1878.
Record properly begins with the
First National Championship Tournament. Union Square Rooms, N. Y. City, April 8–20th.—Best in 21 games of 61 up, for an emblematic gold medal and $550 in four parts. Among the contestants were all the recognized first-class American caromers of that period, with the exception of Albert Garnier, Maurice Daly and Jacob Schaefer. In addition were the pool-players Samuel F. Knight, Clarke E. Wilson, George Frey, J. McWarble, and Gottlieb Wahlstrom, “The Swede” No. 1. Winners in this order were C. Dion, Knight, Wahlstrom, and J. Dion. McWarble and G. F. Slosson tied for fifth and sixth places, Wilson got seventh, Wm. Sexton eighth, and A. P. Rudolphe tied with Frey for ninth.
Wahlstrom and Wilson had played a match (December 13, 1877, Terrace Garden, N. Y. City, which “The Swede” won by 26 games to 13 out of 50) announced as for the championship of America and $500 a side; but they were not warranted in thus appropriating that title to the exclusion of other experts. The medal of 1878 was held successively up to 1881 by C. Dion, Knight, Alonzo Morris, Wahlstrom and Knight again.