MORNINGSTAR WINNER IN BILLIARD OPENING
American Beats Cure, French Expert in Close Match.
SCORE 500 TO 463 POINTS
Big Tournament in Madison Square Garden Concert Hall Starts -- Mark Twain Cheered.
[This article has been edited to include only the portion most relevant to Mark Twain.]
In a nervy finish Ora Morningstar, the American, last night defeated Louis Cure, the French billiardist, by the score of 500 points to 463. The contest was the opening of the international championship tournament in the concert hall of Madison Square Garden. The ending was sensational. When Cure had turned into his final hundred his score showed 410, while Morningstar's string was 287, a total of 123 behind the Frenchman. The latter appeared to have the game well in hand, and even a few innings later Cure's score was 455 to Morningstar's 366.
It was at this period that Morningstar began to demonstrate his skill and deftness at the rail nurse combined with position play. A run of 27 indicated this, and two innings later a cluster of 55 placed him only seven behind Cure. Then the latter missed because of nervousness, while Morningstar, playing phenomenal stroke, easily finished the winner with an average of 9 14-54.
Mark Twain, accompanied by Henry H. Rogers of the Standard Oil Company, was an interested spectator of the match. The American humorist busily explained the shots to his friend, accompanying his remarks with gestures and diagrams marked in the air with his fingers. He was alive with keep appreciation of the good shots, and soon attracted the attention of the crowd. He left a few innings before the close of the match. Cure was at the table shooting when he went out, and the spontaneous outburst of cheering on the part of the crowd puzzled the Frenchman. Mark Twain saluted the spectators by throwing kisses to them, and when Cure saw this he waved his hand to the retiring humorist and resumed his play.
...
Return to The New York Times
index
Quotations | Newspaper Articles | Special Features | Links
| Search