Olympic Cavalcade

FOURTH OLYMPIC GAMES IN LONDON, 1908 71 Here is what has been written by John Kieran, famous U.S.A. sports writer, which, I think, explains much of what lay behind the_scenes of the Halswell incident: "This was the day of the grand battle of the·;<f.oo metres final that found ~ Lieutenant Wynd~am Halswell ... on the mark with J. C. Carpente~ of Cornell, W. C. Robbins of Harvard and J. B. Taylor of tlie Irish-American A.C. National prejudices had been sharpened-by previous debates and flar– ing accounts of the proceedings had stirred up extra antagonism. Here were / three runners from the United States competing against a single Engli~h-_ man. It was hinted in some of the less conservative London newspapers that - the Briton could expect nothing but the worse of it, and the spectators w~re requested to bear in mind that, in an emergency, the old instrm~tions issued by Lord Nelson at Tt'!falgar were still in forGe; England expected eyery· man to do his duty. 1'he team leaders of the l!illted States Group' looked upon all this as- nothing less· than inciting to riot. Mike Murphy, veteran coach and trainer-to_ tEe United States team, warned his three finalists of thisJeeling and urged them to keep clear of trouble, which they promis~d to do. _ - 2 • "The race started unde-r these auspicious circumstances. It was a stirring _ contest and as the r!lnners came into the stretch Carpent~r was in the leacr ' with Robbins seconci- and· Halswell third. Suddenly somebody along the __ track set up a yell of ':J: oul', and in a_moment a dozen officials leaped QUt Ori ~ the track. An uni~·en~i-f!ed official ran up and broke the worsted stringacross· the finish line and-thus·there was no tape -for the first runner to breast when _ h~ arrived an~e end of nis journey. Taylor, in the trailing·position, found- hls way obstructed by floundering offidals and he did -not finish the race, but Carpenter, Robbins and Halswell finished in that <?rder. "The United States group didn't know what all the disorder was-about, hut the information was soon £urnishe.d. British officials bobbed up with eye-witnesses tG prove thal Hallswell bad been impeded and crowded to-– wards the outs_ide of the track by Carpenter, and perhaps by Robbins, also. They were !lot sure of the team work but_they wen; willing to swear that Carpenter was g!lllty ofhighaimes andmisdemeanours. The British officials declared it 'No Race' and ordered-it re-run on the last day of the week. The United States offiGials told_ them they mj.ght as .y.rell make it tl}e Day of the Gre~k K.alends, because their runners would not be in it, and didn't have any interest in the-date. 1n lou-d lan~age they said tl1e·United States was being rooked, bilked; cheated,_swindled and robbed to put it mildly. If there_ had~ been a boat leaving Shepherd's Bush that nig~t for N~w York the United~ States athletes and officials probably would have torn-down what they could of the Stadium and _then rushed up the gang-pl'!nk.-for h_9me. But overnight, all_hands and heads cooled out endugh to stick by a decision to remain and-- fimsh out the meet." - - ~ In the circumstances, Halswell ran over the distance alone in 50 _secs. ~