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Show !ce Skater Picked Up More Than $50,000 in Bankrupt Bank-rupt Europe By PETER P. CARNEY. Editor National Sports Syndicate. "It sure is good to be home." said "Bobby" McLean, who traveled to fnr away Ivristiania to lose his title as world's champion professional ice skater, as he stepped from the Adriatic Adriat-ic tho other day. "The Statue of Liberty certainly looked good to me," continued the skater. "I had a royal time in Europe but 1 want to tell you something that is no secret the United States is ?, mighty good place to live after you have seen the others " That's what they all say. McLean arrived in Kristiania early In February and left Liverpool for New York the middle of May. After his match race with Mathiesou, which ended in a most unsatisfactory man ner, the Chaiog clce skater tourend Norway, Sweden, Denmark. Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Eng- approval everywhere. McLean had an! interesting trip and cleaned up a lot; of money anywhere between $50,000! and nOO.000. I j Possibly you didn't think there wasj x any money in ice skating, but If you talked hours with McLean as I did the past winter, you would think that j the ice was covered with gold. As Mc- Lean is of a thrifty disposition thej money will not be wasted. He .won't i 'be an ice skater forever and one ofj j these days when it rains he may want jto purchase an umbrella and when ;ihat day comes he hopes to be pre pared. McLean is very hitter over the treat-; ment he received from the officials j chosen, for the world's championship race. He said the people of KrlstlanLi know that he was unfairly treated and that they sympathized with him; that they cheered him when he left the track, and thai when he went to his hotel after the race ho had to climb over the heads .of 2000 porsons to get into (he hotel. According to McLean, the Norwegians cheered long and loud for him. Not Fairly Ecaten. But the friendship of the Norwegians Norwe-gians didn't help McLean retain his title. Contrary to all the reports sent to this country McLean has no alibis to offer. He says he was In first class condition, that lie never skated better in his life, and that .o would have won the 10,000 metre race and retained his title if it had not been for tho track judge losing his head and giving either he or Mathlczon tho wrong flag on the turn. Mcuean says - tjokj tho inside track as the official instruct-! ed him, only to be stopped by the referee ref-eree when he came around at i- end of the first lap, several metres in the lead. Notttempt was made, to stop Math-ieson Math-ieson and McLean started after the Norwegian after telling the referee in his best English .o do what he liked. McLean knew that the contract he j signed made it necessary for him to j finish the race or lose his share of thej receipts. That" would never do. Then I McLean, angry over what happened,! wont put furiously after Mathleson and caught him in three miles. Then McLean Mc-Lean gained another 100 metres on Mathieson In another mile, only to find out that he had used his strength too quickly. McLean protested the raco but no attention was paid to him by the officials. McLean challenged Mathleson to another an-other race. He offered to skate for charity and to pay Mathleson to skate, but the Norwegian had won the title ho had been ambitious to win and he snld that he would not race again. McLean Mc-Lean bombarded Mathieson with challenges chal-lenges from all parts of Europe, but the Norwegian never answered. McLean Mc-Lean says the moving pictures when they are exhibited here will prove that he is right In all his assertions. "I Joat the championship," said McLean, Mc-Lean, "but I did not lose it fairly and no one knows it bettor than the referee refe-ree of the race." |