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 The Illustrated Series. No. »— April, 1890. Is<u«<l Quarterly. Subscription, $2.00. 
 
 Entered as second class mail matt, rat Chicago Posl Office. June 14,11 
 
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 C 0LLECTED A 
 
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 RAND, McNALLY & COMPANY 
 Chicago and New York. 
 
STORIES 
 
 or THE 
 
 Base Ball Field 
 
 The National Game's Great Exponents 
 
 AND THEIR METHODS. 
 
 TOGETHER WITH THE 
 
 NATIONAL PLAYING RULES 
 
 GOVERNING ALL CLUBS PARTY TO THE NATIONAL AGREEMENT. 
 
 AN ENTERTAINING COLLECTION OF DRESSING-ROOM YARNS 
 
 AND HUMOROUS INCIDENTS IN THE LIVES 
 
 OF NOTED PLAYERS. 
 
 ?£ 
 
 HAEET PALMEE, 
 
 Correspondent of the Philadelphia Sporting Life, and Press Representative 
 
 with the "Around the World Tour" of the Chioagc)^ ** 
 
 and All-American Teams. > %?yr°°* 
 
 CHICAGO AND NEW YORK: 
 RAND, MCNALLY & COMPANY PUBLISHERS 
 1890. 
 

 ?<?- 
 
 U 
 
 
 COPYKIGHT 1890, BY RA*D, McNaLI.Y & Co., CHICAGO. 
 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 I. Captain Anson on the Past and Future of 
 
 Base Ball, - ..... 9 
 
 II. Methods op Team Captains and Managers 
 
 Compared, 20 
 
 III. Personal Mention of Promlnent Players, and 
 
 Their Methods upon the Field, - - 40 
 
 IV. Odd Yarns of the Dressing-Room and Dia- 
 
 mond, 55 
 
 V. The Base Ball Structure in America — Its 
 
 Future, -------- 142 
 
 VI. The Game in Other Countries, - - - 164 
 
 VII. The National Playing Rules, - 170 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Base ball during the past ten years has awak- 
 ened such wide-spread attention, has gathered 
 about it so vast a following, and its rules, as well 
 as its players, have become so familiar to Ameri- 
 cans, that the man, and, to some extent, the 
 woman, who is not generally posted upon affairs 
 of the game, its leagues and associations, its play- 
 ers, and the records of its leading teams, is looked 
 upon as having been left far behind in the march 
 of a generation' s progress, if not to have lament- 
 ably neglected a very delightful branch of his 
 education. An Englishman, ignorant of the rules 
 of cricket, would be hooted out of any body of 
 young men in Great Britain; and so in America, the 
 young American who has not scrambled and fought 
 for tickets to one or more championship games 
 between the great teams of the National League 
 is— well, he is not considered a thoroughly repre- 
 sentative American. 
 
 During its advance into public favor, base ball 
 has developed some remarkably skillful players, 
 who, during the past few years, have been 
 brought so prominently before the public that 
 
 (vii) 
 
viii Prefaa . 
 
 their names to-day are almost household words 
 from Maine to California. The names and records 
 of Anson, Burns, Williamson, Clarkson, Wilmot, 
 Ca in thers, Daly, Ewing, Kelly, Comiskey, and 
 other players of equal prominence, are even more 
 familiar to the average American school-boy than 
 are the names of the country's statesmen; and 
 there would be no discoloration in the statement 
 that, while many a lad might be stumped by a 
 request to name the list of the Nation's Presi- 
 dents, his eyes would sparkle and his answer 
 come promptly to the question of "Who headed 
 the batting list of the National League at the close 
 of the past season?" 
 
 It has been my privilege to travel many thou- 
 sands of miles with the greatest players the game 
 has produced, to share in their amusements, to 
 listen to their yarns of by-gone days, when the 
 profession was not so attractive an one as it is 
 to-day, and note their peculiarities of play upon 
 many fields, under many interesting circum- 
 stances; hence I trust that this little volume may 
 not prove unworthy a place among the base-ball 
 literature of the day. I can not sufficiently thank 
 those of my fellow correspondents whose clever 
 pens have done much to make the book attractive. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 
 Harry Palmer. 
 
STORIES OF THE BASE BALL FIELD, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CAPTAIN ANSON ON THE PAST AND FUTURE OF 
 
 BASE BALL. 
 
 " No team-captain in the business,'' says Cap- 
 tain Anson, " holds a higher appreciation of ball- 
 playing talent, and real ability in batting, base- 
 running, and handling the ball, than I do; yet, 
 there is one requisite in a ball-player's make-up 
 without which he could never procure an engage- 
 ment upon any team captained by your humble 
 servant. I refer to his reputation for good 
 behavior on and off the ball-field. A man with a 
 clean record as to his personal habits and a fair 
 reputation as a ball-player would stand a far 
 better show for a position with the Chicago club 
 to-day than would a man with a great reputation 
 as a ball-player and a shady record as to per- 
 sonal habits. An experienced handler of men 
 can develop talent in almost any ball-player he 
 takes hold of; but the man does not live who can 
 
 (9) 
 
10 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 start into a pennant race with a team of intem- 
 perate, low-moraled players, and tell where he 
 will land at the close of the season. 
 
 1 * I remember the day, and it was not so very 
 far back, either, when a man's ability to hit and 
 held a ball, or to pitch and catch it, were the only 
 requisites necessary to a good position and a high 
 valuation of his services; but things have changed 
 since then, and the number of clubs ready to give 
 employment to men, no matter what may be their 
 personal habits, is growing beautifully less every 
 day. The result, of course, has been just what one 
 might have expected. The objectionable element 
 in the ranks, both of the players and patrons of 
 base ball, has gradually disappeared, until to-day 
 it is as far from the ascendancy as in any other 
 profession I can name." 
 
 "When I first began to play ball profession- 
 ally," said the big captain to the writer, one 
 evening, "the attractions to enter the profession 
 were not what they are to-day. Fifteen hundred 
 dollars a season was an exorbitant salary in those 
 days, and the man who received $60, $60, and 
 $75 a month and expenses was looked upon 
 much as are the Tiernans, Ryans, Duffys, Den- 
 u ys, Gflasscocks, Burnses, and Connors of to- 
 day. We did not stop at 'Hotel Vendome^' 
 or ' Fifth Avenues' in those days, either, and 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 11 
 
 instead of turning up their noses at upper berths 
 in Pullman sleepers, as they do now when the 
 manager finds it impossible to secure lowers for 
 the entire team, the boys were almighty glad to 
 stretch out on the seats of a second-class coach, 
 and use their grips — when they had such a thing 
 — for pillows. When we went to the grounds 
 for a game we took a street-car or walked, and 
 got back to our hotel in the same way. But 
 nobody grumbled, for the simple reason that none 
 of us had ever been accustomed to anything 
 better at the hands of our clubs. In those days 
 
 V 
 
 the presence of a lady at a ball game excited as 
 much comment as would the sight of a Chinaman 
 in the proscenium- box of a San Francisco theatre, 
 and the discovery by the ; bleachers ' of a silk 
 hat in the grand stand was the signal for a whole 
 afternoon of sport at the wearer's expense. 
 There never was any certainty, by the way, as to 
 the make-up of the teams, for the average captain 
 never knew just how many of his men would 
 show up in trim for ball-playing when the time 
 for play arrived. Why? Well, fines did not 
 go in those days; discipline, when attempted, 
 was a farce, and the players knew it. There was 
 no such thing as a national agreement in existence, 
 and the managers strove to e stand solid' with 
 the boys, if for no other reason than that they 
 
12 Stories of the Bast Ball Field. 
 
 were in the players 1 debt half the time, and con- 
 sequently at their mercy. Had a team-captain 
 sag I to a club president that it might be well 
 
 to consider a player's personal habits before 
 retaining him for another season, he would have 
 been laughed at. The player who could hit the 
 ball, run bases, and field his position, caught the 
 crowd, back in the '70's, no matter how tough his 
 reputation or indiscreet his conduct off the field, 
 and a player's popularity at that time, more 
 than anything else, determined his value to his 
 club. 
 
 11 You can perhaps imagine how hard was a 
 team-captain's lot in those days, and how dis- 
 couraging was the outlook to those among the 
 players who possessed some degree of personal 
 pride and hoped for a better state of things to 
 conic George and Harry Wright, Al Spalding, 
 Rosa Barnes, McVey, White, and almost any of 
 the old-timers who have since risen to eminence 
 in their old profession or out of it, could probably 
 tell you of instances wherein they have played 
 ball with the team's crack out-fielder or in-fielder, 
 or perhaps both, so light-headed from a nighfs 
 Moss of sleep,' and so heavy-footed from sub- 
 sequent 'bracers' the following morning, that 
 their 'indisposition' was apparent to players 
 and spectators alike. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 13 
 
 " To-day no ball -player of any professional 
 team would be permitted to go upon the field, or 
 even don a uniform, in such a condition; but in 
 those days the player himself, and not the team- 
 captain, was the judge of a player's condition. Of 
 course there was no training for a season's work- 
 that is, no more than the boys felt inclined to 
 submit to. When they wanted to train, they did 
 so, and when they preferred to loaf and let the 
 1 other fellows ' train, they generally followed 
 their preference. 
 
 " While this ungovernable, self-willed, uncon- 
 trollable element predominated, however, there 
 were still many conscientious, well-behaved players 
 among the boys, who deprecated such a state of 
 affairs, and who possessed the intelligence and 
 foresight to see the necessity for a radical change 
 in the handling of the game and its players. The 
 story of the game's elevation, and its consequent 
 growth in public favor, is known to almost every 
 man and boy in America, and as I look back now 
 and see the changes that have taken place during 
 the past fifteen years, it makes me wonder. No 
 form of field sport was ever beset by greater 
 dangers and difficulties than base ball. The very 
 character of not a few of its most prominent 
 exponents at the time the game first donned a 
 professional garb was enough to kill it, yet the 
 
14 Stories <>f th< Base Ball meld. 
 
 evils of intemperance among the players, and of 
 crooked work upon the field as the result of 
 gambling influences, were eventually overcome; 
 the game was established and began to be con- 
 ducted under business methods by business men; 
 the daily press of the country accorded it the 
 space in its columns which its rapid growth in 
 public favor warranted, and since 1879 — yes, since 
 the organization of the National League in 1876 — 
 the game has grown, prospered, and advanced 
 until I am as proud of my profession to-day as I 
 would be did I occupy as honorable a position in 
 law, medicine, or the drama as, I am glad to say, 
 I do in base ball. 
 
 "The argument has not infrequently been 
 advanced in my hearing,'' continued Anson, 
 " that, unlike most professions, prominence upon 
 the ball-field, as in all branches of athletics, is the 
 result of physical -rather than of intellectual 
 development. I have often wanted to take a 
 crack at this argument, and am glad of this oppor- 
 tunity. The day has passed when a player can 
 depend upon his ability to bat. catch, and throw 
 a ball, to hold his position in a National League 
 ball team. I do not know of any profession 
 where there is more room for the display of 
 judgment, or where a quick, active mind, a clear 
 brain, and a man' s force of character and self -con- 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. Jo 
 
 fidence can find greater play than in base ball. A 
 retentive memory and keen perceptive powers 
 are also invaluable to a ball-player. Why? 
 Well, if you will look into the games of the past 
 three, four, or five years, you will see that the 
 games are few and far between wherein men have 
 not been retired by well-practiced tricks and clever 
 strategic work of opposing fielders or the oppos- 
 ing battery, almost as frequently as by having 
 been retired upon fly-balls or a throw to first base. 
 "Our most effective in-fielders are those who, 
 through long experience and fine team work, 
 4 double up 5 men on the bases; catch the runners 
 by strategy, off the bag; work with one or both 
 ends of the battery, to the end of getting a base- 
 runner between bases; or so handling a batted ball 
 as to force a base-runner into giving an opportu- 
 nity for a double play, where a simple catch 
 would retire the batsman only. The most suc- 
 cessful pitchers and catchers of to-day are 
 those who have studied the preferences and the 
 tricks of opposing batsmen until they know T pre- 
 cisely just what character of delivery is pre- 
 ferred by each batsman who faces them. Of 
 course, when such a knowledge has been acquired, 
 the pitcher takes advantage by delivering a ball 
 directly contrary in character to that which the 
 batsman facing him desires; while from season 
 
16 Stories qf the Bast Ball Field. 
 
 to season the code of signals between the positive 
 and negative ends of the battery, and by which 
 the style of delivery of each ball sent across the 
 plate is determined, is changed and improved upon 
 by the pitcher and his back-stop, so that their 
 work becomes more effective and the secrecy of 
 their code of signals is better guarded. 
 
 " Batsmen, on the other hand, study the methods 
 and tricks of a pitcher. If a pitcher has a certain 
 style of delivery which, through experience, he 
 has found more effective than others, he is very 
 apt, after pitching two or three preparatory balls, 
 to employ it. If the batsman knows of this ball 
 he is sure to wait for it, and, when it comes, send 
 it over the fence or into the next safest corner of 
 the field that he can land it. Base-runners, too, 
 study a pitchers peculiarities, and take advantage 
 of them accordingly. There are some pitchers 
 and some catchers whom the best runners of the 
 league will not attempt to steal bases on, while 
 upon others a base-runner is reasonably safe in at- 
 tempting to appropriate everything in sight — even 
 the home-plate if he gets a good chance; and it is 
 to gain just such information as this that base-run- 
 ners study opposing pitchers just as closely as a 
 pitcher must study the likes and dislikes of oppos- 
 ing batsmen. The quicker a man' s mind to grasp a 
 situation upon the ball-field, and the more retentive 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 17 
 
 his memory, that he may store away the incident 
 and experience for future reference and guidance, 
 the more rapidly will he rise in his profession. 
 
 "Few men, I imagine, have had more experi- 
 ence in training and developing young players 
 than myself, and I speak whereof I know when I 
 say that I would prefer intelligence, a good mem- 
 ory, and an even disposition in a young ball- 
 player, to all the sand-lot training and experience 
 that you can give him, if his training is to be his 
 only qualification. I have taken in hand young 
 players wjio were beyond doubt natural players — 
 that is, they had been playing ball as youngsters 
 and as school-boys for so long that they had devel- 
 oped more than ordinary ability as batsmen and 
 as fielders — but while playing ball they had either 
 neglected their mental training, or else had never 
 possessed the material for it, and were, conse- 
 quently, incapable of comprehending what I told 
 them, or of remembering it when they did compre- 
 hend it. On the other liand, I have found young 
 players weak in hitting and more awkward than 
 skillful in fielding the positions assigned them, but 
 they were bright, even-dispositioned, tractable 
 fellows, with the intelligence to understand what 
 was told them, the mind to note and comprehend 
 the situations that occurred upon the field, and 
 the memory to retain what they heard and saw, 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 and among those players are some of the greatest 
 in the country to-day. 
 
 " It is the plainly apparent value of intelligence 
 among ball-players, and the need of more of it, as 
 well as the recognized respectability of the game, 
 that is attracting to it a better class of players 
 than has ever before been known; but we have 
 not yet reached the standard we shall ultimately 
 attain in this respect. I look to see the colleges 
 —Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, and our 
 State universities, furnish the base-ball talent of 
 the future. Other professions are over-crowded 
 even now, and will become more so with each suc- 
 ceeding year, until, even though with a collegiate 
 education, and a legal or medical education on 
 top of that, a graduate finds it hard picking to 
 establish himself comfortably in either the law or 
 medicine. On the other hand, the training that 
 the average college student enjoys in foot ball, 
 base ball, and rowing, fits him to enter profes- 
 sional base ball, at an immediate salary of from 
 $1 .500 to §2,000 for seven months' work, with the 
 certainty of twice that salary should he attain 
 a high degree of proficiency. Of course, a man 
 can not expect to actively continue in base ball 
 until he reaches a ripe old age, as he can do in 
 law and medicine; but he can, by conscientious 
 work and provident methods of living, accumu- 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 19 
 
 late, within a few years' time, a comfortable bank- 
 account, as the basis of success in some other 
 business or profession. The efforts of the National 
 League clubs at least, without exception, have 
 been in the direction of improvement, so far as 
 the moral and intellectual tone of its players is 
 concerned. Good habits on and off the field are 
 what we want of professional ball-players, just as 
 much as we desire ability. I have never hesitated 
 in the past, nor will I do so in future, to sacrifice 
 talent for good conduct and gentlemanly behavior. 
 Those professional ball-players who have refused 
 to become gentlemen — and, I am sorry to say, 
 there are some such — must swing into line or get 
 out of the business, for the simple reason that gen- 
 tlemen are beginning to show an unmistakable 
 inclination to become ball-players. We shall 
 have the game on a better footing, I feel confi- 
 dent, with each succeeding year, until it offers as 
 great inducements, and greater, to our college 
 graduates, than does the stage, the law, or medi- 
 cine. It is from the colleges that we want to draw 
 our talent of the future; and, so far as the Chi- 
 cago club is concerned, no college graduate who 
 comes properly recommended will be denied an 
 opportunity to demonstrate his ability, or will 
 have to look further for a position should he suc- 
 ceed in doing so." 
 
20 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 METHODS OF TEAM CAPTAINS AND MANAGERS 
 
 COMPARED. 
 
 " Any ball club that is willing to put out the 
 necessary amount of ' release money ' and to pay 
 the salaries, can, so far as talent goes, get together 
 a great ball team," said Tom Burns, while 
 discussing the subject of team management, one 
 evening; "but the greatest aggregation of talent 
 money could get together would be almost certain 
 to make a poor fight in a pennant race, if it went 
 into it without a capable field-captain at its head. 
 More championships have been lost, and more 
 hard-fought games have gone the wrong way, 
 through the want of a capable commander on the 
 field, than have been lost through poor ball-play- 
 ing or the failure of the teams in question to do 
 their best." 
 
