Chicago Women Who Swim

1901

The white marble swimming pool of the Chicago Woman's Athletic club is one of the most largely patronized places in that town now that warm weather is approaching. During the morning hours the bath is in constant use, and here may be seen many of the leaders of Chicago's swell set, arrayed in gorgeous spring style bathing gowns, doing aquatic "stunts" copied from the mermaids. The most skillful of all these fair swimmers is Miss Stella Amick, the swimming instructor. At some time during every morning the women pupils all sit around the edge of the pool with their feet hanging in the water and watch Miss Amick while she performs tricks which would make even the fishes stare, if there were any there.

Among her accomplishments is her ability to float on her side, which, it is said, not one person in a hundred can do. She can entirely submerge herself and walk on the bottom of the pool One of her diving specialties is called the sea lion," because, instead of pointing her hands over her head in the usual manner, she keeps her arms the side. And when it comes to somersault in the water she can outdo even the small boy on terra firma. Among her more humorous performances is her imitation of a starfish, when her arms and legs revolve in rapid succession about her body, and her imitation of a bicycle scorcher, only the head in strained position being out of the water, while the pedaling motions are made by climbing, as were, through the water.

The God of Murderers

1900

In a certain mountain village on the northwest frontier of Burma, is a sacred pool, in which is said to live a nat — i.e., a demon — called Shearpanial, who is the guardian spirit of murderers.

When a murder is committed anywhere in these hills, the water of this pool is reported to turn blood red.

Now, when this happens it is a warning sign to the villagers, who are the wardens of the pool, to be on their guard lest the murderer, whoever he may be and from whatever village he may come, unobserved, succeed in reaching the pool, for the Chin law or custom is that if a murderer manages to elude the "avengers of blood" (who are usually some near blood relations of the victim) and the vigilance of the guardians of the pool and succeeds in gaining it and washes his hands in its blood red water, which, as soon as this occurs, resumes its usual appearance, testifying that the god of murder is appeased, he is absolved from his blood guiltiness and is thereafter a free man, and no one may henceforth molest him.

On the other hand, if he were overtaken by his pursuers or were he prevented by the village guardians from reaching the well be would speedily pay the penalty of his crime with his life. — London Answers.

Billiards An Old Game

1905

The game of billiards may lay claim to great antiquity, for in "Anthony and Cleopatra" Shakespeare makes Cleopatra say: "Let us to billiards;" and so, unless we accuse the great poet of error in chronology, we have traced the game back to a period before the Christian era. In early times a similar game was played on the grass or turf with stones, and later with balls of lignum vitae and other substances.

How to apply the right "twist" or "English" to the cue ball is one of the most interesting and important elements in the art of good playing. In early times only two balls were used, and each player sought simply to pocket the ball of his opponent. The red ball was introduced as a novelty to keep the game from dying out.

As time has gone on the game has had varied development in different countries. In Spain they play with three balls and five wooden pins are set up in the middle of the table. In Russia they play with five balls, two white and a red, blue and yellow one.

The English game is played quite differently from the American and French games. It is a combination of the American games of both pool and billiards, being played on a table having pockets, as in an ordinary pool table, and the points as scored in both the American games being counted.

The French and American games are played with three balls upon a table without pockets and only "canons" or "caroms" are counted. In America the game of billiards has undergone a rapid development on account of the great skill acquired by American players. Early in the last century the game was commonly played with four balls upon a pool table, more or less like the present English game, for both pocketing the balls and making caroms were counted, but in time this style of playing proved so simple that a table was adopted without any pockets in it — and caroms only were counted. — Outing.

Youngest Cue Shark Shoots Left-Handed

1915

August Kieckhefer, Holder of Three Titles, Makes Fast Rise in Billiard World

Years ago, twelve to be exact, August Kieckhefer strolled over to a cue rack in a billiard hall in Chicago and stood contemplating the polished sticks with their fascinating leather and ivory tips.

He had never handled a cue, but when asked to play he decided it would be a good time to start. He was only 14 and wore short trousers. How he got into a billiard hall at that age history does not tell, but he has been in a lot of them since. He holds three titles.

Goodness only knows why Kieckhefer picked out a cue with his left hand that night twelve years ago, but he did and he played the entire game with his left hand. He has played with the southpaw ever since.

Becomes Pool Shark

Chance must have made him a left-hand cueist, for in everything else, from writing and eating to "mitting" a friend, he is right-handed.

Kieckhefer's first game was pool, called pocket billiards now. That was in 1903. Six years later he was State champion of Wisconsin.

Then he turned to three-cushion billiards and won the championship of Milwaukee, Wis., in 1910. During the next three years he didn't do much except practice, then in 1914 won the interstate title.

Kieckhefer kept practicing and this year, at the age of 26, played for the world's title against Alfred De Oro, the Cuban, who is past 50 and held the pool championship eighteen consecutive years before he became three-cushion king.

Trains Like a Fighter

"Billiard players are born," says Kieckhefer. "It's the stroke that counts and that's born in you, not acquired."

When preparing for a tournament or big match he trains a good deal like a fighter. He walks two hours every morning. He is careful about his food, claiming even a slight attack of indigestion might throw him off form.

Frog Jumps Inside Woman's Bathing Suit

1910

Interrupts Lesson, Causes Commotion

New York. — It is written in the philosophy of Capt. James Fitzgerald, instructor at Piasa Pool, that there is always a way — that is, nearly always. But there was no way that he could suggest when a bullfrog jumped inside of a woman's bathing suit.

Captain Fitzgerald was giving a swimming lesson when a bullfrog sat in a crevice at the edge of the pool and watched the proceedings with interest. "One, two, three," chanted Captain Fitzgerald, and just as he said "three," a boy running by on the brink of the pool, startled the frog and he leaped wildly into the pool.

The woman pupil wore a low-cut bathing suit, a trifle loose at the neck. The frog landed inside and both tried to get out. While Fitzgerald hesitated and stammered, another woman swam to the one in need of help, reached inside of her bathing suit and caught the frog and withdrew it and thereby earned the gratitude of the woman — and the frog.


Made Sure of Death

A student of a school in Shinshu, Japan, recently committed suicide by jumping into the crater of Asamayama. The tragedy was not discovered until three days afterward, when some documents left by the suicide near the crater were picked up.