Interesting to Athletes.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 30, 3 August 1895, Page 2

Interesting to Athletes.

The following is an extract from the Weekly record of Juno loth, with refer- j ence to the case instituted by the Inglewood Athletic Club against A. H. Knight : — The practice ot professional runners sending incorrect lists of performances to the Secretaries of Clubs has been the cause of great annoyance, apart from the fraudulent nature of such an action, and the Inglewood Athletic Club is deserving of commendation for having taken the subject in hand and made a public example of at least one offender. The Club has been put to considerable expense in connection with this prosecution, and in order to show their appreciation of its action, the various athletic societies in Taranaki and in other parts of the Colony ought, in the interests of legitimate sport, to recoup the Club for the expenditure thereby incurred. Lovers of genuine sport are entitled to protection against fraudulent competitors at athletic gatherings, and the sentence inflicted should act as a warning in the future. The following report of the case was published iv the liecord : — A. H. Knight was charged with having on the 7th of March stolen a letter containing what purported to be a list of his performances as a professional runner, the property of the members of the Inglewood Athletic Club. Mr K&rr appeared and prosecuted on behalf of the Club, and iv opening the case, stated that the charge had been brought by the Committee of the Inglewood Club in the general interests of legitimate sport, aud to protect Athletic Associations throughout the Colony, at whose sports Knight was in the habit of competing, from being further victimised from what would appear from the evidence to be a series of most impudent frauds. The facts shortly put were that Knight forwarded on the 22nd February, to Mr F. H. Brown, Secrefcaiy to the Club, a fraudulent statement of his performances, upon which he was handicapped for the races held on the 7th of March last. Knight was an easy winuer of the first hurdle race, but on a protest being lodged by Hugh Good, an enquiry was held, at which Knightjagreed to make, and, in fact, did make a declaration that his performances, as forwarded to Mr Brown were correct. Knight iv the meantime, had abstracted from the Committee's papers the original statement of performances, which would be proved to be false, and substituted a true statement. The fraud was instantly discovered, and several members of the Club immediately gave chase, but Knight managed to get sufficient time to secrete the stolen letter in a hedge. He was brought back to the Committee room, where he asserted that the paper produced was the original paper forwarded to the Secretary. After evidence had been given by Messrs F. H. Brown, R. H. Rankin, A. E. Atkinson and H. Good, who testified as to the false misrepresentations contained in the original statement and as to the theft of the letter, the Magistrate said he had no doubt that accused had stolen the letter, and sentenced him to one month's imprisonment with hard labour, and ordered a warrant to be issued at once for his arrest.