 Tom might have added, with equally as much 
 truth, that there is no position connected with 
 base ball whicli the average ball club has such 
 difficulty in satisfactorily filling. Good team- 
 captains, like good team-managers, are so scarce 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 21 
 
 as to be well-nigh invaluable to the club that 
 secures their services, and fortunate indeed is 
 the organization possessed of a player who com- 
 bines the qualifications for both positions. Anson 
 and Comiskey are probably the only examples of 
 our time of the successful captain-player-man 
 ager. Both of these men possess great reputa- 
 tions as ball-players; both have been remarkably 
 successful in developing playing talent, and in 
 afterward so handling and controlling it as to 
 secure the best examples extant of effective team 
 work and individual effort; and both possess a 
 knowledge of base ball and ball-players, as well 
 as a stock of good judgment and managerial fore- 
 sight, that has made them the practical managers 
 of affairs in their respective organizations. 
 
 Ball-players, for obvious reasons, will refuse to 
 talk of or criticise the methods or records of team- 
 captains or managers, and the opinions expressed 
 in my hearing from time to time have been voiced 
 only upon my promise not to use the player's 
 name, or through my accidental presence among 
 the players in hotel or club-room. 
 
 The lot of a team-manager, like that of an 
 umpire, is not a happy one. It is all-important 
 that he should be on good terms with his men, 
 and yet he is paid for seeing that they keep good 
 hours; that they report promptly for each game 
 
22 Stories of the Base Ball Wield. 
 
 scheduled, and that tliey abstain from all indul- 
 gences that would tend to injure tlieir effective- 
 ness upon the field. Now, there is no more 
 irrepressible animal in existence than the average 
 professional ball-player. His splendid physical 
 condition keeps him as full of animal life and 
 effervescing spirits as a two-year-old Hamble- 
 tonian. He loves fun, enjoys a joke and a good 
 story, would walk ten blocks for a peep at a 
 pretty face or a well-turned ankle, and is as big 
 a mischief-maker, in a well-meaning way, as he 
 was before he gave up his school-books for the 
 ball- field, The means to which a ball-player will 
 resort to get the best of a team-manager are mul- 
 titudinous, and some of them incredible; yet the 
 boys practice them year in and year out, enjoying 
 a world of satisfaction in them when they suc- 
 ceed, and indulging in a corresponding amount of 
 bitter reflection when they are caught. 
 
 I have known a team-manager to sit in a hotel 
 office, though very much fatigued himself, until 
 he had seen a dozen of his players yawn, rub their 
 eyes, and take the elevator for their rooms; and 
 then I have known one-half or more of these 
 sleepy ball-players to quietly descend the stair- 
 case, half an hour after their self-satisfied mana- 
 had himself sought his bed, and slip around 
 the corner i'ov a glass of beer and a cigar with 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 23 
 
 waiting friends, or else assemble in some one of 
 the rooms for a little game of " fifty-cent limit " 
 that was good for the balance of the night at least. 
 In nine out of ten such cases, the manager is 
 never any the wiser; indeed, he would feel 
 thoroughly annoyed at the busy-body who in- 
 formed him, for then he would have to investigate 
 and fine somebody, and the managers who like to 
 fine are few and far between. The fact is, that in 
 too many cases the manager is afraid to fine. 
 He is not sure of his position beyond a period of 
 one season at most. If the team does reasonably 
 well, he may be retained for another season, and 
 he may not; if the team makes a brilliant showing 
 and wins the pennant hands down, he is sure to 
 be retained, and at an increased salary. If, how- 
 ever, the team puts up ragged ball day after day, 
 and the boys play with apparent lack of heart 
 and spirit, the manager knows well that another 
 man will fill his position the following year. 
 Consequently, for his own sake, he is not anxious 
 to bring down upon his head the wrath of the 
 players, who practically hold his position in their 
 hands. 
 
 And for this state of affairs the ball club itself, 
 in the majority of cases, is wholly to blame. In 
 the first place, club stockholders should satisfy 
 themselves as to a managers ability and qualifi- 
 
•21 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 cations before employing him, and then, when he 
 has assumed the management of the team, should 
 allow him to do so under the assurance that he 
 might line a player or increase his salary as he 
 saw lit, or that he might discharge and employ at 
 his pleasure; in a word, that his control of the 
 players should be absolute and unquestioned, 
 just as much as the authority of a city editor 
 over his reporters is practically supreme. Then 
 the players of a team would respect a manager 
 and regard his wishes. To-day it is the exception 
 when they do either. The average ball club 
 stockholder knows about as much concerning 
 the practical management of a ball team as he 
 does of astrology. He has invested his money, 
 is perhaps a base-ball enthusiast, and may be in 
 his branch of trade an excellent business man, so 
 it is only natural that he should want a finger in 
 the control of the team, and in most cases he 
 gratifies his desire at the expense of his team's 
 success, and at a cost to the club treasury. It is 
 certainly remarkable what a spectacle an other- 
 wise shrewd and successful business man can 
 make of himself upon becoming a prominent 
 stockholder in a professional base-ball club. I 
 have a case in mind in which three business men, 
 all of whom have since grown wealthy as club 
 stockholders, sent their team almost to the end of 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 25 
 
 the string in the pennant race by their school-boy- 
 like interference in team management, and came 
 well-nigh disrupting their organization and dis- 
 gusting their patrons as well. One of the trio 
 would take a fancy to a player with some other 
 club and employ him. Each of his partners was 
 more than likely to do the same thing before the 
 month had passed, and what is worse, each would 
 insist that his favorite be given a satisfactory 
 chance. 
 
 The new player might be a short-stop or a sec- 
 ond-baseman, and the men of the regular team in 
 those positions might be playing a faultless game 
 at the time of the new man's employment, but 
 that made no difference to the stockholder. 
 His man must be %i given a chance," and given a 
 chance he was. Further than this, each stock- 
 holder constituted himself the protector and 
 friend of three or four men in the team, and 
 whenever any of the men enjoying such protection 
 were reproved or fined by their field-captain, off 
 they would post to their protecting stockholder, 
 in search of balm for their wounded feelings, and 
 they rarely came back without it. The effect of 
 all this upon the team-captain, and upon the 
 team itself, can be imagined. Demoralization 
 reigned, and team work was out of the question. 
 Fortunately, however, the stockholders saw their 
 
36 Storws of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 mistake in time, and yielded the management of 
 their team to an experienced man, with the result 
 that the team played a magnificent game of ball, 
 and was making a strong bid for the pennant of 
 1889, when one of the stockholders, growing 
 over-anxious at the close character of the race, 
 yielded to a desire to again have " a finger in the 
 pie/' and injected a spirit of dissatisfaction into 
 the team, which resulted in its defeat in the pen- 
 nant race, and the resignation of the team man- 
 ager. 
 
 An excellent policy for club stockholders to 
 stick to is one of non-interference with affairs of 
 team management. The bald-headed manufact- 
 urer who puts a light-opera company on the 
 road in order that he may invite his friends behind 
 the scenes, had far better purchase such privi- 
 leges, outright in some other opera company. It 
 will cost him less, and he will have just as good a 
 time. For the same reasons, the wealthy and 
 ambitious base-ball crank had far better purchase 
 a dozen season tickets, and distribute them among 
 his friends, than to invest in base-ball stock for 
 the gratification of his desire to run a ball team 
 and invite his friends to the games. A ball club, 
 like any other amusement enterprise, must be run 
 under purely business principles, and under even 
 more stringent rules and sterner discipline than 
 
Stories of the Bate Ball Field. 27 
 
 is the case with the theatre, the opera, or the 
 race-track. 
 
 A well-known and successful theatrical man- 
 ager, who once undertook the management of a 
 base-bail venture in which a number of promi- 
 nent players traveled from the Eastern States to 
 California, said to me, after his return : "I have 
 handled English and American actresses, and 
 have even piloted Italian opera-singers about the 
 country, but I pledge you my word I would not 
 assume control of a professional ball team again 
 for a salary of $20,000 a year and expenses." 
 The poor man had simply made the mistake of 
 depending upon methods, for the handling of 
 a lot of ball-players, that he had found effica- 
 cious in his theatrical career, and right there he 
 erred. 
 
 ^£ As one of the most successful and popular man- 
 agers in the country — Jim Hart — once told me, 
 "The man doesn't live who can tell another how 
 to manage a ball team. I've been in the business 
 all my life, and yet, so help me, if I were asked 
 to make a statement as to my methods, I would 
 not know where to beginTp Ball-team managers 
 are born, I guess, not made, for I never saw a suc- 
 cessful team-manager who was not a success from 
 the start. I have known men who had to fight 
 for an opportunity to prove their ability, of course; 
 
&8 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 but in every instance in my knowledge these men 
 were to the manner born/' 
 
 Aside from the exercise of good judgment and 
 the self-confidence, born, to a great degree, of the 
 knowledge that he has the moral support of the 
 club officers behind him in all he does, a captain's 
 or a manager s strongest qualification should be 
 decision of character and strength of purpose. 
 The fact that this qualification is most prominent 
 in Anson, Comiskey, and Ewing, the most success- 
 ful of their class in the history of the National 
 name, goes far to support this theory. All three of 
 these men doubtless learned, years ago, that stern, 
 clean-cut army discipline was the only system to 
 employ in the control of a ball team, and to their 
 realization of that fact each probably owes his 
 reputation and success as a controller of men 
 to-day. There are, of course, exceptions, but the 
 average ball-player of to-day would, nine times 
 out of ten, disregard his captain's request, and 
 look upon him asa u sucker' 7 for having made 
 it, while he would obey a clean-cut, well- worded 
 command, and respect the man who issued it. To 
 prove the truth of this assertion, I need only 
 draw attention to the fact that it was not until 
 the National League made a combined and deter- 
 mined onslaught upon the evil of intemperance 
 in its ranks, and fined a score or more of players 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 29 
 
 as an evidence of its determination to wipe the 
 drunkards out, that drinking stopped. Previous 
 to this the League had pleaded and reasoned with 
 its men until patience had ceased to be a virtue. 
 Men would promise, and go off upon a night's 
 debauch within twenty -four hours. Nothing the 
 League management could do seemed to have any 
 effect until, in 1887, a new and binding clause 
 against intemperance was inserted in the player's 
 contract, by which he agreed to forfeit $25, $50, 
 and $100, and finally suffer blacklistment, for 
 repeated offenses. Even after signing this agree- 
 ment many of the players tried to indulge their 
 taste for liquor surreptitiously until the National 
 League employed a couple of special agents to 
 watch their men, and afterward clapped on the fines 
 in such business-like style that offenders opened 
 their eyes in astonishment and decided to abide 
 by their contracts in future. There has since been 
 little drinking among the players of the larger 
 professional organizations, or, if there has been, it 
 has been conducted in such manner as to not 
 injure the good name of base ball or the reputa- 
 tions of the men who have broken their pledges. 
 Persuasion is out of the question in the con- 
 trol of ball-players. Co-operative methods and 
 co-operative principles, if for no other reason 
 than because of the predominating characteris- 
 
30 Stories of the Base Boll Field. 
 
 tics of the great majority of the players, simply 
 mean the financial ruin and swift dissolution of 
 any organization that adopts them. It requires 
 long experience and keen business sagacity to 
 conduct the affairs of such an institution as the 
 National League of professional ball clubs in 
 America has become; and that the principles 
 upon which this organization has conducted its 
 affairs are pretty nearly correct, is evidenced 
 by its own success, and by the adoption, by every 
 other professional base-ball organization in the 
 world, of rules, constitutions, by-laws, and agree- 
 ments similar to, if not identical with, those of 
 the National League. 
 
 But concerning the individual methods of team 
 captains and managers: 
 
 It is safe to sav that there are few more un- 
 yielding disciplinarians than Anson. His splendid 
 physical development and his really wonderful 
 constitution have instilled in him a thorough 
 contempt for physical ills of all kinds, and unless 
 a player is really badly injured, Anson expects 
 him to go out and play the best ball he knows 
 how to play. "I never ask my players to do 
 anything I have not done, or that I am not per- 
 fectly willing to do myself," is a boast I have 
 frequently heard the big fellow utter, and this is 
 literally true. Hso ball-player works harder or 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 31 
 
 i 
 
 devotes more hours per day to practice than 
 Anson does, and the player who keeps pace with 
 him is an exception. In conversation with his 
 men, on the railway or at the hotel, Anson's man- 
 ner is pleasant and cordial. He is fond of " kid- 
 ding " his most capable players, and will good- 
 naturedly stand any amount of badinage himself; 
 is always ready for an argument upon anything 
 pertaining to base ball, cricket, foot ball, and, in 
 fact, athletic sports of any kind, and once he 
 takes a position, is willing to back it, up to any 
 reasonable amount of money. He never touches 
 liquor nor uses tobacco in any form; is fond of the 
 theatre, but retires in good season; never breaks 
 an appointment; is always the first man in uni- 
 form when his players assemble to go to the 
 grounds, and is always the first to take the field 
 for practice, as well as the last to leave it. When 
 a substitute base-runner is needed to run for an 
 injured batsman, Anson does the running. He 
 shrinks from nothing, and plays ball to win from 
 the moment game begins until it ends, without 
 any more regard for his individual record than 
 he has for the condition of the weather in China. 
 When Anson takes a player to task for the exer- 
 cise of poor judgment in handling the ball, he 
 wastes no words about it, and yet does it with a 
 degree of regard for a player's feelings that a 
 
32 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 Dunlop or a Ewing would not think at all neces- 
 sary. Here is an example: 
 
 In a game with Indianapolis, one afternoon, 
 Hugh Duffy picked up a ball which had been 
 batted to center with a man on second, and threw 
 it to the plate. The man on second ran home 
 easily enough — in fact, no throw could possibly 
 have stopped him — and the man who had hit the 
 ball ran to second on the throw to the plate, 
 when, had the ball been thrown to second, he 
 would have been held on first. Next day Anson 
 spoke to Duffy, who was conversing with Van 
 Haltren, Ryan, and Farrell in the sleeper. 
 
 4 'Mr. Duffy," said Anson, laying accent upon 
 the Mr.) " what were you trying to do with that 
 ball yesterday V ' 
 
 Duffy turned and looked at Anson, the tell- 
 tale expression on his face being only partly con- 
 cealed by an attempted assumption of innocence. 
 
 "What do you mean?" he asked. 
 
 "You know what I mean," replied Anson. 
 "You let McGeachy get second by throwing the 
 ball to the plate." 
 
 " O, yes," said Duffy. " Well, I thought I was 
 dead sure of getting a man at the plate." 
 
 And with that Hugh turned and began to talk 
 to Van Haltren. 
 
 Most captains would have smiled at the bluff, 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field, 33 
 
 and let the matter drop then and there; but with 
 Anson it was different. 
 
 44 You thought what?" asked Anson, crossing 
 over to where Duffy sat, and laying his hand on 
 tjie latter' s shoulder. 
 
 Hugh flushed "a little, but replied: "I was sure 
 of catching a man at the plate." 
 
 " Now^, look here, Hugh," said Anson, " you 
 did not think anything of the kind, and you 
 know it. You just didn't have your wits about 
 you, and would have given a good deal to have 
 had that ball back in your hands before it got ten 
 feet away from you. I know how it is; I've been 
 there myself. But don't do it again; it is not 
 ball-playing, and it don't look well;" with which 
 Anson turned and walked away. 
 
 I have never seen a ball-player hesitate an 
 instant to carry out Anson's orders when the big 
 fellow issued them on the field. Occasionally the 
 carriages have waited for some one of the boys 
 who had not commenced his toilet for the game as 
 soon after dinner as he should have done; but 
 rarely indeed has such a thing occurred. Under 
 such circumstances, Anson never reproves a 
 player, nor indicates his annoyance in any way. 
 There is no doubt but that he is annoyed, how- 
 ever, and the offending player is pretty apt to feel 
 thoroughly uncomfortable during the ride to the 
 
34 lories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 grounds. There are many players who do not like 
 Anson, yet the longer men play under his cap- 
 taincy, the more unwilling they are to play under 
 anyone else. Anson has absolutely no sentiment 
 in his composition. He is matter-of-fact, calcu- 
 lating, and practical to a degree rarely met with. 
 Once convinced that a man is in pain or in distress, 
 the ' 4 Old Man ' ' will do anything and everything, 
 in his unassuming, practical way, for the sufferer; 
 but he is a hard man to convince. I have known 
 him to insist upon men playing ball with swollen 
 and inflamed fingers that really looked as though 
 they needed a rest, and to order men out on a 
 trip with their faces swollen from severe colds. 
 But in all such instances his judgment was right 
 — the sore fingers got no worse, and in time healed 
 up. although the men were kept playing ball 
 right along; while the colds disappeared, the 
 swelling in the faces went down, and the affected 
 ones were playing better ball than ever. "I can't 
 leave you fellows at home every time you get a 
 crick in your back or wake up with sore throat/' 
 is the reply with which he is wont to meet 
 requests for a lay-off; "it isn't what the club pays 
 you for/' And it is such remarks as these that 
 have won for Anson the name of " Task-master." 
 My only comment is, that the Chicago club is to 
 be congratulated upon the possession of a man 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 35 
 
 who imposes tasks as Anson does. In his role 
 of " Task-master " he has won for himself an 
 enviable reputation as a team- captain; he has led 
 no less than seven league teams to victory in as 
 many pennant races; he has probably developed 
 more ball-players than any two team-captains in 
 the country, and has sent out from the ranks of the 
 Chicago league team the greatest and most- 
 celebrated exponents of the game the world has 
 produced. Many a young ball-player, possessed 
 of a National reputation to-day, owes his name 
 and fame to Anson, for it was Anson who gave 
 him the opportunity that had been refused him 
 wherever else he had applied. In the writer s 
 opinion, the game has not yet produced Anson' s 
 equal, and will never produce his superior as a 
 judge of ball-playing talent, and as a captain 
 and team-manager. 
 
