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Show I SPOUTS THOUGHT iPPE IS OLDER When Twelve Years, Willio Causes Ripple of Surprise by Fino Playing. DEFEATS SAYLOR. SEASONED OLD BILLIARD PLAYER Plays Uphill Game for Championship Cham-pionship With Vignaux in Paris. I BY WILLIE HOPPE. Few things have afforded mo moro amusement than tlip varying opinions of billiard onthusiasts as to my age. At a time when I woro knickerbockers and long stockings, I played a game of billiards that many a mnn who was a voter could not duplicate, and the impression im-pression scorns to have been created that 1 was dressed in a manner to give the appearance of youthfulncss. So far as I personally was concerned, I was more thau anxious to don trousers, in which respect I did not differ from all other bo3s. Nevertheless, many por-sons por-sons who saw mo play, reached the conclusion con-clusion that I was considerably older than the family Biblo indicated and in many instances, the doubting Thomases Thom-ases were willing and ready to back their opinion with cold cash. An cxamplo of this sort occurred when I was meeting all comers at 1S.1 to my 18.2 balkline billiards in the Academy of Catton and Greeno in Chicago. Chi-cago. At this time I was 12 years of ago, and I was playing a very stiff gamo. On tho first night of my ap- 1 penrance at the academy, my opponent H was Ben Saylor, a shortstop of consid- j erablc ability. Some of tho spectators H wcro so confident that .S.iylor would H beat me that they wagered "heavily on H the result. Many of them wcro sorely H disappointed with my easy victory, and H one of the losers, who had dropped a H large roll, was clearly disgruntled. H Somebody made the remark that it was 1 a remarkablo performance for a boy of H 12 years bf age to beat a seasoned vct- j cran like Saylor. "Boy of 12, eh?" queried tho loser H with an incredulous look. "Why, that H kid will never seo IS again.' ' "I think J you are mistaken," said my father, H who was standing near tho stranger, j The latter was unacquainted with my H father, and turning on him. said: "Yrhat do 3'ou know of it? You see I know the facts. I know the whole lioppo family like a book. Why, I have known Willie since he was knee high to a grasshopper, and his father and mother are warm personal friends of mine. Why, I used to live at tho same H hotel with them, and many a game j of pool I have had with Fra'nlc Hoppc. j Why, I know ever' ono of the chil- dren, and when I say that Willio is IS, 1 am ready to bet on it," said the H stranger. Isly father never even cracked a H smile, but Billy CatEon, who was stand- j ing near, said to the stranger: "Well, just lo settle the point. T will bet you $100 that Willie is not IS." j "Well. Catton," said ihe stranger, h "of course you may have some inside information, but I will wager that the box is 16. "You are on," said Catton. This scared the stranger, and the best he would do was to bet the wine nnd cigars for all present that T was 13. "Who wilJ decide die bet?" asked Hj the stranger. "Willie's father, of coarse," - said Catton. "But -here can wo find him?" asked (h stranger. "Well you have been talking with him for half an hour," replied Cat-ion Cat-ion with a chuckle. Pr-.lising that he had boon complote-anquished, complote-anquished, the stranger paid the and retired as gracefully as pos- One of the interesting things about j the gamo of billiards, is the fact that j it can be played well by youth or age. No doubt as a man increases in age he j loses much of tho keenness of vision 1 that is so necessary to successful play, but unless a j-ounger opponent posseses gTeat steadiness, the experience of the older man may givo him an advantage j When I plavcd Maurice Yignaux for the 1S.1 balk line championship in Paris j in 1900 he v.'as ncanng the GO-ycar 1 niark, while I was but 18. In the early j innings, he played very strongly, and 1 had I been easily discouraged, he would j have gone ahead and won. but the bet- ter he played the harder I worked, and 1 I soon took the lead awav from him. The great Frenchman played a fine 1 game to the finish as is proven by tho 1 average, but it ma' be that it was my youth and keen eye that enabled me to win, but Vignaux played desperately to tho last shot, and had I been lack-ing lack-ing in cither technique or courage, I would never have won that game. I j natural was very much pleased with j my victory over so world-famed a pla-- er as Yignaux, but I would have been more grateful if the play had been three nights and 1S00 points. However, he was the challenged champion, set j tho conditions and I had no recourse but to comply with them. But the re-Bult re-Bult of that match gavo conclusive proof that a man of advanced years . youth in his teens can both plav billiards with the highest quality o'f nli nnfl witl1 t,le greatest courage. T. hero are few other forms of contest 1 i which keenness of eye and pliability of muscle arc required that would pcr-j pcr-j mit of competition between persons of 1 such contrasting years. I question if In tho history of bil-liards, bil-liards, three such notable competitions as those decided during the past week 1 have ever taken place. uTho .three nights' match between Champion Hueston nnd Challenger Keough, for the pool championship, in New York. Tho .three nights' match between Champion Dcmarost and Challenger B Chno for tho 18.2 bnlklino title in Chi- j cago. , S0' tHe.,.t.l,reo fights' match at 18,2 1 balkline billiards between Ora Morn- Hl i?.284?1"' former champion, and myself in Pittsburg, which, indicat'ea clearly the wide and diversified interest in the game all over tho country. The poo championship match, which was tho first game for tho title held in Isow York in many year.s, attracted a great deal of attention, nnd gavo a de-cidcd de-cidcd impetus to the game in New York P!t3 The atlendanco was very llatter-l0 llatter-l0 contestants, and indicates 1 thnt the interest in that form of bil- 1 i liards is now on a solid basis. IIucBton Continued oh Following Pago. SPORTS THOUGHT H0PPE WAS OLDER Continued from Preceding Page. and Kcough are unquestionably the leadiug exponents of that stylo ot play sinco Do Oro wont into tho threc-citshioii camp, and their work hero was highly appreciated by the enthusiasts. Tho Deniarcst Clino match in Chicago, whilo technically for the 1S.2 title, was reallv an elimination contest, the same as that between Morningslar and myself, my-self, and the winners should meet in a contest for the real championship at that stvle of play. "Since Momingstar and myself have resumed cordial relations with tho powers pow-ers that bo in tho billiard -world, there is no reason ivhy championship matches should not come- thick and fasL 1 am rcadv to piny any and all for tho titles, and "I hopo that no one will follow Sutton Sut-ton 's example nnd hang onto a it lo on a technicality liko tho question of a number num-ber of points. Any title holder should bo moro than willing to play three nights for tho championship, which is the only imo test. |