts playara of the colony took tha trouble to journey to Waxtganni, and as txt ai Dnnedin was concerned the affair wag • dead letter, not tho ilifhtoat interest bein« taken in it Mr Montgomery waxes wrathful at my action fa quoitioning ht» right to go to Wangantrf, and goes ■o far as to dis-pnte my right to tha title of ohampion of New Zealand. He says if is only a* matter of opinion. He should have stated his ©pinion, and that goes for very little. It is not a matter of opinion, but a matter of fact freely admitted by the press and public of New Ztmlaud, notwithstanding Mr Montgomery's random statements to the contrary. If I hare no claim to championship, can my friend of Port Chalmers enlighten me as to who has the right t Have Messrs Boreham or Montgomery ? Certainly not— the idea is ridiculous. What have they ever done in the interest of the game, practically or otherwise ? Mr Bjteham among players of his own standard has certainly gained a little distinction. Mr Montgomery endeavours by the underhand tactics which he employs to belittle me in the eyes of players in New Zealand. He U so elated in consequence of his position as next to the so-called and self-styled champion that the only channel he can find to give vent to his feelings is a diminutive paper seldom seen in Sunedin or by draughts players generally. His personal remark* I take very Tittle notice of ; bat I wish to state .openly that I also am in favour of an annual tournament, if thoroughly representative and carried out strictly in accordance with common sense. At the conclusion of the match between Borehaxa and mp self, when the stakes and title were haeded over to me, Mr Montgomery was on* of the first to congratulate me on my vrell-narna'd distrac^on. He also mentioned the idea of havinc an association for Ot*go, with which mo3t of those present agreed. It wai also agreed that in the event of the formation of such au association my written consent was necessary for leave to play for the ohampMhship. Mr Montgomery gave his hearty support to this, especially that portion in which my consent was necessary ; and now, forsooth Ihe has the audacity to not only ignore my titl», but al«o to question it because I did not think it hardly, worth the trouble going uclras my expenses were paid to Wangamri by the committee, con. sidering that trophies were given as prizes. Mr Montgomery makes reference to his eipeifenca of draughts in New Zealand. VftlL to my knowledge his experience of draughts is very limited indeed, except that recently ho has improved a good deal compared with his previous ditphtyv. He failed signally to distinguish himself at any tournament in whiob he haw yet taken yart where thoronghly representative p'ayera have competed, with the exception, of course, of the jiurHy renowned— ahem I— Wanganui tourney for abogng

title. Mr Montgomery in a very clumsy manner tries to cast * ilur on the players ot New Zealaad by stating that those ho met at Wanganui were the fairest players he ever met. True he haa not met many players ; but I can verify that thoie wham he has met in Danedin or thereabouts are boneit and straightforward. He questions my fafnwss at my last match— rather late in the d»y for such balderdash. Washing dirty linen seems to suit my draughts friend.

With regard to the statement that the aasocfation will recognite the winner of their toumay as champion, I have only to say that to da such a thing would be to make themselves the laughing stock of New Zealand, far player* of principle have written to me denouncing such a proeednrs > . and supporting my right to the titla even against the association.

It is somewhat ridiculous to hear Mr Montgomery sounding the trumpet of praise of the games played at the tourney. Looking tkrough the individual scores I find nothing sensational about them, and to say that they were thß beet games ever played in the colony is the height ot folly. Such statement*! as this and many others which I find in Mr Montgomery's Utter an imaginative, and could only flow from such a fertile brain as Mr Montgomery'!. From a general point of view many of Mr Montjomery a cfEti* sions cannot be treated seriously, far the r«a?on that they are contrary to fret and have bo reference whatever to the subject of the championship or my non-attendance at the sham battla for a bogna title.

In conclusion, let me Bay, having won my spurs by vanquiiiiing all comers, I intend, notwithstanding the Wanganai committee and Messrs Boreham and Montgomery, to coosftbr myself, until btatsn, the rightful champion draughts player of New Zealand, and lam rea*y at any moment to cross swords with any players In the colony. Here is an opportunity for these gentlemen I have mentioned. It remains to be uen if they have the pluck or c6urage they boast of. Let them, in the words of the immortal Long* fellow, "Be Dot like dumb, driven cattloj Be heroes in the strife." Having now provided a goodly share of digestive matter for Messra Boreham and Montgomery, I will conclude by hoping that by careful study of tho same they will be better equipped on the next occasion in which they rush into print ; and what is r»ore, if I am not champion of Naw Zealand, then Messrs Wyllie or Barker, Martina ox Ferric have never been champions, for these gentlemen won their titles ju-«t in the sanio manner as I did. Kindly note this, Mr Montgomery, for I presume we will hear on some futura occasion that the Wancanui committee n»vp been stretching their noses a little laager by letting Mr Ferric, .the world's champion, learn through the Pre<s Agency that a tournament is to take p!a<M for his title m Wartganui, the home ! of the would-be Tooley street tailors. I moat bid I farewell to Mr Montgomery's long 'and windy letter in the woi ds of the poet t "Behold the child, by Nature's kindly taw Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw. 1 Some livelier pltything given fcia youth deKf M— A little louder, but as empty quite."— Pofb. I I still remain, I David Alexander Brodie, ', New Zealand champion draughts player. (After the above was in band Mr Montgomery called and asked that certain portion* of his latter to the Wanganui Chronic's should b« published in this column. This was of course agreed to, but it has, along with other things, to stand over till next week. Anyone sufficiently intereited, hawever, can easily keep the foregoing letter till Mr Montgomery's appeals. — Dr. Ed. 0.W.1 Mr and Mrs Wm. Renton, of Wsrrittoa Cbtttge, Oaatle street, celebrated the- fifty-fourth anniversary of their wedding on Monday. The couple ar« hale and hsartv for their years. About two months ago Hr Renfcoa bad to relinquish reading and writing owing to failing sight, otherwise his general health v good, Mrs Bcntoo, Although not so n bu^fc, can see to read and thread a needle wi'.bont the aid of tpectAcle.i. The family tue scattered over tile colony. Two daughters are married— one at Auckland and the other »fc Invercargill. Mr James Bentoa, the only surviving ton, it A farmer on the Taieri Plain.

When the Wakatipa was about 120 uQea from Cape Farewell, on the voyage from Sydney to Wellington, a curr eat of ccld air w»s wafted over the ressel, and m a few drcpa of rain fell those on board care under tho impression' that a thunderstorm wm about to tnrwfc. A\ sadden cry of "There's * watewpoatr" wh raised, and spoato began to form in close proximity to the steamer. Altogether eight were counted, and the sight is arid to h*ve been a very pretty one, though naturally the rnors timid of the pawsengere were glad when the spectacle wai over. To forest youc money f o the bej>fc advantage ia ererybodyTJ whfh. When jon have a eoojh or ft cold take Woods's Great Peppermint! Care, la 6d tad 2$ 83, AU grocers and Ghaa&to,