 " Charley Comiskey's success/' said a close 
 friend of Yon der Ahe's former right bower to the 
 writer, recently, ' J is due to his wonderful ability to 
 win a ball-player's friendship and admiration, and 
 still exercise over him almost as much control as 
 an army captain would over a private. How he does 
 it I could never understand, but his personal 
 influence with his men is the secret of his success. 
 The strange part of it is, that his influence is as 
 potent with a tough as with a gentleman; he can 
 
36 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 handle an ignorant man as cleverly as lie can a 
 fellow who may be his superior in intellectual 
 attainments. All his men are willing to shut their 
 eyes and do what he tells them, having absolute 
 confidence in his judgment, and being anxious 
 for his approval and commendation. Had Anson 
 this faculty of impressing and influencing his 
 men, in addition to his other qualifications, he 
 would be the greatest team-captain the game has 
 ever produced; but he hasn't it, and therein lies 
 the difference between Anson and Comiskey. Of 
 course, Comiskey is a great ball-player, and an 
 excellent judge of talent as well. He has de- 
 veloped some great ball-players, and probably 
 got as fine team-work out of the Browns as any 
 ever witnessed on any ball-field in the country. 
 He is firm with his men, but never abusive, and, 
 as I have said, got more work out of any mem- 
 ber of the St. Louis team by requesting it than 
 Von der Ahe could have done with a $1,000 
 note as a persuader. He is a cool, clear-headed 
 fellow, with a world of experience in team man- 
 agement, and without whom Chris Von der Ahe 
 would have dropped out of base ball, in my opin- 
 ion, years ago. That is Comiskey as I know 
 him." 
 
 Ewings success as captain of the New York 
 team during the seasons of 1888 and 1889 has 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 37 
 
 brought him to the front as one of the prominent 
 team-captains of his time. There are few more 
 severe captains in the business, and yet per- 
 sonally Ewing is wonderfully popular with his 
 men. For this reason I believe him to be an 
 excellent judge of character, and thoroughly 
 familiar with the make-up of the average ball- 
 player. He evidently knows the value of strict 
 discipline in the control of his men, and does not 
 hesitate to employ it. A little incident that 
 occurred on the old Staten Island grounds, when 
 the team was playing there during the summer of 
 1889, convinced me of this, and also showed me 
 the extent of the big catcher' s popularity with the 
 crowd. 
 
 Chicago was the opposing team, and Duffy was 
 at bat. Gore was playing center for the ' ' Giants, ' ' 
 and was, on the day in question, particularly full 
 of " monkey-shines." He had been playing 
 remarkable ball for a month or more, however, 
 and the spectators were so grateful, as a result, 
 that they saw something funny in everything he 
 did. Finally, by waiting too long to get under a 
 fly-ball, he let it hit the staging and bound over 
 the fence for a home -run. Ewing frowned, the 
 crowd looked a trifle grave, and Gore himself 
 seemed disturbed. A moment later, when Duffy 
 came to bat, Ewing motioned , Gore in from far 
 
38 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 center toward right-center. Gore made a six-foot 
 bluff to obey, and then stepped back into his 
 former position; upon which Ewing, who had got 
 in position to catch, straightened up, took off his 
 mask, and, walking across the diamond toward 
 center-field, called to Gore. ' ' If you don't want to 
 do what I tell you," said he, " you can get out of 
 the game." 
 
 It was about as public a slap at the public' s 
 favorite as Ewing could have administered, and 
 after ten seconds of silence a storm of hisses arose 
 from the grand stand as Gore slowly walked over 
 and took the position Ewing had indicated. At 
 the first hiss, Ewing turned quickly and walked 
 back toward the grand stand, his flashing eyes 
 sweeping it from one end to another. The hissing 
 ceased instantly, and the crowd actually began to 
 cheer the man it had just been hissing. Ewing' s 
 lip curled, and then he smiled as though to say, 
 " Well, I thought so," as he picked up his mask 
 and continued the game. Ewing never hesitates 
 to take a man to task at once for a poor play; but 
 a man whom he may have embarrassed on the 
 ball-field during the afternoon, he will treat with 
 special consideration in the club-house after the 
 game, so that the player who felt like quitting 
 the game at the time of his captain' s brusque ' i call 
 down," is ready, by the time he has taken his 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 39 
 
 bath and donned his street attire, to vote Ewing 
 the best team-captain in the business. Ewing, 
 perhaps more than any other captain, imbues each 
 of his players, by his own conduct and deportment 
 on the field, with an abundance of confidence in the 
 superiority of their team. He is invariably indif- 
 ferent to the crowd, save for the running volley of 
 chaff he fires at and invites from the spectators 
 immediately behind him. He either carries a dis- 
 puted point, or else does not let up on an umpire 
 during the balance of the game, and meantime 
 exercises a telling influence over his men in all 
 parts of the field by the excellence of his own play- 
 ing, as well as by his constant " pulling" for his 
 team, whether it be in his position behind the bat, in 
 the coacher's lines, or upon the bench. The fact 
 that Ewing, Comiskey, nor Anson are interfered 
 with by anyone in the control of their men — that 
 their word is practically law among their respect- 
 ive players — doubtless has much to do with their 
 success as team-captains. 
 
40 Stories of the Base Ball Field 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PERSONAL MENTION OF PROMINENT PLAYERS AND 
 THEIR METHODS UPON THE FIELD. 
 
 That every player possesses one or more dis- 
 tinguishing characteristics in his work upon the 
 ball-field, becomes apparent to the lover of the 
 game who will study the tactics of the men com- 
 posing the different teams of a league during the 
 playing season. There are governing principles, 
 of course, which every player must observe, in 
 catching, throwing, handling, and batting the ball; 
 yet it is the exception when those peculiarities of 
 style and method which distinguish one player 
 from another upon the field are found duplicated 
 in the same team, or even in the same association. 
 
 Peculiarities are sometimes the result of habit; 
 sometimes the result of a theory upon the part of 
 a ball-player that some particular method of bat- 
 ting, sliding, fielding, or running bases is more 
 effective than others; and again they exist because 
 the player adopted them in the beginning of his 
 career and developed them as he advanced in 
 ability and popularity. It is these methods upon 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 41 
 
 the field which create a player's individuality, 
 which make him popular or unpopular, which 
 distinguish him from other players, and which 
 either make him invaluable to a club, or fix his 
 standing in the profession at the ordinary, extra- 
 ordinary, or phenomenal notch in the market of 
 base-ball talent. 
 
 A good judge of talent once remarked to me: 
 ' ' I will bet an even $100 with anyone that if a 
 team selected from the old-timers of the National 
 League — that is, men who have played in the 
 league five years or more — were to come upon the 
 field with masks on their faces, I could name every 
 man of the nine before it had played an inning. 
 Their attitudes on the field, their methods of run- 
 ning bases, of coaching, of batting, and of fielding 
 their different positions, would enable me to spot 
 them. I never saw any two men in the business 
 play ball exactly alike.'' 
 
 How many Chicagoans are there, I wonder, who 
 would not know Williamson under such con- 
 ditions? Who wou]d mistake old Anson? How 
 many people in any league city would fail to spot 
 Mike Kelly, Buck Ewing, Charley Bennett, John 
 Clarkson, Tim Keefe, Mickey Welch, George 
 Gore, Roger Connor, or any other of the old- 
 timers who have stamped their individuality and 
 their peculiar methods of fielding and . batting 
 
42 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 upon the minds of patrons of the game in every 
 city of the league circuit? 
 
 Taking the pitchers first, I do not suppose 
 another pitcher in the country has the peculiar 
 delivery of Radbourne; certainly I know of none 
 who exerts himself less when in the box. Rad- 
 bourne is invariably the same, whether playing 
 an exhibition game against the Macon Grays or a 
 championship game against Chicago or New York. 
 
 " What is there about Radbourne' s delivery that 
 fools a batsman?" I asked John Tener, one day, 
 after a game in Boston; and John's reply was 
 exactly such as had been given me a score of times 
 before. "I don't know," said he; "it looks as 
 though we ought to bat him all over the field. 
 The ball comes in deliberately enough, but it is 
 not once in five times that we can get it where 
 we want it, or that we calculate it right when we 
 think we have got it where we want it." I do 
 not believe Radbourne changes his methods with 
 different batsmen. I have seen him pitch the 
 same balls to Anson that he pitched to Flint; yet 
 Flint would hit the ball, and Anson wouldn't. 
 With the seven other batsmen of the team his 
 delivery seemed to me the same— no change of 
 pace with one any more than with the other, so far 
 as I could see; yet his average of success was about 
 the same with all. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 43 
 
 Not so with Clarkson, however. He knows 
 every batsman who faces him, and if a new man 
 should hit him once, it is dollars to cents he will 
 not face John Clarkson and hit the same kind of 
 a ball a second time during that game. How this 
 player can carry in his mind a mental diagram of 
 every league batsman' s likes and dislikes in the 
 matter of delivery is a puzzle; yet he does it, and 
 so accurately that he rarely, if ever, makes a 
 mistake. Well, Clarkson is a phenomenon as a 
 pitcher. His judgment is excellent, and his com- 
 mand of the ball simply marvelous. Time and 
 again, when sitting in the press-box behind the 
 catcher, I have been so lost in admiration of the 
 Bostonian' s skill as to forget for the moment that 
 there was another player upon the field. 
 
 While we were in England and Australia, dur- 
 ing the winter of 1888-89, almost the first ques- 
 tion the newspaper correspondents of our party 
 were asked was: "Is it really true that your 
 pitchers can 'break' a ball in the air?" and 
 when we told them that there was no doubt 
 whatever of their ability to do so, they looked 
 the incredulity they doubtless felt. I remember 
 one day in Melbourne, while the boys were 
 practicing for the game, an Australian just back 
 of the catcher's box called to Ryan, who hap- 
 pened to be pitching to Daly, and asked him if 
 
44 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 he would give an illustration of curved pitching. 
 Jim responded, and began to send the ball to 
 Daly with a strong out-shoot. Perhaps a hun- 
 dred people heard the request, and these spread 
 the information that the Americans were fc 'break- 
 ing" the ball in the air. The result was that the 
 crush back of the player's box was so great that 
 the ground policemen had to order the crowd 
 back; while shouts of " Well! Well!" and 
 " Bravo T' went up from the two or three hundred 
 people who, being in a line with the pitcher and 
 catcher, could see the ball describe a sharp curve 
 as it passed from one to the other of the players. 
 I thought then, as I thought last summer when I 
 sat in the grand stand at Boston and saw Clark- 
 son's wonderful command, u How such pitching 
 as Clarkson's would have astonished the Austra- 
 lians!" 
 
 £ Comparing Clarkson' s method of delivering a 
 ball with those of Shaw, Whitney, and Galvin, 
 there is little room for question as to the great 
 advantage of Clarkson' s style over that of any 
 of the three pitchers named, and yet all have 
 been great twirlers in their day. There is posi- 
 tively no loss of power or strength* with Clarkson, 
 while with the others there must necessarily be a 
 great loss. When Clarkson wants speed, he finds 
 it in his shoulder and his wrist. When Whitney, 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 45 
 
 Shaw, Healy, or Galvin want speed, they use their 
 entire bodily strength to produce it. 7 One style 
 is not only effective, but it is graceful; it im- 
 presses a crowd favorably, and it imbues the 
 fielders with confidence. The other is ungainly, 
 unnecessary, and not nearly so effective, for the 
 reason that it impairs command. The one other 
 pitcher — yes, I will say three other pitchers — Tim 
 Keefe, Hutchinson, and Mark Baldwin — whose 
 methods of obtaining speed are similar to Clark- 
 son' s, are successful, although Baldwin and 
 Hutchinson have only just begun to fathom 
 the secret of command, an art which Clarkson 
 had well-nigh mastered even before he made 
 his league debut with the Chicago club. On 
 the other hand, look at the array of pitchers 
 of the Whitney- Shaw stripe who have been 
 effective for two or three seasons and then 
 dropped in the talent market, for no other reason 
 than that, instead of husbanding their strength, 
 they used themselves up before they had really 
 developed the ability that was in them. 
 / When Clarkson first joined the Chicago team, 
 he was wofully weak in one all-important point 
 in a pitcher's work, viz., covering first-base. It 
 was Anson' s training that helped the great pitcher 
 to overcome this fault, and although he has 
 never become perfect in this particular, he is far 
 
 / 
 
46 ories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 better at it than he used to be. Larry Corcoran 
 had no superior among pitchers as a fielder when 
 he was the star of old Ansoir s twirlers, in -83-4-5, 
 raid I have never since seen his equal. It was 
 dollars to cents against a batsman getting to first- 
 base, unless he sent the ball clean and hard past 
 Corcoran. No matter where Anson stood when 
 he picked up the ball, he was dead sure of find- 
 ing Corcoran on first before the runner, if he 
 (Anson) was not near enough to the base to reach 
 it. Little John Flynn, who bade fair to step into 
 Corcoran' s shoes in 1886, was second to Corcoran 
 as a fielding pitcher. It came naturally to him 
 without any tips from Anson, and when Flynn 
 threw his arm out, at the very outset of the fol- 
 lowing season, Chicago lost one of the most prom- 
 ising pitchers it has ever signed. ^ 
 
 What a world of difference is observable in the 
 work of our crack catchers, notwithstanding that 
 all of them are behind the bat to stop pitched balls, 
 capture foul flies, and hold base-runners on the 
 bases. Tom Daly was the greatest catcher, I 
 think, that the Chicago club ever had, and a careful 
 study of that back-stop's methods behind the bat 
 to-day will help any young catcher in the busi- 
 ness. Daly's arm was wrong daring the season 
 of 1888, and his great throwing to bases of the 
 i before failed to stamp his work during the 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 47 
 
 last season he played under Anson. The action 
 was all there, however, and had the power been 
 behind it, instances of base-stealing by opposing 
 runners would have been as few and far between 
 as they were when Daly was at his best. During 
 1889, after eight or ten weeks of absolute rest, 
 Daly seemed to get back into his old-time form 
 again, and his work for Washington was a sub- 
 ject for comment by the press of every city in the 
 league circuit. That he will be a great back- stop 
 for Brooklyn seems assured. Farrell caught some 
 good ball for Chicago in 1889, but his throwing to 
 bases, while, as a rule, accurate, was very fre- 
 quently slow, and with any lead at all, a base- 
 runner's chances for a steal were reasonably good. 
 The cause of this was simply the catcher's fail- 
 ure to receive the ball with his throwing arm in 
 proper position to throw. Daly's arm, when he 
 was up behind the bat, was ready to send the ball 
 to second, if necessary, before the ball had struck 
 his hands; and at times it has seemed to me 
 that the ball simply rebounded from the catcher 
 to the second-baseman with terrific speed and 
 remarkable accuracy. At such times there 
 was no motion of throwing discernible. The 
 hand and arm that stopped the ball were drawn 
 back and in position to throw when the ball 
 struck it, and that fact alone lost the base-runner 
 
48 Stories of the Base Ball Meld. 
 
 anywhere from eight to ten feet. Bennett sticks 
 to the same rule in his work, and when he and 
 Daly are at their best, there is almighty little 
 base-stealing done by opposing runners. 
 
 Ewing has practiced this method, but often- 
 times seems to forget to employ it when its em- 
 ployment is most desirable, and consequently has 
 not the reputation for throwing to bases he might 
 have were he to hold himself in readiness at all 
 times, when up behind the bat, to throw the ball. 
 He is a very strong thrower, however, and this 
 helps him greatly. Bennett, I think, may be 
 regarded as a greater catcher than Ewing, for, all 
 other things being equal, Bennett is quicker in 
 getting the ball across the diamond, and more to be 
 depended upon by a pitcher, than is Ewing. Ben- 
 nett never gets rattled; Ewing does. Not only 
 once, but frequently, I have seen him, when a 
 base-runner had secured a fair start from first, 
 throw the ball almost into the center-fielder's 
 hands. I have yet to see Bennett do it. For all 
 this, however, Ewing is a great catcher, and 
 deserves the praise that has been accorded him. 
 
 The admission of Cincinnati to the league 
 circuit will give patrons of the game in league 
 cities an opportunity, during the next year or 
 two, of seeing a little catcher whose work is sure 
 to please the crowd. I refer to Earle, the player 
 
. Stories of tlie Base Ball Field. 49 
 
 who made the circuit of the globe with the 
 Spalding party. There are few catchers possessed 
 of more ability, and the amount of work the 
 little fellow does behind the bat is astonishing. 
 He is always on the jump, and his stops alone 
 will be very apt to make him a great favorite in 
 league circles. Spalding and Anson were at once 
 struck with his work when he caught Tuckerman 
 at Minneapolis, in the game between the Chicago 
 and St. Paul teams on the world's tour, and had 
 not Cincinnati been just a little the quicker of 
 the two clubs in negotiating with him, Earle 
 would have caught under Anson during the 
 season of 1889. 
 
 Coming to first-basemen, Jake Beckley was the 
 peer of every man in his position during last 
 season, and I regard his success due as much to 
 his cat-like agility as to his stature and length of 
 limb. I believe the theory that all other requi- 
 sites in a first-baseman should be sacrificed to 
 physical development, to height and reach, is a 
 wrong one. The greatest first-baseman of his 
 time, McKinnon, was not an Anson nor a Connor 
 in physical proportions. There is work for a first- 
 baseman to do other than to stop the balls thrown 
 into his hands by his fellow in-fielders. Pitchers 
 who can cover first-base as well as pitch are few 
 in number, and batted balls are as likely to be 
 
 4 
 
50 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 placed twenty feet off the initial bag as in the 
 territory of third, short, or second -base. Many 
 is the man whom Anson could have put out at 
 first had he been more active and fleet of foot. 
 Connor is quicker, but still slow compared to 
 either Beckley or McKinnon. First-basemen 
 should also be strong and accurate throwers across 
 the diamond; true, they have not so much of it to 
 do as have the third-baseman and short-stop, but 
 like the Texan who, when he needs his gun, 
 " needs it badly," the first-baseman who is 
 called upon to stop a steal of third wants to be 
 just as good a thrower to bases as any other man 
 in the team. It is a long throw, and the truer and 
 faster the ball goes, the better. Two or three 
 prominent first-basemen I might name have no 
 confidence whatever in themselves when it comes 
 to putting the ball across the diamond. From 
 every stand-point, I think Beckley may be regard- 
 ed as an ideal first-baseman. He is a strong and 
 accurate thrower; he is quick to think, and agile 
 as a cat; he has height and reach, and is not 
 handicapped by a pound of superfluous fat or 
 muscle. He is also a strong batter and a good 
 base-runner. Connor, though possessed of a 
 great reach, is too heavy. His reach and his 
 batting ability constitute his greatest value as a 
 player. Anson also is too heavy, and of late 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 51 
 
 lacks the agility which in years past has charac- 
 terized him as the most active big man in the 
 business. In Jay Faatz we find the other extreme. 
 His reach is too great to admit of his handling 
 himself quickly. Beckley, however, is the happy 
 medium between angularity and avoirdupois, 
 between surplus muscle and elongated awkward- 
 ness, which every team-manager would do well 
 to hit upon in his search for first-base talent. 
 
