WHEELMEN TO BE PUNISHED. - San Francisco Chronicle, 07 Jul 1896

WHEELMEN TO BE PUNISHED.

COMPETED IN UNSANCTIONED EVENTS.

Welch Goes to Sacramento To-Day to investigate the coming Tournament.

Several of the local amateur wheelmen will soon have cause to bemoan the Fourth of July and to realize that the power of the League of American Wheelmen is mighty. The flames of the unfortunates are M. A. Farnsworth, W. J. Shanahan and J. H Smith, and the cause of their transgression the unsanctioned bicycle races at Shell Mound Park on the occasion of the Scottish Thistle Club games last Saturday. Within the next two or three days each will be served with a notice by Chairman Welch of the racing board notifying him of his disqualification from all track racing for an indefinite period.

Farnsworth is one of the crack riders of the San Francisco Road Club, and at the time the world's novice record was lowered to 2:10 last year at Denver he had the honor of riding second. Owing to his supposed knowledge of the racing rules, his punishment will be more severe than that of the others.

Several wheelmen of Watsonville and Pacific Grove may also find themselves in trouble for the same cause. Races were held at Watsonville on the Fourth without the sanction of the racing board, and were participated in by such well-known performers as Willoughby and Malmgren of Watsonville, Gosbey and Gobel of Pacific Grove and Culp of San Felipe. It is possible, however, that these races were held upon the road, in which case the racing board has no jurisdiction.

In the reports of the recent races at Victoria the professional riders were accused of what was termed "fixing things." Chairman Welch immediately wired E. O. Dorr of Tacoma, the racing board's representative in Washington, to investigate the matter thoroughly. Alter investigating Dorr replied that no truth whatever existed in the report. The only trouble was when one of the prominent professionals elbowed Dow of Seattle, causing the latter to fall and fracture his collar bone. No action will be taken in the matter.

R. M. Welch goes to Sacramento to-day to investigate the indoor tournament soon to take place in that city. The track, which is being built by Frank Elwell of this city, is nearly completed, and will be ready for riders about the 15th inst.

The Reliance Club Wheelmen will hold a ten-mile try-out to-day over the triangle course, starting at 2 o'clock. It is to select three more riders for the team for next Sunday's big race, and will be contested by Gooch, Elford, Griffith, Curtis, Brereton and probably several others. Yeoman and Bates have already been selected and Mott also, but the latter's parents objected to his riding in so long a race, and he was forced to give up the position.

Joe Rose of the Acme Club Wheelmen has excited the suspicion of the racing board by what appears to have been deliberate foul riding at the Pleasanton races on the Fourth. In the first race of the day he was pocketed by Lefevre and Brereton, and Childs of the Reliance Club rode off with the event. Rose was very angry, and in the five-mile race, in which he and Lefevre were the scratch men, he to all intents and purposes succeeded in spilling his clubmate. Owing to the bad feeling which exists between the two over the trouble in the last Acme road race, Chairman Welch is of the opinion that Rose can explain the cause of Lefevre's fall. His punishment may be severe.