Show I I REFEREE BEAN MAKES REPLY I Inasmuch as certain doctors and business men have seen fit to publicly crit crit- else my decision In the Yokel Yokel-Gehring wrestling match I wish you would kind I ly 11 grant me mo space t to make a n brief reply explaining my action I tried to impress upon the the tho audience that I made no claim to Infallibility and if I made nude a mistake it would be an an honest ono One Yet one would infer from their comment that I had made mado a most terrible and willful error and question my ray right to decide us ne I did For their benefit I would state that my decision was final They cant can't change it and I have no desire to do so My conscience is satisfied and I hope I shall never have havo occasion to regret It They claim that I h hd had d no right to call It a draw because from tram their viewpoint viewpoint viewpoint view view- point Yokel had the better chance chanco to win I would Infer then had matters been reversed my decision would have been quite proper A referee Is a non- non partisan The men struggled led for tor supremacy for throe three hours and eight minutes min ruin utes without any perceptible advantage either way It is quite customary whore where two men mon wrestle two hours to call it a draw It is also customary to not allow allow al al- al low contests to run past tho the midnight hour But there was a championship title at t stake I allowed it to continue continuo until the tho bounds of human endurance was reached One man was almost delirious and the other could scarcely stand alono They had intelligence enough left to know when they had bad enough One Ono man suggested a draw the other acquiesced Before Belore the referee could act a a. multitude of Yokels Yokel's friends friend I rushed onto the mat which technically is a a. foul and had I wanted to do Mr Yokel an injustice I could have havo j given cn S the contest to Gehrin Gehring The Thc contestants I went to their rooms Th There re was a n pan pan- panS like hades hads turned loose Joose forr for S r recess everybody yelling oIling ellin everything I atthe at athe atthe the he referee which if I heard I 1 did not notS understand I morel remember how S some Mme of them lo looked ked I would not render render tender ren ten der a de decision until 1 I got ot their representatives together I sent Professor Gingrich of the tho Y 1 M. M C. C A. A to tt seo see Yo Yo- col kel Ho He reported that ho was in no condition to continue I then went wont to toBee toe see Bee e both of them personally I then saw aw Promoter Heagren and learned the conditions in tho the contract I th then n used he the lesson given en mo rue by bv rule No 12 2 which says If If Ifan an any disagreement nr arises K PF n nut of or any nv any nic nice nice- or fine point not provided for in S these rules tho the dispute shall shaH be settled settlor by the tho referee and his decision shall be final in all cases This coupled with rule 10 which reads II Should any match not be finished on tho the day appointed ap al- ap- ap pointed both wrestlers to meet ant and wei weigh h if required and commence wrestling at the tho same timo time and place day by day Sunday excepted d until th match i is finished except otherwise agreed upon e etc The Tho wre wrestlers agreed upon a draw but as a sort of compromise compro compro- mise mice between en n wrestlers promoter and the tho mad demands of tho the audience I Ive gave ve the contestants two and one half minutes to present themselves on tho the mat then placed a time limit of thirty minutes at tho the expiration of which should neither man gain in a fall it should be bo declared a draw But it was a shame to insist on them going oin to a finish Mike Yokel made a wonderful struggle a against ain t the tho I livest cst middle t weight ht that has h been n before the public for years Jears But had he continued until nature collapsed col eel lapsed he never ne would have b been en quite so good d. d Had ho he b been n thrown thron durin during I thA last thirty minutes he be could have blamed nobody but his friends I maintain that nil all physical al contests should bo be limited to human hitman endurance And if some of m my critics who are ire at nt atthe atthe the present timo time so 80 enthusiastic in organizing organizing or or- a humane society for tho the protection pro pro- on of the poor dumb animals animal insert insert in- in in sert a clause in in their constitution and bylaws baws g governing verning physical contests between between be be- tw tween n man and man they would perhaps perhaps per per- haps be doin doing a humane act WILLARD BEAN I |