 The remaining in-field positions, without ques- 
 tion, have furnished more examples of the degree 
 of skill, judgment, and agility that may be 
 attained upon the ball-field, than have all of the 
 remaining positions combined. The strength of 
 a team is determined, to a greater extent, by the 
 ability and experience of its in-fielders, than by 
 anything else, perhaps, save a good team-captain. 
 A team may have one, or even two, novices in the 
 out-field; it may have an ordinary pitcher in the 
 box, and a lame catcher behind the bat; but if 
 it has got a " stonewall " in-field, it will put up a 
 game that wiH surely please the crowd, and keep 
 the other side guessing until the last ball has been 
 batted. 
 
 Billy Nash, Joe Mulvey, Tom Burns, and Jerry 
 Denny, as third-basemen; Jack Glasscock, Ned 
 Williamson, and John Ward, as short-stops, and 
 Danny and Hardy Richardson, Al Myers, and Cub 
 
52 Stories of the Base hall Meld. 
 
 Strieker, are unquestionably the greatest league 
 players in tlieir positions of the past decade. 
 There are others, of course, whose work has 
 claimed a fair share of public notice, but they 
 have owed much of tlieir success to the general 
 excellence of the in-fields they have been a part 
 of. 
 
 In Wilmot, I believe Chicago has secured one 
 of the greatest out-fielders of the league; not 
 that his fielding ability is superior to that of 
 Evan, Duffy, Johnston, Kelly, or Gore, but 
 because he combines what ability he has in that 
 direction with plenty of hitting power, while he 
 also has few equals as a base-runner. In an out- 
 fielder the public expects to find every qualifica- 
 tion of a ball-player. It seems to think he should 
 be a good batsman, a sprinter, an unerring fielder, 
 a base-runner, and a strong thrower, Why this 
 is so, I can not imagine, unless it is that the field- 
 ing work of an out-fielder, when compared with 
 the in-field, seems so easy a job. The crank in the 
 grand stand argues something like this: " Those 
 fellows out there ouglit to do the bulk of the hrt- 
 ting and base-running. Why, they've got things 
 too easy. If a grounder gets by the in-field, the 
 out-fielder has plenty of time to see it coming and 
 stop it; if a fly -ball is batted, he generally has ample 
 opportunity to gauge and get under it, while most 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 58 
 
 of the time the in-field and the battery are doing 
 the work." Fortunately for those who expect so 
 much of out-field talent, the rank and file of out- 
 fielders are excellent general players, the out- 
 field contributing very largely to the sprinters, 
 throwers, batsmen, and base-runners of the pro- 
 fession. And in this respect the out-field tal- 
 ent of to-day is better than it was ten years ago. 
 Indeed, the same may be said of all the players 
 upon a ball-field. The time has passed when a 
 pitcher or a catcher can satisfy a team-manager 
 or a crowd of spectators by being a good pitcher 
 or a good back-stop. The average team-manager 
 is not looking so much for a man who can put up 
 a brilliant fielding game in center, at short, or at 
 second-base, and who has exhausted his abilities 
 as a player when he has done that much. On the 
 contrary, the base-ball manager of to-day would 
 a good deal rather have a man who was a strong 
 batter and base-runner, even if he were not so 
 good a fielder. It is the general ball-player who 
 is commanding the salary to-day, and this will be 
 more and more the case with each coming year in 
 the history of base ball. 
 
 The split between the league and the brother- 
 hood can not but result in throwing a new crop 
 of young ball-players upon the market during 
 the next year or two. It will also, I imagine, 
 
64 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 result in better ball-playing than the league has 
 seen for years. Young ball-players with reputa- 
 tions to make and their futures before them, 
 will be apt to throw plenty of dash and spirit 
 into their play; and with each of the old league 
 teams possessing enough seasoned talent to act 
 as ballast, latent talent (and I ween there is lots 
 of it among the list of young players the league 
 is signing) will not be long in developing. Next 
 fall I shall be glad of the opportunity, in the 
 second volume of this series, to review the work 
 of the reorganized league teams of 1890, and say 
 something as to the list of new batters, fielders, 
 and base-runners that this factional fight in base 
 ball will have developed. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 55 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ODD YARNS OF THE DRESSING-ROOM AND 
 
 DIAMOND, 
 
 As a rule, there is little of the serious in a ball- 
 player's make-up. Generally in perfect physical 
 condition, he has none of the ills that human 
 flesh is heir to, to sour his disposition and act as 
 a drag to the enthusiasm of his young manhood. 
 Possessed of a salary that enables him, by work- 
 ing seven months in the twelve, to live like a pros- 
 perous young merchant, and lay by a goodly sum 
 each year in addition, he is never troubled as to 
 the state of his finances; while being engaged in a 
 business that is really a pastime, and unques- 
 tionably a pleasure to him, there is small wonder 
 that the life of the average professional ball- 
 player is full of good things; that his spirits are 
 almost continually effervescing in practical jokes 
 and clever stories; that humor with him is in the 
 ascendency, and that each season is prolific of 
 laughable incidents and interesting situations, 
 both on and off the ball-field. 
 
 Has it ever occurred to the average lover of 
 
50 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 athletic sports that there are fewer instances of 
 ill feeling, of personal enmity and personal 
 encounters, among the ball -players of the lead- 
 ing organizations of the country; that there is a 
 more fraternal feeling; that there are less petty 
 jealousies and differences than is the case in any 
 profession where men are brought together in 
 competition for public favor and personal gain? 
 True, there are exceptions to the rule of good- 
 fellowship and light-hearted indifference to the 
 more serious and disagreeable things in life that 
 mark the characters of the rank and file of 
 players. Arrogance, conceit, and other unpleas- 
 ant characteristics will occasionally crop out in 
 the jolliest of professional teams; but in such 
 instances the player who exhibits them is let 
 alone by his fellows, and is made to feel, by the 
 neglect and dislike his companions hold him in, 
 that he is not one of them. The dramatic pro- 
 fession has its Hoppers, Bells, Robsons, Cranes, 
 Wilsons, and Goodwins; and just so the base-ball 
 profession has its Kellys, Fogartys, Healys, 
 O'Learys, Gallaghers, and a host of others whose 
 natural wit, good nature, and happy dispositions, 
 as well as their ability, have made them bright 
 lights in their chosen calling, and never-to-be-for- 
 gotten favorites among the thousands of base-ball 
 patrons throughout the land. Many laughable 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 57 
 
 incidents and almost innumerable instances of 
 native wit and humor among ball-players have 
 come under my notice during the years that I 
 have been among them in the capacity of a news- 
 paper correspondent, and I doubt not that the 
 following pages will recall many others to such of 
 my readers as may be personally acquainted with 
 the players who figure in these anecdotes. Of 
 course, the great trip of the American teams in 
 the recent tour of the world was prolific of them. 
 A jollier party could scarcely have been gotten 
 together, and rare indeed are the instances in 
 which circumstances and conditions afforded 
 greater opportunity for the display of innate wit 
 and humor, or resulted in a greater number of 
 unusual situations calculated to excite the fun- 
 loving natures of the participants. 
 
 At this moment I recall an incident of our 
 game at Birmingham, England, over which I have 
 laughed heartily many times since we sailed from 
 Queenstown in the " Adriatic." Long John 
 Healy did most of the pitching for All- America 
 on the tour, and Fred Carroll, of Pittsburgh, 
 covered first-base. Carroll was eternally "chew- 
 ing" at Healy, and old John would generally 
 "chew" back for a few seconds, and end up in a 
 fit of laughter before he delivered the ball. If 
 there was a base-runner on first, however, Healy 
 
68 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 would generally get even with Fred by firing the 
 ball at Carroll half a dozen times, so hard that it 
 kept Carroll's palms itching for the rest of the 
 inning, while Fred would grow madder with 
 each ball thrown, until, before the long pitcher let 
 up, the first-baseman had grown fairly red-headed. 
 Well, we had a big crowd out to see the game in 
 Birmingham, and there were scores of English- 
 men present who scoffed at the game, and insisted, 
 before it began, that it was " nothing but round- 
 ers/' The press-table sat to the right of the 
 home-plate, just about on a line with the pitcher's 
 box and first-base, and around it, in addition to 
 Macmillan, Goodfriend, and myself, sat a score of 
 English new r spaper-men and their friends, to- 
 gether with several Birmingham cricketers, who 
 wanted to learn the points of the game. Game 
 began, and it was not long before Healy and 
 Carroll began to "chew." Finally, Tener hit a 
 grounder toward Healy, and John threw a little 
 wild to first, so that Carroll had to run up a bit 
 to take it. Down the line came Tener, and the 
 force with which he struck Carroll sent both 
 players head over heels clear over the base-bag. 
 Carroll picked himself up and began to "chew" at 
 the rate of ninety words a minute, and the more 
 he " chewed," the harder John Healy laughed, 
 until he had Carroll fairly crazy. Tener was also 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 59 
 
 in a bad humor, and play was finally recommenced 
 with all three of the players in a decidedly resent- 
 ful mood. Finally, Tener began to lead off the 
 bag, and Healy, after feinting once or twice, sent 
 the ball at Carroll — and, let me tell you, that ball 
 actually whistled! Carroll didn't see it when 
 John let it go, and when he did see it, it was 
 about three feet in front of his face, and the way 
 he dropped was a picture. Just at this moment 
 a fat, florid-faced little Englishman jumped over 
 the railing of the spectator' s stand as, in answer to 
 the inquiry of one of the cricketers at the press- 
 table, he was shouting: "It's rounders, don't 
 you know, I've just tumbled; it's rounders, and 
 nothink else." As he got the last word out of 
 his mouth the ball struck him. Had I not seen 
 Carroll dodge, it would have struck me, but I 
 dropped just in time, and it caught the little 
 Englishman, who stood just back of me, square 
 upon the front of his ample pod. There was a 
 dull thud, a gasp, and a groan, and the little 
 Englishman fell over a chair with not enough 
 wind left in his body to fill a penny whistle. 
 When he finally did speak, he said: " Blessed if 
 that ain't the bloominest rounders ball I ever 
 felt. They must make 'em a deal harder in 
 Ameriky than they make 'em in Birminam." 
 Healy couldn't pitch ball a little bit for two 
 
CO 8t of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 innings afterward for laughing, although the 
 teams played a ten-inning tie game, and one of 
 the prettiest of the trip. 
 
 Our party had a delightful time at Belfast. 
 There was a great crowd at the game in the after- 
 noon, and that evening the North of Ireland 
 Cricket Club tendered us a banquet (the mayor 
 of Belfast presiding) at the club-house upon the 
 cricket-grounds. I was late finishing up my 
 dispatches to the New York Herald that evening, 
 and it was probably nine o'clock when I got into 
 a cab and started for the club-house out on the 
 Ormeau road. Finally I drew up at the gate, 
 just as Jimmy Ryan appeared and told me that 
 the banquet was about over. Just behind Jimmy 
 was a ditch about six feet deep, its bottom cov- 
 ered with dirty water and a foot of black mud. 
 A platform crossed the ditch from the sidewalk 
 to the club-house gate, and while I was talking 
 with Ryan, undecided whether or not I would go 
 in or return to the hotel, a portly figure in full 
 evening costume, issued from the gate, and, cross- 
 ing the platform, asked the cabmen, a number of 
 whom were outside the park, if his carriage had 
 come. The cabmen did not know, and after 
 another question the portly gentleman stepped 
 upon the platform to re-enter the club-house 
 grounds. His foot struck the end of a scantling, 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 61 
 
 however, and down he went, headfirst, into the 
 nasty pool at the bottom of the ditch. Ryan 
 threw up both hands and howled; the cabmen 
 guffawed, and redoubled their laughter when 
 the unfortunate wearer of the dress-suit scrambled 
 up the bank, bespattered from head to foot, and 
 the black muck dripping from his hands, hair, 
 and shirt front. 
 
 " Who and what are you laughing at?" sput- 
 tered the old gent, at which the cabmen laughed 
 harder than ever. 
 
 " Get out of here, every one of you!" shouted 
 the now exasperated and very much soiled old 
 gentleman. " Take your cabs off this street. I'd 
 have you kuow I'm the mayor of Belfast. D — n 
 it all, look at me!" with which he quickly crossed 
 the platform, and slammed the gate after him. 
 
 " Let's go, Jimmy," I suggested, and Ryan and 
 I entered my cab for the hotel. Jim has since 
 frequently told the story of the Irish gentleman's 
 mishap, though neither of us stopped at the time 
 to find out whether or not the unfortunate was 
 really the city's chief executive. 
 
 Not wishing to appear selfish in the matter of 
 yarn- spinning, the author, a few weeks ago, pen- 
 ciled a line to some of his fellow correspond- 
 ents, with a request that if they had anything 
 
62 Stories of the Base Ball Field, 
 
 really good, to let it come this way. Many of the 
 boys were too busily engaged with the work of 
 their respective papers to fall in line, but as many 
 more promptly responded, and the following con- 
 tributions from able pens will, the writer feels 
 sure, prove interesting. 
 
 PETE BROWNING BANCROFT MEANT BUSINESS — 
 
 ONE ON DAN O' LEAKY — HOW " CHRIS" SET- 
 TLED A POINT IN DISPUTE — " BID " M'PHEE'S 
 FIRST RECEPTION — ONE OF " YANK " ROBIN- 
 SON'S EXPERIENCES. 
 
 " The prof essional base-ball player of to-day," 
 writes Harry AVeldon, of the Cincinnati Eu- 
 quirer, " leads a life that, to all appearances, is 
 an enviable one. In season, he lives in an atmos- 
 phere of festivity, excitement, and ovation. The 
 hum-drum monotony attending the ordinary busi- 
 ness walk of life does not enter into the national 
 game. The kaleidoscope-like changes that are 
 constantly occurring leave no room for ennui. 
 Every day unfolds something new. No two games 
 of base ball are alike, and in this regard the pro- 
 fessional base-ballist has an advantage over the 
 professional actor. The last-named profession is 
 the only one that approaches professional base 
 ball in the matter of excitement. The average 
 actor, however, has but one turn or one set 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 63 
 
 speech, and constant repetition causes the life to 
 become dull and tiresome. Nine out of every ten 
 members of the base-ball profession are possessed 
 of light hearts, and know not the meaning of the 
 word ' care. 5 Among such a large number of rol- 
 licking, happy-go-lucky individuals, it would be 
 strange indeed were there not many incidents 
 and anecdotes well worth telling. Many stories 
 have been told about players, managers, and mag- 
 nates, and when casting about for material for 
 this article, the writer, in the short space of time 
 allotted him by the author of this book, has suc- 
 ceeded, he thinks, in hitting upon a few incidents 
 that have not been worn threadbare by constant 
 repetition in print. 
 
 " Lewis Browning is not a $10,000 beauty, or 
 even a 5-cent one, for that matter, for he is rather 
 homely; for all that, however, he is one of the 
 best-known professionals now before the public. 
 His convivial habits and laughable escapades have 
 made him notorious, and among a certain class he 
 is very popular. Not one patron of the game 
 out of every fifty is acquainted with his proper 
 name, for he has been known as ' Old Pete ' 
 Browning ever since he played on the common. 
 He himself is responsible for this change in his 
 cognomen, for he always refers to himself as ' Old 
 Pete 5 or 'The Gladiator.' 7 
 
04 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 i 
 
 "Pete has been playing ball professionally 
 
 since 1880, and can say what no other ball-player 
 of such a long experience can — in all that time he 
 has never been hit with a pitched ball. The plain 
 facts in the case are that no one is able to hit him. 
 'The Gladiator' has a mortal dread of being 
 ' soaked ' by an 'in-shoot,' and some of the great 
 pugilists could, with profit to themselves, take 
 lessons from him in what is known in ring par- 
 lance as 'ducking.' A member of the Louisville 
 team told me, recently, that he would bet $100, and 
 post the money, that there was not a pitcher in 
 the country, no matter how swift his delivery, 
 who could hit Browning in three trials in the 
 regulation pitching distance./ He said he would 
 not bar either ' Silver ' King or Ed Crane. Pete 
 is a terrific batter. His position at the bat is a 
 picture — he stands erect, with his bat swung over 
 his shoulder. His personal habits may interfere 
 with his fielding, but they certainly have no 
 appreciable effect on his batting. He has a great 
 'eye,' and will not go after a bad one. The ball 
 must come over the plate before he will attempt 
 to hit it. When he does select a ball, he steps 
 forward in the box, his bat whizzes through the 
 air, and when it meets the sphere he throws the 
 weight of his body with the blow, and the ball 
 leaves his bat with almost the force of a rifle-shot. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 65 
 
 On account of his batting ability, pitchers used 
 to dread "The Gladiator.' In olden days, when 
 there was no penalty for hitting a batter with a 
 pitched ball, twirlers used to attempt to drive 
 Browning away from the plate by pitching at 
 him. Mullane always followed this plan, and 
 Pete had a holy horror of ' Tricky ' Tony. Time 
 and again Mullane has knocked off ' The Gladi- 
 ator's cap, or hit the bulge in his flannel shirt, 
 but has never been able to get a fair soak at the 
 'Pride of Louisville.' Although Pete comes of 
 a good family, and will some day inherit a nice 
 estate, he is not the best-read man in Kentucky, 
 £nd many stories of the Mrs. Partington order 
 are told at his expense. Pete is not as stupid, 
 however, as his talk would seem to suggest, and, 
 with an eye to the main chance, he has turned 
 these stories to his owti advantage. He is fond 
 of seeing his name in print, and treasures every 
 article that appears about him, no matter whether 
 good, bad, or indifferent. He thinks they are a 
 good advertisement, and Pete is a great believer 
 in advertising. He is sociable and communica- 
 tive, and in every city he visits makes it his busi- 
 ness to become acquainted with as many people 
 as possible. Even on the trains, when with his 
 team on trips, ' The Gladiator ' would get out at 
 every little water-tank town and introduce him- 
 
 5 
 
66 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 self to the few rustics he found on the platform. 
 This kind of advertising helped him, and no mat- 
 ter where the Louisvilles played, or how badly they 
 were playing, Browning was sure to be recognized 
 and given a ' hand ' every time he came to the 
 bat. His friends in the stand would rally and 
 make ' The Gladiator ' lift his cap in acknowl- 
 edgment of the applause. 
 i k k Browning has been fined and suspended times 
 innumerable for intemperance, but the punish- 
 ment had little effect. Probably his most flagrant 
 breach of discipline occurred in Kansas City last 
 season. Pete looked upon the wine when it was 
 red in an all-night session, and early the next 
 morning became possessed with the idea that it 
 was a good day to 'go a-fishing.' Rain was 
 pouring down in torrents when Pete purchased a 
 long bamboo pole and a hook and line. While 
 the rest of the Louisville team were preparing to 
 leave the city, Pete was seated in a chair in front 
 of the Midland Hotel, with his hook and line cast 
 in the muddy water that was running in the 
 gutter. The Louisville manager was so provoked 
 by this escapade that he left Browning in Kansas 
 City. The latter was not able to raise any money, 
 and was forced to ride home ' on his trunk ' two 
 days later." 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field, 67 
 
 " Frank Bancroft is a plain-spoken manager, 
 who never minces words, but calls things by their 
 right names, at all times and places. Once, when 
 he had charge of the Worcester team, a recruit 
 from a minor league was sent to him for trial. 
 The youngster came highly recommended, and 
 was put in the out-field in a championship game. 
 He only had three chances, and made three glaring 
 errors. Bancroft looked glum and out of sorts 
 at the close of the game. The recruit seemed to 
 appreciate the fact that he was the cause of the 
 manager's bad humor, and, stepping up to him, 
 said: ' Mr. Bancroft, I was a little off this after- 
 noon.' 
 
