"paper chase" --an odd use

[Paul M. Johnson]

As late as the 1940's you run across these arcane newspaper stories that
are either showing off the reporters college education or are a very
complex "in joke".  I'm fully aware of the tendency of sports reporting
to use unusual slang and strange applications of modifiers and verbs,
but these types of stories go beyond that into an almost sophomoric
college humor.  I don't know if these are ever totally comprehensible
without a careful reading of the same reporter's work for 2 or 3 months
before and after the particular story.

Gerald Cohen wrote:
>
>     I have come across an interesting use of "paper chase." In the
> 1913 quote below it seems to refer to vigorous horseback riding by
> two newspaper reporters ("war correspondents").  Or am I missing
> something here?
>
>     The quote below is from the newspaper _The San Francisco
> Bulletin_, Feb. 28, 1913, p.17, col. 3 and refers to the S.F.
> baseball team's spring training:
>
>     'Boyes Springs, Feb. 28.--An exciting paper chase was held over
> the valley roads this morning by two of the war correspondents at
> Boyes.   One, who bears great resemblance to Don Quixote and spreads
> joy wherever he goes, was mounted on a pony, Marquard by name, which
> displayed left-handed tendencies [refers to southpaw pitcher Rube
> Marquard]. The other rider was astride John McGraw and did some fancy
> galloping along the main roads.  The two whirled into the ball yard
> to glimpse the morning work and then, emitting wild yells, went
> charging out of the lot in the direction of Caliente.'