 " 'Yes,' said Bancroft, 'and you'll be a darn 
 sight farther off to-morrow afternoon;' with 
 which he handed the recruit a railroad ticket to 
 his home, several hundred miles away." 
 
 "One of the prominent characters of the na- 
 tional game is genial, hustling, and original Dan 
 O'Leary. Possessed of a happy-go-lucky dispo- 
 sition, Dan's smile is just as bright and his greet- 
 ing just as cordial when he has not the price of 
 the next meal as when he is drawing a big salary 
 for looking after the interests of some base-ball 
 team. Dan never went back on a friend in the 
 hour of need, and, if necessary, would split his last 
 
68 of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 dollar in two to help out even an acquaintance. 
 He is one of Nature's noblemen, and if lie could 
 now realize on mental ' tabs ' lie holds against 
 improvident players and others to whom he Las 
 loaned various sums, he would be well provided 
 for in this world's goods. Dan lived in Cincin- 
 nati for about five months, and during that time 
 managed to get on speaking terms with every 
 man, boy, and dog between the Ohio River and 
 Burnet Woods Park. He was plain ' Dan ' to 
 everybody, from a boot-black up to a banker. 
 He was employed, wdiile in Cincinnati, as manager 
 of the Cincinnati Union association club. Every- 
 body who has kept run of base ball knows that 
 this organization had in its ranks some of the 
 banner boozers of the country. ' Father ' Kelly, 
 ' Yaller Bill ' Harbidge, Frank McLaughlin, and 
 kindred spirits were on the Union club's pay- 
 roll. On account of the bibulous inclinations of 
 some of the players, President Thorner issued a 
 strict order against drinking intoxicants. One 
 day Tim Murnane, or rather Murnan — for Tim had 
 not then indulged in journalism, and did not 
 aspire to the height of a final 'e' — came along 
 with the Boston Unions. Now the Boston crowd 
 had always been a troublesome one for the local 
 team, and had won nearly every previous game 
 that had been played. This day O'Leary's men 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 69 
 
 carried off the honors in a ten-inning struggle. 
 O' Leary was in high feather, and when the team 
 repaired to the dressing-room he was not slow in 
 congratulating the players for their fine work. 
 ' That was a tough game/ said 'Father' Kelly; 
 'I am nearly played out. I wish I had some 
 beer to cool off my " coppers." ' 
 
 " 'Beer! Did you say beer?' cried Dan in an 
 excited manner. ' Here, boy, take this pail and 
 go to the nearest saloon; bring it back full of Ger- 
 man tea,' said Dan, as he handed a big tin vessel 
 to a boy and told him to hurry. All of the 
 prize lushers were happy in anticipation of 
 soon being able to 'blow off a few,' when, who 
 should pop into the dressing-room but President 
 Tliorner himself. O' Leary saw he was in an 
 unpleasant predicament. He realized that he was 
 about to be discovered in a flagrant breach of the 
 rules, and his active brain began to work for some 
 way out of the scrape. A moment later, and the 
 boy rushed into his presence with the bucket filled 
 to the brim with foaming lager. 
 
 " 'Here's your beer, Mr. O' Leary,' said the boy. 
 Dan jumped to his feet in an excited manner. 
 The time had come to make a ' front,' and Dan was 
 equal to the emergency. He swung his hands in 
 the air and fairly jumped all over the dressing- 
 room as he yelled, in a tragic voice: ' Beer! 
 
?o Stories of the Base. Ball Field. 
 
 Holy jumping Jeliosaphat! who sent for beer? I 
 told you to get milk.' 
 
 k * The idea of a manager sending several blocks 
 to get a bucketful of milk for thirsty ball-players 
 struck his hearers as being so ridiculous that it was 
 hailed with a loud guffaw all around. Even good- 
 natured President Thorner joined in the laugh, 
 and was one of the first to help put down his share 
 of the growler' s contents. 
 
 
 u When President VonderAhe pulled out of 
 the savings bank the most of his hard earnings 
 and invested it in resurrecting the national game 
 in St. Louis, he knew as much about base ball as a 
 porker does about theology. Chris had had no ex- 
 perience then, but was plucky and game enough to 
 risk his money in the venture when no one else 
 would touch it with a pair of tongs. The St. 
 Louis magnate has grown up with the game, and 
 no one can give him points now. In 1882, when 
 he first embarked in the business, the Athletics 
 visited the Mound City. Sportsman's Park has 
 a short right-field, and in olden days there was a 
 ground rule which only allowed two bases for a 
 hit over this fence. On the day in question, 
 nothing was said about the rule before the game. 
 Stovey was the first man up, and he lifted the 
 ball into the street on the other side of the fence 
 
Stories of tire Base Bail Field. 71 
 
 and- completed the circuit. Comiskey came in at 
 once and demanded that he be sent back to second. 
 Stovey protested, and both teams gathered around 
 the Umpire. President Von der Ahe was in the 
 grand stand, but did not understand the cause of 
 the commotion. Finally, he climbed over the 
 rail and approached the crowd. 'Vot's de mat- 
 ter here, Commie; vy don't you blay?' 
 
 "'Oh, Stovey hit the ball over the fence and 
 wants to take a home-run,' said the great Captain. 
 ' I want him to live up to the ground rule and go 
 back to second. What will we do about it?' 
 
 " 'Yell, I tell you,' said St. Louis' chief, as he 
 threw out his chest, hitched up his trousers and 
 looked wise, 'my opinion is dat vot's knocked 
 is knocked, und vot's ofer de fence is ofer de 
 fence. Go ahead mit der game.' This logic and 
 comprehensive remark of the St. Louis chieftain 
 was enough to convince everybody that he knew 
 his business.' ' 
 
 " Speaking of first impressions being often mis- 
 leading, is a reminder that 'Bid' McPhee, now 
 one of the acknowledged second-basemen of the 
 country, was at the outset accorded a very cold 
 reception in Cincinnati. When the old 1882 
 Queen City association team was being organized, 
 McPhee, along with Sam Wise and Rudolph 
 
1% Stories of the ISase Ball Field. 
 
 Kemmler, of the celebrated Akron team, were 
 secured to play in Cincinnati. As the spring ap- 
 proached and the time for reporting drew near, 
 McPhee, who held the position of book-keeper in 
 a business house in Akron, became possessed 
 with the idea that he had achieved all the fame 
 and glory that he desired in knickerbockers, and 
 that he would settle down to be a staid busi- 
 ness man. It required considerable persua- 
 sion to induce him to give up his books, and 
 it was only after dozens of letters had been 
 written and several trips made to Akron that he 
 decided to continue his career on the diamond. 
 Finally, 'Biddy- reported, and the first day he 
 played he put up 'a very much Blue-Grass 
 League' game on second-base. The crowd, on 
 account of the extensive advertising he had re- 
 ceived, did not treat him charitably. They gave 
 him hoots and jeers, and McPhee was in anything 
 but a comfortable frame of mind. ' What broke 
 me up worse than anything else was a little epi- 
 sode that occurred after the game/ said McPhee. 
 4 1 boarded a Clark-street car as soon as I changed 
 my clothes, and leaned against the rail of the rear 
 platform, which was crowded with base-ball enthu- 
 siasts going home. In my citizen's attire none of 
 the cranks knew me. They had evidently lost 
 some money on the game, and as I had contrib- 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 73 
 
 uted more than anyone else to the Waterloo, I 
 was the special target for their abuse. "That 
 stiff they played on second-base to-day made 
 me sick/' said one of the crowd. " What's his 
 name? McPhee? Yes, that's it. May be he 
 didn't work the Cincinnati club about wanting to 
 keep books! He ought to have stayed in Akron. 
 He may be a h — 1 of a good book-keeper, but 
 he's a d — n bad ball-player." And so it went. I 
 dropped off the car without making my identity 
 known, and at that time fully coincided with their 
 views that I could do better at book-keeping than 
 I could at ball-playing. I was badly broken up 
 over my first game in Cincinnati. 5 " 
 
 " Yank Robinson, of the St. Louis Browns, is 
 of a peculiar temperament. He has a decided 
 aversion to riding in a sleeping-car, or rather 
 against retiring in a berth and sleeping the sleep 
 of the just, like a plain, every-day mortal. Robbie 
 evidently thinks his chances for getting out alive 
 in a railroad wreck are far better when sitting up 
 in a car, in his day attire, than when reclining in 
 a berth, wrapped in the arms of Morpheus and 
 one of Pullman's $10 blankets. 
 
 ' i Anyhow, Robinson will not go to bed while on 
 a sleeper, if he can help it. His failure to turn in 
 with the rest of the members of the team, one 
 
; i Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 night, during the writer s official connection with 
 the St. Louis club, was the cause of the little 
 second-baseman getting into a ludicrous scrape. 
 After the St. Louis chief and all the players had 
 retired, Robbie quietly sneaked into the smoking- 
 car in the front part of the train, where he joined 
 ' Foghorn ' Bradley, then an association Umpire, 
 in a quiet siesta, in which lunch, beer, and cigar- 
 ettes were agreeable embellishments. Robbie was 
 in an excellent humor until the conductor shot 
 athwart his vision. That official flashed the lan- 
 tern in Robinson' s face, and, in a suave manner, 
 said, 'Tickets, please.' 
 
 " 'That's all right; I'm a member of the St. 
 Louis Browns,' said Robinson, in a confident 
 manner. 
 
 " 'That don t go,' said the conductor; 'the 
 St. Louis Browns are in the rear sleeper.' 
 
 " ' I know that,' said Robbie; ' I left them and 
 came out here to smoke. You know me; I am 
 the second-baseman.' 
 
 " ' Go on,' said the conductor; 'I know Robin- 
 son — you're not him. Come, give me your ticket; 
 no more monkey-business.' 
 
 " ' I have no ticket; President Yon der Ahe has 
 all the tickets,' said Robbie. 
 
 " ' Well, I'll see about that,' said the conductor, 
 as lie shimmed the door and started for the 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 75 
 
 sleeper. Here he found President Von der Ahe's 
 berth, and shook the St. Louis chief out of a 
 sound slumber. 
 
 " ' Vot you yant? 5 indignantly inquired Chris. 
 
 " ' There is a man out in the smoker who says 
 he belongs to your team; I came to find out about 
 him,' said the conductor. 
 
 "'He don't belong to der Browns,' said the 
 irate president. ' All my men are in bet: don't 
 vake me up again for such a ting.' 
 
 "This was enough, and the conductor returned 
 to the smoker. ' Yon der Ahe don't know you,' 
 said the conductor, angrily, as he approached 
 Robinson; so settle at once, or get off.' 
 
 "Robinson thought the matter over; he con- 
 cluded it was better to pay the fare than to wake 
 Chris up again, and take chances of being soaked 
 a big fine for being out after hours. He settled, 
 paying fare from St. Louis to Indianapolis. The 
 next morning, when all the members of the team 
 were performing their ablutions, Robinson joined 
 them as if he had just gotten out of his berth. A 
 moment later, the conductor came through. Rob- 
 inson saw him, and tried to give him the ' office ' 
 to keep still. It was no go. 
 
 " ' There is the fellow who said he belonged to 
 your team,' blurted out the conductor to Von der 
 Ahe, as he pointed to Robinson. 
 
76 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 "'Get out,' said Robinson, angrily; 'you're 
 too blankety -blank fresh!' 
 
 " < Is dot so?' said Chris. ' Veil, Mishter Rob- 
 inson, you' re fined $25 for being out after hours. 
 
 TROUBLES AND ADVENTURES OF BILLY HARRING- 
 TON'S FAMOUS "CHICAGO BLUES," OR A 
 WINTER'S TOUR IN THE SOUTHLAND, AS TOLD 
 BY HARRINGTON. 
 
 In these days, when professional ball-players 
 " on the road" enjoy the best traveling and hotel 
 accommodations that money can procure, the 
 hardships of ten, twelve, and fifteen years ago are 
 rarely referred to, save, perhaps, when a party of 
 old-time players get together in a reminiscent 
 mood. The following faithful account of the 
 travels of a Chicago team, however, as told by 
 "Billy" Harrington, of the Chicago Blues, and 
 Frank Rheims, at that time one of the party, 
 though now an attache of the house of A. G. 
 Spalding & Bros., will doubtless revive many 
 interesting experiences in the memories of the 
 old-timers who read it. The account is printed 
 just as Rheims and Harrington have given it to 
 me. 
 
 " It was early in the spring of 1886," said Har- 
 rington to the writer, one afternoon, while Frank 
 Rheims stood by, to occasionally add an incident to 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 77 
 
 the yarn, u that the famous Chicago Blues started 
 upon a tour of the Southern cities, and I shall 
 never forget my experiences upon the trip, if I 
 live to be 100 years old. There were fourteen of 
 us — all big, strong, husky fellows — bent, of course, 
 upon making a record that would startle the 
 world, and we really had quite a team. Compos- 
 ing it were the only Pete Gallagher, Nat Hudson, 
 Elmer Foster, Elmer Sutcliffe, Eddie Hogan, 
 Tony Suck, Prank Rheims, Billy Roach, George 
 Rooks, Ed Stapleton, Charley Cady, Billy 
 Williams, Jim Gleason, and myself. 
 
 u The trip was made ; on suspicion.' No man 
 in the party possessed a dollar. I managed to 
 get the tickets for the first jump of about 800 
 miles — Chicago to Columbus, Ga. The fare one 
 way, at the two-cents-a-mile rate, * was $16, 
 making the aggregate expense of the party 
 $224. Unfortunately, Willie was short a con- 
 siderable portion of this amount, so he pur- 
 chased seven tickets, and these, together with 
 a pass written in favor of himself, constituted 
 the documents for the entire party. You can 
 believe me, therefore, when I tell you that there 
 were some almighty pretty sparring exhibitions 
 with the different train conductors en route. 
 Rooks, Suck, and two or three others of the 
 boys were conspicuously absent from the party 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Find. 
 
 A 
 
 throughout the greater portion of the journey. 
 Part of the time they were between the seats, 
 with grips, overcoats, and bat-bags piled upon 
 them, and they rode many a mile, I can tell you, 
 hanging on to the rear platform of the sleeper — 
 the last car on the train. Each and every man of 
 our party will surely feel an everlasting sense of 
 obligation to Rooks and Tony Suck, especially, 
 for the self-sacrificing spirit they displayed on 
 that journey. We changed conductors not less 
 than seven times en route, and, of course, that 
 made things all the more pleasant for us; but 
 before we reached Columbus I had the boys 
 drilled to the queen's taste. When a new con- 
 ductor struck the train, every man of them knew 
 just what was expected of him. Why, the 
 Chicago fire department wouldn't have been in 
 it with us for a minute. You see, we all knew 
 it would be a case of doing the cheerful pedes- 
 trian act the very first time any one of us made a 
 bad break, and it would have done your heart 
 good to see how nicely we gave the 'cons' the 
 'double cross.' Before starting, I had painted 
 rosy pictures of Columbus as a training-ground. 
 I had told the boys that oranges, bananas, and 
 big, mellow citrons grew wild in the streets, and 
 might be plucked without the asking ; that the 
 air was balmy, and that the country was crazy on 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 79 
 
 base ball; so after we passed Cairo the boys were 
 on the lookout for balmy air and oranges, and I 
 am not sure but that some of them would have 
 still been on the lookout had it not been for our 
 chilled-steel nerve and phenomenal good luck. 
 
 " After riding for two days and nights, we 
 reached that ' Ruben ' town — Columbus; and 
 right here is where our 'tale of woe 5 really 
 began. We were to represent the Columbus base- 
 ball club for a period of three weeks, and during 
 that time were to play exhibition games with the 
 Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago teams; but 
 they failed to show up, and there we were, with a 
 three-weeks' hotel bill staring us in the face, 
 and 800 miles from dear old Chicago. After 
 three weeks at Columbus, I had booked my team 
 for two games each at Atlanta, Macon, Augusta, 
 Charleston, Savannah, Nashville, and Louisville, 
 so that the only thing left us to do was to 
 get away from Columbus by some means and 
 play our remaining dates. How to break away 
 from the flinty-hearted landlord, however, was 
 a sticker. No, he was not flinty -hearted; that is a 
 mistake. He was so dod-blamed affectionate and 
 so badly stuck on our entire party, that he posi- 
 tively would not allow us out of his sight. O me! 
 O my! it makes me gray -headed now to think 
 upon the many nights I lay awake in that old 
 
80 Stories of the Base Ball Meld. 
 
 Columbus inn, trying to devise some means of 
 making the old man hot, so he would fire us, neck 
 and crop. It finally came to a show-down, how- 
 ever, and something had to be done; so I called 
 my Indians together, one dark night, on a lone- 
 some-looking street-corner, and I wish you could 
 have seen that crowd. There wasn't a cent in the 
 party, not even ' beer money;' and for want of a 
 shave, each man had a crop of promising whiskers 
 that would have made Jo Jo envious. Gallagher' s 
 face had done more than anything else to put our 
 landlord 'on,' and when I told him so, the look 
 of offended dignity upon his classic mug made 
 the gang double up, despite the gravity of our posi- 
 tion. I had little hope that the meeting would 
 result in a solution of our difficulties, but I was 
 wholly unprepared for the display of confidence 
 in my managerial abilities the boys made that 
 evening. Under any other circumstances, I would 
 have felt greatly honored, but as it was, I should 
 have felt better satisfied had the boys placed less 
 dependence in me and hustled for themselves. 
 What could I do, however, when they whispered 
 as with one accord, ' You brace the old man, 
 Billy! You can talk him into giving us our rail- 
 road fares out of town and a banquet as a send- 
 off. Go it, old man; we'll all stay by you.' 
 
 " I protested, but it was no good; and so we 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 81 
 
 went to our rooms with the understanding that I 
 should institute proceedings for a divorce from 
 our hotel on the morrow. Well, next morning I 
 did some heavy work, I found the landlord look- 
 ing pleasant, but suspicious, and invited him for 
 a walk, He was at heart a jolly old duck, and it 
 only took a few funny stories to make him hold 
 his sides and wrinkle his old mug until it looked 
 like an animated plum-pudding.* I jollied him 
 along as strong as I could; for, upon my word, I 
 was afraid that when he learned the true state of 
 affairs he would die of heart-disease, if there 
 were not some counteracting sentiment to prevent 
 it. Finally, I got around to business, and told 
 him that we wanted to leave Columbus to play 
 our dates in other cities, and that we would return 
 to play the Chicago and Philadelphia teams two 
 weeks later. The old fellow sobered down wonder- 
 fully when I said this; there wasn't a bit of laugh 
 left in him, and I watched him out of a corner of 
 m y e Y e 5 n °t knowing just what to expect. He 
 was foxy, however, and changed the subject; so 
 that when we got back to the hotel I did not 
 know any more as to how we stood than when we 
 had started out. Just the same, I was up early 
 next morning, and succeeded in ' holding up ' the 
 
 * Those who know Harrington and his subtle tongue can 
 appreciate the humor of this situation. 
 6 
 
82 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 local managers for money enough with which to 
 buy our railroad tickets to Atlanta, and then noti- 
 fied the boys to be ready to take the 9.30 a. m. 
 train out of town. It was 9 A. m. when I sent 
 an express-wagon to the hotel for the trunks con- 
 taining our uniforms. Gallagher and Rheims 
 nailed the trunks, and started to pile them into 
 the wagon, when Mr. Landlord tumbled. 
 
 " 'How about dot bill?' he asked Pete. 
 
 " Fortunately, I got in at this juncture, and 
 said: 'My dear boy, the bill is all right; I just 
 came from Mr. Bussey' s office (Bussey was one 
 of the local club people), and I am to give you an 
 order on him for our board in full.' 
 
 "The old man looked at me, hesitatingly, for 
 an instant; but I guess my honest face won him, 
 and he said: 'O veil, dot's all right den; auf Mr. 
 Bussey says so, go hed mit der drunks. 5 
 
 " I nearly fainted with joy when he said this, 
 but lost no time in getting those boxes on the 
 wagon and starting the dray, with the boys 
 behind it, for the depot. Then I sat down at the 
 hotel writing-desk to write the order for our 
 board-bill. Glancing at my watch, I saw it was 
 but ten minutes to train -time; so I knew that Mr. 
 Landlord could not get to Mr. Bussey' s bank and 
 catch the train before our departure. Conse- 
 quently I wrote out the order and handed it to 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 83 
 
 mine host, shaking the dear old soul by the hand 
 as I did so, and assuring him that we would return 
 in two weeks' time. Then I cut out for the train, 
 and got there just in time. The entire gang was 
 on the rear platform when the departure bell 
 rang; and may be we didn't yell as the train 
 started, and, quickly increasing its speed, soon 
 left Columbus far behind! We saw our landlord, 
 however, before we got out of town. Just as the 
 train started, we heard a yell up the main street; 
 and there came old Dutchy in his buggy, on a 
 dead run. He had evidently been to Bussey' s, and 
 found out my little scheme. Lord, but my blood 
 did stand still for a second as I saw him coming. 
 He was too late, however, and we left him shaking 
 his fist at us on the station platform, while four- 
 teen very happy ball-players shook hands all 
 around. 
 
 " Wei], we arrived in Atlanta, only to find it 
 raining. Result: no game and no money. Next 
 day the Columbus landlord showed up, and 
 attached our trunk; but I was on to his little 
 game, and told the boys to take out the uniforms, 
 put them in their grips, and substitute eight or 
 ten fat bricks as weight for the trunk, together 
 with plenty of loose newspapers to prevent their 
 sliding. It was a droll sight to see the boys 
 skirmishing around a neighboring brick-pile and 
 
84 Stories of tin Base Ball Field. 
 
 hunting up old newspapers with which to carry 
 out my instructions. We got the plunder all into 
 the old trunk, however, and locked it up, just as 
 though no change had been made in its contents. 
 We played in Atlanta, the following day, to a fair 
 crowd only, and left at 7.20 p. m. that evening. 
 The uniform (f) trunk was brought over to the 
 depot just in the old, sweet way, and the boys 
 followed it, their sad faces well concealing their 
 light hearts and their almost uncontrollable desire 
 for laughter. On arrival at the depot, sure 
 enough, we found Mr. Landlord and an officer 
 awaiting us at the baggage-room, and the style in 
 which they pounced upon that unoffending old 
 trunk full of bricks made us grow serious for the 
 moment, upon reflection as to what our position 
 would have been had we not taken the precau- 
 tionary measures before referred to. Pete Galla- 
 t/ 
 
 gher acted as spokesman for our party, and the 
 wonder is that the landlord did not drop as a 
 result of Pete's funny 'cracks.' 
 
 4 ' ' Please check this trunk to Macon, ' said Pete to 
 the baggageman, and the latter started to comply. 
 
 "The officer present had received his cue, how- 
 ever. ' Not to-day you won't, I guess,' said he, 
 and then began to read his attachment papers, 
 while the landlord stood by with a broad grin on 
 his face, as he rubbed his hands in triumph. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 85 
 
 "'Who are you?' asked Pete, looking at the 
 officer and the landlord in well-feigned surprise. 
 
 " 'Who vas mef interrupted his old hashlets. 
 ' I like dot; by golly, you vind oud who I vas. I 
 guess you don' d blay some ball in der nexd town 
 mitoud no uniforms, eh?' 
 
 ' ' ' Are you going to take our uniforms?' said 
 Pete, and he began to sniffle like a school-boy, 
 while the gang turned away and walked off to 
 keep their sides from splitting. 
 
 " 'Dot's it,' said Dutchy, promptly. 'I guess 
 I stardt a ball team of mine own.' 
 
 u 'O, you hard-hearted old man,' sobbed Pete; 
 i are you really going to deprive us of a means of 
 livelihood ? It' s a shame, that' s what it is, ain' t it, 
 fellows?' appealing to the rest of the crowd. 
 And then Pete turned in and pleaded for that old 
 trunk in a style that would have done Bob Inger- 
 soll credit. The landlord only chuckled, how- 
 ever, and the officer was hard as flint. Finally, 
 the bell rang, and the boys, with faces like first 
 mourners, passed through the gates and boarded 
 the train, leaving the officer in possession of his 
 plunder, such as it was. I was not with the gang 
 at the depot, as I feared a writ of habeas corpus^ 
 and so boarded the train at the city limits, and 
 the yells of laughter that greeted me when I 
 entered the car must have made the balance of 
 
86 Stories of the Base Ball Meld. 
 
 the passengers think they had struck a band of 
 lunatics. 
 
 " Next day Mr. Landlord showed up in Macon. 
 He had evidently not examined the trunk, for he 
 was struck dumb with astonishment when he saw 
 us appear in the same old uniforms, for the game 
 that afternoon. He proceeded to business just 
 the same, however, and attached my share of the 
 gate receipts. He kept me thinking for awhile 
 on this play, but I dropped to a scheme that did 
 him. You see, he attached only my share, which, 
 as I arranged it, was but one-fourteenth of one- 
 half the gross receipts. This amounted to just 
 s3. 45, and that amount was left with the Macon 
 base -ball club, to satisfy the attachment. I had 
 the rest of the boys go to the box-office, one at a 
 time, where each got his $3.45 and then brought it 
 to me to take care of. The same thing was done 
 next day, and Mr. Landlord, instead of catching 
 8100 or so, as he thought he had, could not have 
 received more than the price of his fare from 
 Columbus to Macon and return. We lost him 
 after leaving Macon, and none of the boys cried 
 over his failure to keep up the chase, although we 
 would gladly have squared our account with the 
 old man could we have taken in the money. 
 
 1 ' Our next stand was Savannah, and with our 
 old Nemesis, the landlord, on the cattle-train 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 87 
 
 for his old stamping-ground, everybody felt 
 light-hearted and happy. We hadn't money 
 enough to wipe a jaybird's bill with, but we kept 
 right along playing ball in the Sunny South, and 
 having a barrel of fun wherever we stopped. 
 With the exception of a few arguments with rail- 
 way conductors, everything went well until we 
 reached Chattanooga. Here, however, we found 
 the ball-park flooded with two or three feet of 
 water, and the local managers told us we would 
 have to drain it before we could play ball. Well, 
 it was either do that or go hungry; so we rolled 
 up our trousers, took off our shoes and socks, 
 and went to work, and a more picturesque-look- 
 ing gang of street-cleaners you never saw. The 
 Nashville park was all under water, so that date 
 was canceled, and we reached Louisville without 
 a dollar in our pockets, but almighty happy to 
 get that much nearer old Chicago. Jim Hart 
 gave us two days in Louisville, but.it rained the 
 first day, and the second day — well, it rained also, 
 and our share of receipts for both games left 
 us but $25, after our hotel bill had been 
 paid. Twenty-five dollars, and 300 miles 
 from Chicago! Just the same, I took the boys 
 to the 6.30 train, and we boarded it, fourteen 
 strong. As the train pulled out, I braced myself 
 for the play of my life, and, to tell the truth, I 
 
88 Stories of tJie Base Ball Field. 
 
 surprised myself. When I finished talking to 
 that good, kind -hearted conductor, nothing was 
 too good for the famous Chicago Blues, and we 
 landed, safe and sound, in Chicago at 7.30 next 
 morning, as thankful a lot of ball-players as there 
 was in the country." 
 
 "Yes," interposed George Rooks, who had 
 come in toward the close of the story, "and we 
 drew our dividends from the proceeds of the trip 
 before we left the depot. I remember of receiving 
 five cents as my share. Oh, it was a great old trip." 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE LATE UMPIRE, DAVE SUL- 
 LIVAN—A FUNNY SCENE ON THE BUFFALO 
 GROUNDS — HOW JIM KEENAN STRUCK OUT — 
 ONE OF DAN O'LEARY'S BREAKS— PETE GAL- 
 LAGHER PLAYS u 'POSSUM"— HO W r JOHN BUR- 
 DOCK W T ORRIED LEW BROWN. 
 
 "One of the silliest things I ever did in my 
 life," said the late Umpire, Dave Sullivan, to 
 me shortly before his death, "I did in Buffalo, 
 when Buffalo was a member of the National 
 League. The Cleveland and Buffalo teams were 
 playing; Buffalo was in, and Davy Force was 
 at bat. He struck at a pitched ball and missed, 
 and I called a strike. Force turned to me and 
 said, 'That was a foul.' I said I had heard 
 no foul, and the strike went. Well, the crowd 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 89 
 
 in Buffalo was rather sore on umpires just at 
 this particular time, as Doescher had suffered 
 quite a roasting just before I was assigned there. 
 One of the spectators had a pet dog with him on 
 the day in question, and after Doescher had made 
 a few decisions contrary to the opinions of the 
 crow r d, this fellow tossed the dog out of the stand, 
 and shouted: ' Throw that Dutchman over the 
 fence, and let the dog umpire.' So you see they 
 were ripe for more fun. 
 
 " Well, after I had made the decision, they 
 commenced to cry, ' Rah! rah! rah! rah! rum!' 
 keeping pretty good dancing -time with their 
 feet. After Cleveland went out in the following 
 inning, and as I went up to dust the home-plate, 
 the crowd was keeping such good time I thought 
 I would take a hand myself, and I stepped on the 
 plate and danced several steps to their music. 
 Well, they yelled murder. Billy (Blondie) Pur- 
 cell was playing left-field for Buffalo at that time, 
 and he fell down on his way in, in a fit of laugh- 
 ter. Curry Foley was in this game, as was also 
 Jim McCormick. They have often spoken to me 
 of that performance, saying it was the funniest 
 thing they ever saw on a ball-field." 
 
 ' i All the old members of the Western League, 
 which included Omaha, Kansas City, Milwaukee, 
 
dO Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 Indianapolis, Toledo, and Cleveland, will remem- 
 ber liow solid Jim Keenan and Larry McKeon 
 stood in Indianapolis — they owned the town. 
 Indianapolis won the championship, hands down. 
 A funny thing occurred, during a game between 
 Indianapolis and Toledo, on the Toledo grounds. 
 John Brennan, of Indianapolis, w T as the Umpire, 
 and as the day was very warm, John thought 
 he would be cute, and so he brought his umbrella 
 with him. When he called game, he opened up 
 his umbrella, and it remained open during the 
 game. Imagine an Umpire umpiring a game in 
 Chicago with an umbrella over his head — what a 
 roasting he would get from the bleachers! Well, 
 Keenan came to bat in — I think it was — the fifth 
 inning, and he was then to the Western League 
 what Buck Ewing is to the National League, and, 
 of course, everything he said went. When he 
 came to bat, Brennan called a strike on him, and 
 he turned to argue the point with the Umpire; 
 the pitcher, 'Big Stemmyer,' 'late of Bos- 
 ton,' put the ball over the plate, and the Umpire 
 called the second strike, and, on the next pitched 
 ball, he walked up to Keenan and said, 'Say, 
 Jimmy, lay down your bat; you are out on 
 strikes.' I have never seen a man so angry in 
 all my life, and if a look would have killed, poor 
 John would have been done for on the spot." 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 91 
 
 " Every one knows of the famous Dan O'Leary, 
 the base-ball and theatrical manager. When 
 Dan took the management of the Toledos, 
 in 1884, he signed, among the many good players 
 of that time, John Rainey, who played third base 
 so cleverly last season for Buffalo. When Dan 
 engaged John he signed to play third base, and 
 early in the season John had miserable luck. 
 He piled up error after error, but Dan said he 
 was a ' comer,' and John was kept at third. The 
 straw that broke the camel's back, however, came 
 in the shape of eight errors in one of the Cleve- 
 land-Toledo games. It was in the fifth inning, 
 and old Joe Battin, Doc Kennedy, Bill Sweeney, 
 and a few more of Cleveland's hard hitters, were 
 putting them around John's shins pretty lively. 
 John made error after error, until Dan could 
 stand it no longer. He came down out of the 
 stand, and, walking up to Jay Faatz, said, so 
 everybody on the grounds could hear him : 
 
 14 'Jay, Jay! for God's sake, put him in the 
 field and bring in Jim McDonald.' 
 
 " Well, the change was made, but John's hard 
 luck followed him to the out-field, and there he 
 muffed two flys, upon which Dan called to Faatz 
 again : 
 
 " 'Jay, Jay! put him on the other side of the 
 fence, so that they can't see him.' 
 
62 Stories of the Base Ball Field, 
 
 "Those acquainted with Dan O'Leary can 
 appreciate this story." 
 
 " Speaking of Dan, reminds me that at one time 
 he was playing at Minneapolis, away back in '75, 
 and during one of the games of that season the 
 Umpire did not show up, so a man named 
 McCarthy was chosen to act in his place. All 
 ball-players who remember the erratic Dan's 
 style will bring to mind what a great kicker he 
 was, especially on strikes called on him. Well, 
 during the game in question, the Umpire did 
 not please Dan at all, and Dan kept up a contin- 
 uous fire of objections to all the Umpire's rulings. 
 Dan was at the bat in the fifth inning, and the 
 Umpire called him out on strikes; upon which 
 Dan dropped his bat, walked up in front of the 
 grand stand, and then posing as only Dan can pose, 
 said: ' Ladies and gentlemen, there isn't any use 
 
 in our trying to win, while that 
 
 is umpiring.' You can imagine the commotion 
 his remark caused. Of course, Dan received 
 his pay that night. 
 
 n 
 
 * 
 
 * * 
 
 "Pete Gallagher is another fun-maker, but 
 Pete's humor is of a different order. Dan is 
 always in earnest, while Pete is out for fun all 
 the time. Give him an opening and see how 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 93 
 
 quickly lie will take advantage of it. I remember 
 one game especially in which Pete made a hit 
 with me. Billy Harrington was running his 
 famous Chicago Blues, and they numbered a 
 great many of our local celebrities, including 
 Milt Scott, Billy Yott, and Ed Merrill. The 
 famous Pete Atkisson, the great pitcher of the 
 Torontos during the past season (1889), was 
 pitching for Michigan City, and Umbach, of the 
 Ocean Brands, was catching him. They were a 
 star team at that time, having defeated the 
 Indianapolis, Cleveland, and several other teams 
 playing in the major leagues. Well, Harrington 
 wanted to win, and told the boys so, and they 
 played hard and did win. In the sixth inning 
 Gallagher made a base-hit, and stole second 
 almost immediately. This safe steal made him 
 bold, so he tried to steal third, and in doing so 
 cut his hand, whereupon he made a great outcry, 
 wanted time called, and wanted a great many 
 other things. Finally, I asked him what he 
 wanted, and he said, ' I want a runner. I can't 
 run; I have hurt my hand. 5 " 
 
 " Another funny thing happened to Ed Merrill, 
 while playing with the famous Blues. Jack 
 McQuade, the league Umpire, who was at that 
 
04 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 \> 
 
 time playing as good ball as any of the boys, was 
 the cause of all the trouble. They were playing 
 at a small town not a great distance from Chicago, 
 and the Blues had out their best team. Just 
 before the game commenced, McQuade made a bet 
 of half a dollar with Merrill that the Blues would 
 be defeated. Ed took him up, and told all the 
 boys of the snap bet he had made with McQuade. 
 But Jack had been there before Ed, and had all 
 the boys promise to help him lose the game. 
 First a ball would come at Gallagher on third, 
 and he would throw it over the first-baseman's 
 head. Then Billy Yott would throw it out into 
 center-field. Everybody, it seemed to Ed, had 
 taken on a crazy fit. And what a game Ed him- 
 self did play! It was the greatest game of his 
 life. He played short that day, but he was 
 everywhere. If a ball was hit into left-field, he 
 was there; if hit to second-base, he was there; he 
 took them away from Gallagher at third; in fact, 
 he played as if his life depended upon the result 
 of the game. He could have defeated the home 
 team easily, but the Blues wanted to play a close 
 game, so as to draw a good crowd the following day, 
 and, in fact, did not care about winning the game. 
 Merrill, however, had bet half a dollar on the 
 result, and he was going to win, if hard playing 
 could do it, and he would have won the bet if 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 95 
 
 McQuade had not called off the bet and told Ed 
 to let up." 
 
 " Talking about base-ball stories," continued 
 Dave, " reminds me of an incident that happened 
 at the Clifton House, in this city, some years ago, 
 when Lew Brown and John Burdock were mem- 
 bers of the Boston team. Lew and ' Burdy ' were 
 generally paired, and they made a pair to draw 
 to. One night Burdock retired rather early 
 (something unusual for 'Burdy'), and was after 
 his first sleep when he heard Brown coming up the 
 hall toward the room. John quietly slipped out 
 of bed and locked the door, and when Brown 
 tried it, of course he found it locked, and then 
 commenced to pound on the door, and calling out, 
 ' 'Burdy,' 'Burdy.' ' But 'Burdy' could not, or 
 rather would not, hear. Then Brown went back 
 to the office to see if he had not made a mistake. 
 But no, the key was not there, and back he went 
 to the room and tried the door again, but with 
 the same result. It would not open. Brow r n was 
 pretty tired, and he was on the list to catch the 
 next day, so he wanted as much sleep as he could 
 get, and he wanted to have that sleep in his own 
 room and on his own bed. So dragging a large 
 settee, that stood near by, to the door, he tried to 
 get through the transom. Imagine a man of Lew 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 Brown's size (260 pounds) trying to get through a 
 transom on a warm summer night! The lan- 
 guage he used he never learned at Sunday-school. 
 1 Burdy ' was wide awake all this time, listening to 
 Brown cursing — first the key, then the door, 
 then the transom, and lastly Burdock. Well, 
 after one very hard struggle Brown got back on 
 the top of the settee, and Burdock had in the 
 meantime turned the key in the door. Brown 
 got off the settee on to the floor, and he tried the 
 door again; of course it opened, and then he com- 
 menced to talk to himself, and wondered what he 
 had been drinking that would cause the door to 
 act so. He never suspected Burdock until Bur- 
 dock told the story the next day. Brown's only 
 comment, when he heard it, was: ' I would rather 
 catch a whole season for nothing than to attempt 
 to get through a transom with a jag on, on a 
 warm summer' s night ; a Turkish bath ain' t in it. ' " 
 
 ED CRANE'S MEMOIRS OF " OLD HOSS" BROWN — 
 THE OLD CATCHER'S LOVE FOR YARN-SPIN- 
 NING — THE LONGEST HIT ON RECORD— SHAW'S 
 FUNNY PERFORMANCE — ELMER FOSTER TAKES 
 A FALL OUT OF JIM MUTKIE. 
 
 "It was in 1884," writes Ed Crane, the big- 
 pitcher of the New York team of 1888-89, who 
 made the tour of the world with the Spalding 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 97 
 
 party ' '(that was the year of the Union Associa- 
 tion' s fight) that I first met big Lew Brown, the 
 old Providence and Boston catcher, who died in 
 Boston during the spring of '89, and he was 
 one of the drollest ducks I ever ran against. 
 At that time, 'Brownie,' or 'Old Hoss,' as 
 we called him, Tom Bond, and Tim Mur- 
 nane were the only old-timers among the crowd 
 of kids who made up our team, and it was 
 not long before we youngsters found in the 
 'Old Hoss' quite a character. He was inclined 
 to be stubby in stature, weighed about 250 
 pounds, and was always on his dignity with the 
 kids, and on the watch to impress us with a 
 realization of his superior experience and ability 
 as a player. 
 
 "He never lost an opportunity of telling us 
 about the time when he was 'on top' in his pro- 
 fession. ' Why,' he used to say, ' these monkeys, 
 with their gloves, masks, and pads, make me 
 think there are no more dead-game catchers in 
 the business. In 1883 I went out on the April 
 trip with Boston, and caught Whitney when he 
 was his fastest, without protection of any kind. 
 The first time I did so away from home, I thought 
 the crowd had gone crazy. 
 
 "'They yelled "Murder!" and ladies fainted 
 by the cart-load. They quieted down, however, 
 
98 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 when they saw that I knew my business, and 
 then, after they had seen me eat that long-legged 
 guy in the box through nine full innings, without 
 a passed ball or a wild throw, they carried me 
 off the grounds on their shoulders and extended 
 me the freedom of the town, which I of course 
 accepted.' 
 
 "One day we were sitting around the club- 
 house, talking of long hits, when ' Brownie ' joined 
 our party. He listened a moment, and then broke 
 in with: 'Long hits? Why, you ducks never 
 saw a long hit in* your lives, I've seen lots of 
 'em myself, but so far I'll bet anybody that my 
 record has not been broken;' and then he told 
 how Providence and Boston were playing in Bos- 
 ton one day, and he had batted a ball which 
 never stopped until it reached Providence. ' I 
 hit it into the open door of a baggage-car on the 
 Boston & Providence express train as it passed 
 the grounds,' said ' Old Hoss,' as he saw us pre- 
 paring to give him the laugh, and then he turned 
 away to take a laugh at our expense. 
 
 " ' Brownie' used to have a heap of trouble in 
 getting money while away on a trip, as Murnane, 
 who was our manager, knew him too well, and 
 would never stake him to any great amount. 
 One night, in Milwaukee, 'the Hoss' struck 
 Tim for some cash, and Tim, I believe, offered 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 99 
 
 him a silver dollar; 'Brownie' scornfully refused 
 it, turned on his heel, and, walking over to where 
 a group of us sat smoking, said, in the most in- 
 dignant tones: ' I have stood this thing long 
 enough, and I now propose to get even. I just 
 asked Murnane for some money to get shaved 
 with, and he refused to let me have it. Now, do 
 you know what I'll do? Well, I won't get shaved 
 again on the balance of the trip; I'll play ball 
 with whiskers from this time out, and every time 
 I go on the grounds I'll declare myself to the 
 crowd — that's what I'll do.' He never carried 
 out his threat, however, although he made a bluff 
 at it by letting his beard grow for a week or more, 
 until we guyed him so hard that he had to take 
 it off. 
 
 "One of the funniest things he ever said to 
 me was said one day in St. Louis. I was catch- 
 ing Bond, and Bond was 'signing' me with 
 a smile. Well, the sun was in Bond's face, and 
 he naturally squinted, so that I couldn't tell 
 whether he was smiling or squinting, and conse- 
 quently did a heap of guessing. After the game 
 I told Bond I couldn't catch with that smile for a 
 sign; upon which Bond turned to 'the Hoss' 
 and said: 'What do you think of that, 'Brownie?' 
 he can' t catch with the smile for a sign.' ' Brownie ' 
 looked at me in disgust for an instant, and then 
 
LOO Stories of the Bas< "■/. 
 
 said: 'Go learn the business, boy; go learn the 
 business. Why, I used to catch that man with 
 seven different smiles an inning, and each smile a 
 sign for a different kind of a ball.' I threw up 
 both hands. 
 
 w k When we got Shaw, ' Brownie ' was the only 
 man we had who could catch him. One day, in 
 Washington, with Shaw pitching, 'Brownie' stop- 
 ped not less than half a dozen foul tips with the 
 pit of his stomach, and as he came into the 
 bench I asked him if they didn't hurt. 'Naw; 
 I didn't feel 'em,' was the reply. ' Why, kid, in 
 '79 (that was his greatest year as a catcher), when 
 a foul tip used to strike me in the stomach, I 
 would Just pull in my breath and hold it? Some 
 friends asked me, after the game, what made me 
 fall off the bench while I was talking to Brown, 
 and I told them the story. Shaw and 'Brownie,' as 
 a battery, kept me laughing all season. ' Brownie ' 
 called Shaw the 'crazy monkey,' and Shaw never 
 lost an opportunity to kid 'Brownie.' I will never 
 forget an incident that occurred one day on the 
 home grounds. The 'Hoss,' his little, short legs 
 going like the coupling-shaft on a locomotive, 
 was chasing a foul fly, and just as he attained 
 his full speed, Shaw called out to him, ' Run, 
 pretty boy, run!' ' Brownie' stopped right where 
 he was, and, folding his arms over his breast, 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field, 101 
 
 looked tlie disgust he felt at Shaw's nn warrant- 
 able familiarity, while the crowd doubled up 
 with laughter, and the boys were unable to get 
 their faces straight during the balance of the game. 
 "' Brownie' was always afraid to room with 
 Shaw, as Shaw, for a lark, would occasionally 
 jump out of bed in the dead of night, utter a 
 whoop like a fiend, glare about him like a mad- 
 man, and then make a bluff at ' Brownie ' with an 
 open penknife. On every such occasion the 
 ' Hoss ' would go down to the office in the morn- 
 ing and have his room changed, with the remark 
 that he was dead sure to wake up some morning 
 with his throat cut from ear to ear by ' that crazy 
 monkey. 
 
 5 )? 
 
 
 "We had another funny character with us, in 
 the early part of the season, in Charley Reilly, 
 the old catcher. He was, without doubt, the most 
 diffident, and at the same time the most nervous, 
 fellow I ever saw among ball-players. I have 
 heard him order a glass of water at the dinner- 
 table, and then, when one of the gang would say, 
 suddenly, 'What's that, did you order water?' 
 he would say no, and tell the waiter, when the 
 latter came with the glass, that he hadn't ordered 
 it. He was horribly broke up in a game in Phila- 
 delphia, one day. He reached second all right, 
 
lOS Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 and tried to steal third, but, through nervousness 
 or miscalculation, slid for the short-stop instead 
 of the third-baseman, and was, of course, put out 
 before he could get to his feet. The spectators 
 howled, and the boys kidded poor Reilly until I 
 thought he would faint before he reached the 
 players' bench." 
 
 TNT 
 
 " Shaw was very funny, but one had to see his 
 antics to enjoy the humor in them. I remember 
 of his making every man on the Boston grounds 
 laugh for five consecutive minutes, one day. Every 
 time he played in Boston the crowd extended 
 him a great reception when he came on the field. 
 On the day in question he waited until every one 
 of the team had taken their positions, and then 
 he marched from the club-house and across the 
 diamond to the box with the air of a Roman 
 gladiator. The crowd gave him a great reception, 
 and he stood in the box like a statue until the 
 applause had subsided, and then he took off his 
 cap, and, lo and behold, he had under it one of 
 those little i Gussy ' hats, held in place by a 
 rubber band which passed under his chin. He 
 struck an attitude, and, lifting the little hat six 
 inches above his head, let it snap back like a 
 shot. Then he put on his cap, and got ready to 
 pitch the game as though nothing had happened. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 103 
 
 The crowd delayed the game by its howls of 
 laughter— and the fine didn't go, either." 
 
 ' ' Jay Faatz soon won a reputation in his way by 
 his amusing back-talk and methods of kicking. 
 The funniest kick I ever saw him make was against 
 old Billy McLean, in Toronto. Jay and Billy had 
 had lots of trouble through the game, and finally 
 Jay started in from first-base to question a deci- 
 sion. Billy warned him, as he started, that if he 
 came over to the home-plate he would get a 
 thump on the neck; but Jay continued to ap- 
 proach until within ten feet of the plate, and 
 there he and Billy had it hot and heavy, until 
 Billy finally told Faatz that if he didn't go back 
 to the bag and shut up, he would fine him the limit. 
 
 " 4 1 don't care,' said Faatz (both he and Billy 
 were boiling over), ' if you fine me a million.' 
 
 " Billy's face grew first red and then blue, and, 
 looking at Faatz, he yelled: ' Well, d — n you, 
 then I fine you a million!' 
 
 " Faatz' s face relaxed, and he said, as he looked 
 at Billy pityingly : ' Why, you kind old coon, don' t 
 you know there isn't that much money in the 
 world?' and then went back to the bag, while 
 Billy mopped his brow with his bandana, smiled, 
 and called, ' Play ball!'" 
 
104 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 " Elmer Foster was an eccentric cliap. He had 
 followed the stage before playing ball, and could 
 quote Shakespeare by the yard. He w 7 as South 
 with Mutrie two years ago this spring, and came 
 out of his hotel, one morning after breakfast, flat 
 broke. As he looked around for some one to bor- 
 row a dollar from, he caught sight of Mutrie on 
 the corner, and, running toward Jim, threw himself 
 on his knees before him and began the lines, 
 4 Mother, am I humpbacked, deformed, an idiot,' 
 etc., from Claude Melnotte, with as much earnest- 
 ness as though he had been on the stage before a 
 crowded house. 'Get up, for God's sake!' said 
 Mutrie, ' people will think you've got a jag on,' 
 and turned to walk away; but Foster held on to 
 him and continued his impassioned lines until 
 Jim slipped him a ten. 
 
 " It is said that Foster was on his way home, 
 about three o'clock one morning, when quite un- 
 expectedly he ran against Mutrie. Jim looked 
 sternly at Foster, and Foster looked just as sternly 
 at Jim, finally remarking: 'Well, this is a fine 
 time for the manager of the New York club to be 
 starting home. Give an account of yourself. ' 
 
 "Jim looked at Foster a moment, and then 
 asked, ' Foster, where have you been?' 
 
 " 'Out in society,' said Elmer, with a twirl of 
 his cane. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 105 
 
 " ' Well, it will cost you fifty,' snapped Mutrie. 
 
 " ' Bet you fifty it don't go,' grinned Foster. 
 
 " Mutrie pulled out his roll to take the bet, and 
 swears that after he got home he found he 
 had lost a hundred, and he knows he lost it 
 when he met Foster." 
 
 CLARKSON'S LOVE OF BILLIARDS — HE ACCEPTS A 
 CHALLENGE ON A FALL RIVER LINE STEAMER 
 — TOM BURNS' FIRST TASTE OF HOTEL LIFE — 
 THE LAUGH WAS ON GOLDSMITH. 
 
 "* Anson does not get half as much time to play 
 billiards as he would like," said Tom Burns to a 
 group of the boys in Mussey' s, one afternoon; ' ' but 
 nevertheless he is about as clever as any amateur 
 in the country. Before George Slosson left Chi- 
 cago for New York, the old man used to play 
 almost every evening, and when the team left on 
 its Eastern trips he used to carry a couple of pet 
 cues with him in a green baize bag, with which he 
 practiced at every opportunity. All of the boys 
 in the team played billiards a little, Clarkson and 
 Kelly playing about even. These two frequently 
 got together in a fifty-point game for a $5 note. 
 Well, we boarded the Fall River line boat at New 
 York, one night, for Boston, and, just as the 
 steamer was pulling out, Kelly challenged Clark- 
 
106 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 son to a game of billiards, Kelly offering to give 
 John twenty points in fifty. John was only too 
 anxious to win five, and jumped at the chance. 
 'If you'll let me use one of Anson's cues,' said 
 he, Til play you, and play even up.' Kelly did 
 not object to this, and off Clarkson posted for 
 Anson' s state-room. He soon reappeared with the 
 cues, and, going up to the captain in the main 
 saloon, asked him wiiere the billiard-room was. 
 The captain looked at John for a moment, and 
 then said, without cracking a smile, ' We have 
 taken the tables off this trip;' and John did not 
 tumble to the situation until the gang gave him 
 the laugh. He was awfully hot when he did 
 tumble, for the reason that he had been trying for 
 days to get the laugh on Sutcliffe, w r ho was from 
 the country, and was therefore supposed to be 
 a soft mark. 
 
 "The same evening, how r ever, Kelly asked Sut- 
 cliffe if he had been measured for a rubber suit. 
 
 " 'No, what for?' asked Sut. 
 
 " ' Well, how in thunder do you expect to play 
 in rainy weather, then?' asked 'Kell.' 
 
 " ' Sut' had not thought of that, and permitted 
 the boys to measure him with a two-foot rule 
 for a rubber coat, boots, and sou'wester, which, 
 it is needless to say, have never been ordered."/ 
 
 * * 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 107 
 
 "I was pretty green myself, though, when I 
 left my town to play ball, " admitted the third- 
 baseman. " I remember my first experience at a 
 first-class hotel. At home I had always been 
 accustomed to having the different dishes set upon 
 the table all at once. A course-dinner was an 
 unknown institution to me. Well, I went into 
 my first dinner with one of the other members of 
 the team, and the waiter brought us each a dish 
 of soup, a plate of bread, and some butter. I 
 thought the variety was almighty slim for a first- 
 class hotel, but I did not want to give myself 
 away, and so made no comment. One plate of 
 soup and bread, of course, didn't satisfy my 
 hunger, and without waiting to see what my fel- 
 low-player would do, I ordered more soup. The 
 waiter brought it, and by the time the other boys 
 had given their orders for dinner, I was so full of 
 soup and bread that I couldn't eat anything else, 
 although I wanted badly to tackle the host of 
 good things that followed the porridge. This, 
 however, never happened to me again, but I always 
 recall it when I see a bill of fare headed ' Tomato 
 soup.' " 
 
 1 f The story reminds me of one on Dell Darling. 
 At the Continental, in Philadelphia, one day, Dell 
 had finished his dessert and coffee, and the waiter 
 set before him a finger-bowl with a slice of lemon 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 in it. Dell looked at it an instant, and then 
 informed the waiter that he had liad his soup. 
 
 " I don't suppose, by the way, that there is a 
 catcher in the business whose hands have suffered 
 more than Frank Flint's. He hasn't a finger that 
 has not been broken or twisted out of shape and 
 badly swelled by foul tips. One day, at the 
 United States Hotel in Boston, a new waiter took 
 ' Old Silver's' order, and, in hope of a tip, served 
 ' Old Hoss ' with many flourishes, finally setting 
 a finger-bowl before him. 
 
 " < What's this for?' asked ' Silver.' 
 " 'Dat's a fingah-bowl, boss, fo' yo' fingahs.' 
 " ' That so?' said ' Silver,' holding up his hands. 
 'Well, I suppose it's all right; but I wish you'd 
 bring me one that I can get my fingers into.' The 
 coon's eyes were a sight when he saw 'Old 
 Hoss's' hands, and then he gave a guffaw that 
 made every guest in the dining-room turn in his 
 chair, and which nearly cost him his job." 
 
 " Goldsmith was very funny and bright, and 
 quite a guyer. One season he had a fellow by 
 the name of Ledwith playing third base for him. 
 Led with was very ignorant. One day they com- 
 menced to hit ' Goldy ' hard, and the way the 
 balls flew over third base was a caution. ' Why 
 don't you get a few of those?' said 'Goldy,' 
 
Stories of tlie Base Ball Field. 109 
 
 angrily, as he turned to Ledwith. 'Am I got 
 wings? ' snapped Ledwith; ' am I got wings? ' and 
 the laugh was on ' G-oldy.' " 
 
 HOW DAN O' LEAKY SECUEED A MEAL — AN INCI- 
 DENT IN UMPIRE BILLY HOLBERT'S CAREER — 
 JIMMY GALVIN'S UNCANNY ADVENTURE. 
 
 The following paragraphs I have culled from 
 the note-book of W. P. Pinkerton, the hustling cor- 
 respondent of the Sporting Times, at Pittsburgh. 
 I dropped into the Leader office one day last sum- 
 mer, while in " Smoketown" with Anson's young 
 men, and seeing some copy which "Pink" had 
 prepared for the next day's issue, held dow r n upon 
 his desk by a paper-weight, collared it. I helped 
 "Pink" through an hour's search for the miss- 
 ing MS., and, it is needless to say, failed to find 
 it. Here it is: 
 
 u Who is there that takes any interest in base 
 ball that has not heard of Dan O'Leary? The 
 most original character in the profession, generally 
 in hard luck, occasionally otherwise, but, no dif- 
 ference what his condition, he is always in the 
 best of humor, and has a funny story to tell or a 
 joke to crack, and oft times this genial spirit has 
 stood him in good stead and helped him to pull 
 out from what might have been a bad hole for 
 him. 
 
110 Stories of (he Base Ball Field. 
 
 * * A few years ago Dan had gone to California 
 for the winter, but struck a financial snag, and 
 started for the East again. He got to Denver, and 
 there one day he found himself without a penny. 
 It was bitter cold weather, the mercury dow r n a 
 couple of inches below zero, and several feet of snow 
 on the ground. Dan tried in every way to raise 
 the wind, but without avail. He was beginning to 
 feel pretty blue, as he had eaten nothing that day.' 
 His overcoat had been sold to pay for supper and 
 bed the night before. The clothes he wore were 
 nearly ready to be called in, and looked very 
 shady. 
 
 "Dan had told his troubles that evening to the 
 group in the hotel office, but they showed no dis- 
 position to help him, although they were all 
 abundantly able to do so. They had come to the 
 conclusion that he was trying to work them, and 
 was not as hard up as he claimed to be. Dan was 
 in despair, when all at once an idea struck him, 
 and he rushed from the room. A little later, the 
 door opened and admitted Dan and a gust of air that 
 caused every one to shiver and feel a sudden sym- 
 pathy for all unfortunates. In his hand Dan 
 carried a bag, and, as he drew near the group, he 
 said: 'Gentlemen, I guess you all think I'm a 
 fraud; I'm not, but let it go at that. I am dead 
 broke, and have no show to get to my friends. 
 
Stories of tTte Base Ball Field. Ill 
 
 I'm proud, though, and will not beg. I've tried 
 hard all day to get work, but failed. My last cent 
 went yesterday, and to-day I've had nothing to 
 eat. Even now I'll not beg, and although I'll 
 sleep out of doors to-night, I'll do it on a full 
 stomach. I can eat anything, and there is just 
 one favor I want. If some of you gentlemen will 
 get me a little salt, I' 11 eat the cat and be content.' 
 As he spoke the last words, Dan opened the bag 
 he carried, and drew from it the dead body of a 
 feline Thomas. It was frozen stiff and hard, and 
 had a most unpalatable appearance. There was 
 not a sign of a smile on Dan' s face, and his serious- 
 ness brought down the crowd. The thought of 
 the cat lunch was too much for them, and it was 
 not many minutes until Dan was presented with 
 funds enough to take him back home." 
 
 
 The greatest story-telling rival to O' Leary was 
 big Bill Holbert, the good-looking, good-natured 
 catcher of the famous old Mets. Billy has not 
 been living in clover of late, but he scraped 
 together enough for himself and family to live on 
 during the past year, through the games that the 
 reorganized Mets. played on the co-operative 
 plan. When that famous team was in the zenith 
 of its glory, and its members were petted and 
 feasted wherever they went, Holbert was one of 
 
L12 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 the star members, and Ms story of the game 
 between the 'Muds' and the 'Snappers' was 
 called for on all occasions. I heard him tell it 
 for the first time to a group of admirers who sur- 
 rounded him, on the pavement in front of the 
 Central Hotel, one evening in 1884. 
 
 w " I was taking a rest in a country town, a few 
 weeks ago,' began Billy, 'and was loafing in the 
 general store where the ' Rubens ' congregate to 
 swap lies, and there heard them tell of the won- 
 derful work done by their favorite players. 
 After hearing yarns that grew larger as they 
 went on, I could stand it no longer, and finally 
 had to try and call them down; so I spoke up, 
 saying, ' Why, I saw something that downed any- 
 thing you fellows have told about/ 
 
 ' ' ' Tell us about it, ' they said in a regular chorus. 
 
 " 'It was back in the sixties,' I began, ' and I 
 was acting as an Umpire between the great ' Mud ' 
 and ' Snapper ' clubs at Hickstown, on the Hog 
 River, in Arkansas. It was the decisive game in 
 the schedule of the league that was composed 
 of the 'Muds,' 'Snappers,' and 'Soft-shells.' 
 The game was a dandy, and the score was tied at 
 2 to 2, with two men out in the ninth inning, and 
 Tip McGrinnegan came to the plate.' 
 
 " ' Go on,' said the Rubes; ' that was a dandy.' 
 
 "'You bet,' I continued. 'Well, just then 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 113 
 
 along came a nice out-curve, and Tip lit on it for 
 all lie was worth. He swiped that ball so cussed 
 hard that it was split into two pieces. One-half 
 went over the fence and into the Hog River, and 
 the other piece flew past Mike McGfee's head and 
 went cavorting into left-field. ' 
 
 " ' Oh G-osh, that was a corker, ' chorused the jays. 
 
 " ' Right you are,' I answered; ' then Tip started 
 to run, and was going around the diamond at full 
 speed, when he tripped and fell at second base 
 and broke his leg.' 
 
 " 6 Too derned bad,' said my auditors. 
 
 " 'That leg was broken square off, and Tip lay 
 there until the boys ripped a plank from the 
 bleachers and fixed it on him for a splint. Then 
 he managed to get up, and continued on around 
 past third and into home. It was just then that 
 McGrinty found the half of the ball in left- 
 field and threw it in, in time for Tip to be touched 
 at the plate. What did I do? Nothing. I declared 
 him not out, and allowed him half a run. The 
 4 Snappers ' won the game by a score of 2 J to 2.' 
 
 " ' How's that?' queried a jay. 
 
 "'Why, they only got one-half the ball on 
 him. Wasn't the other half a home-run? ' " 
 
 " There are few lovers of the national game who 
 do not remember Valentine, who umpired in both 
 
 8 
 
114 Stories of tJie Base Ball Field. 
 
 the league and association a few seasons ago. 
 When he was officiating he was all right until a 
 kick was made, and then he seemed to lose his 
 nerve all at once and would go completely to 
 pieces. Then his decisions would get ranker and 
 ranker, and if the kicking was continued, a goodly 
 dose of lines would generally be the wind-up. 
 Off the diamond, however, there never was a bet- 
 ter-hearted or more genial fellow than was 
 'Vat,' and at such times was a great favorite 
 with the players or any others who met him. One 
 evening during the last season he was with the 
 league, Valentine was seated in the office of the 
 Central Hotel in Pittsburgh, surrounded by a little 
 group of players and reporters. 'Val' had 
 just had a particularly rough time of it in the 
 game that day, and was loudly bewailing the 
 unfortunate lot of an Umpire. Galvin, the vet- 
 eran twirler, who was among the party, spoke up, 
 saying: 
 
 444 Take it easy, 'Val,' your good time's 
 comin'. I know of an experiment that's being 
 tried to make it easier for the Umpires; in fact, I 
 saw it tried last week, but it was done so quietly 
 that no one has ' caught on ' yet, for the originat- 
 ors do not want anything said about it until it is 
 ready to be made a part of the regular game.' 
 
 u 0f course, everyone was all attention at once, 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 115 
 
 and the scribes sharpened their pencils in expecta- 
 tion of something new. Gralvin cleared his throat 
 and began: 
 
 " 'I was going along a country road out south of 
 here, last week, when I came to a high stone wall. 
 It seemed to encircle a vast area of ground, and I 
 could not imagine what it was used for. Just 
 then I noticed a little door, and determined to 
 investigate. I knocked, and when it was opened 
 an old man made his appearance. He had a long, 
 white beard, and, strangest of all, was dressed in 
 a flowing, white robe. 'What place is thisF I 
 asked him. ' Celestial Park,' was the reply, 
 'and the Chicago and Pittsburgh clubs are play- 
 ing to-day. 5 I did not understand it, but deter- 
 mined to see it through, although I didn't know 
 of any games scheduled for that day. I attempted 
 to draw out some change, but the old chap said it 
 cost nothing, and told me to walk in. I passed 
 through the gate, and a moment later was stretched 
 out in a magnificent grand stand. It was of won- 
 derful size, and, instead of seats, it was filled with 
 fine, cushioned lounges, on which 4 you could 
 stretch out at full length. Then the bleaching- 
 boards were under roof, and had nice, cushioned 
 seats. The audience was the strangest part of it 
 all. They were all dressed like the old chap at 
 the gate in the long, white robes, and nearly all of 
 
110 Varies of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 them had big wings fastened to their shoulders. 
 I decided that I had struck a masquerade party, 
 and so thought I 5 d have all the fun I could. Then 
 I commenced to watch the fellows out on the 
 diamond. There, sure enough, was Anson, Burns, 
 Williamson, Dunlop, Miller, and all the gang; and 
 the funniest of it was, I was right there in the box, 
 pitching as hard as I knew how. The other boys 
 all had the wings, too; and you were doing duty, 
 1 Val,' behind the plate. 'Anse ' was at the bat, and 
 just then he touched me for a beautiful drive out 
 into deep center. Gosh, if you'd only seen him fly! 
 Those wings of his went so fast you couldn' t see 
 them, and he was perched on third before the ball 
 came back. Then ; Dunny ' went in to claim 4 Anse' 
 hadn't touched second. When he got to you, 
 'VaV he took off his hat and said: 'Please, 
 Umpire, will you allow me to enter an objection? ' 
 You gave permission, and then, while he was talk- 
 ing, you gave him a swipe because he forgot to 
 
 say ' Mister ' to you, and ' 
 
 " Just then Galvin happened to look around, and 
 found that while he had been so interested in tell- 
 ing his yarn, every one in the party had stolen 
 away. As the old man walked away with a look 
 of disgust on his face, he muttered: ' Those fellows 
 thought I was lying to them, but I was telling a 
 dream I had, and it really is true that I had it.' " 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 117 
 
 " PEEK-A-BOO " VEACH'S BUSINESS FAILURE— 
 U PETE" BROWNING'S SUPERSTITIONS — A CLOSE 
 CALL FOR THE MILWAUKEE TEAM AND MAN- 
 AGER JIM HART. 
 
 " Everybody who reads base-ball history, "saj^s 
 Jim Hart, "has heard of 'Peek-a-Boo' Veach, 
 who this season will cover first base for the Cleve- 
 land league team. ' Peek ' used to be somewhat 
 fond of a sup of the ' ould stuff,' a failing which, 
 in times gone by, has caused him to make some 
 failures in the base-ball arena: but I hardly think 
 his business failure has ever been given the pub- 
 lic, so I will give it as he gave it to me one night 
 while sitting in the smoking-room of a sleeping- 
 car: 
 
 " ' Yes, Jim,' said he, ' I started a meat-market 
 in Des Moines one winter. I had a partner — a 
 corking good fellow, who could drink any ball- 
 player I ever saw under the table. Well, we had 
 a nice place, did a rushing business, sold for cash 
 only, and had the best trade in the city. Our 
 beef only cost us 6 cents per pound, and we sold 
 it for 12 cents, and all other meats at. the same 
 proportion of profit; and what is more, we always 
 sold entirely out, so that there was no waste. 
 How we came to fail I'm blessed if I could ever 
 tell. Why, our failure was a wreck. Our liabili- 
 
118 Stories of the Base Ball Fielu. 
 
 ties were 81,000, and our assets were just twenty- 
 four dozen empty bottles.' " 
 
 1 k That ball -players are superstitious, ' ' con- 
 tinued Jim, "is a well-known fact, but I think 
 the most aggravated case of the disease that ever 
 came under my observation was that of ' Pete ' 
 Browning, the ' Gladiator,' so long with the Louis- 
 ville team. During the season of 1886, a gentle- 
 man called me to the grand stand and asked: 
 
 " ' Why does ' Pete ' always step on the third- 
 base bag in coming in from and returning to his 
 position in center -field? ' 
 
 "I replied that I was not aware that he did. 
 
 " 'Well, watch him,' said the gentleman, ' and 
 when he misses doing it, buy yourself a silk hat 
 and have the bill sent to me.' 
 
 "I wanted a hat, so I watched Peter pretty 
 closely, but, sure enough, he never passed in or 
 out without stepping squarely on the third -base 
 bag. Anybody who knows 'Pete' knows that 
 to lead in batting is his hobby, and anything 
 likely to improve his batting that can be suggest- 
 ed catches him immediately. I finally asked him 
 one day why he always touched the bag as he 
 did. 
 
 " ' Well, Manager,' said he, 'I'll tell you how 
 it is. You know big Dan Brouthers? Well, he 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 119 
 
 is the best batter in the league; so when we 
 played the^)etroits, last spring, I thought I would 
 watch him closely, and get on to some of his 
 points. Well, I noticed that when he left first 
 base (his position) to come to bat, he always put 
 his gloves on the foul-line back of first-base. 
 Well, I don't play first base, and I don't wear 
 gloves, so I set myself to thinking what I could 
 do to help my batting. I used to spend my time 
 while in center-field trying to think of some good 
 scheme. One day I was coming in from the field, 
 and I happened to step on third-base bag. Well, 
 I made a hit. I stepped on it again going out 
 and coming in, and got another. I got four in 
 that game, and I have continued to step on the 
 bag ever since.' 
 
 "Not long after this, Peter's health gave out to 
 a certain degree, and his fielding fell off to such a 
 degree that I was compelled to lay him off and 
 send him to the springs to recuperate. Now, ' Pete ' 
 is not at all modest as to his playing ability, and 
 always claimed that the games the team won were 
 due to him and his superior batting abilities. 
 During the time he was laid off, the team made the 
 most successful Eastern trip in its history, win- 
 ning a majority of games on all grounds visited. 
 ' Pete ' got back from the springs the day we got 
 home. The boys and myself were all feeling good 
 
120 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 over our successful trip, and 'Pete' was correspond- 
 ingly depressed. Finally one of tlie boys remarked: 
 
 " 'Say, ( Petie,' we can win even if you are not 
 on the team/ 
 
 w ' 8 Pete ' looked worried for an instant, and then 
 drawled out: 'Umph, you needn't brag, for I was 
 the cause of your good playing. We had a ball- 
 ground at tie springs, and I touched the third- 
 base bag every day? " 
 
 " The fact that no base -ball team has ever been in 
 a railway smash-up has often been commented 
 upon. In the summer of 1887, 1 thought that the 
 Milwaukee club would certainly break that record. 
 I didn't have much time for thought, however, 
 as the occurrence was like this: We were going 
 from Kansas City to Omaha. The sleeping-car 
 was so crowded that I was compelled to put two 
 men in each lower berth and take an upper 
 myself. In the dead of night, with the train at a 
 stand-still, I heard a voice filled with horror 
 shout: 
 
 " 'For God's sake, start the train, quick!' and 
 before the echo of these words had died away 
 another voice shouted through the door of the car: 
 
 u 'If you want to save your lives, get out of this 
 car, and get out quick! 5 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 121 
 
 ' ' Mingled with this voice I heard two explosions. 
 I thought it was a case of Jesse James, and as I 
 had a considerable sum of money with me I began 
 to reach for it. Following the voice in the door 
 was one from one of the players who was occupy- 
 ing the berth under me. 'My God,' it said, 
 6 there is a train on top of us;' and no sooner 
 were these words spoken than a crash of breaking 
 glass was heard. These incidents were crowded 
 into a space of probably thirty seconds, and by 
 the time the last words of warning had been 
 sounded not less than twenty people were stand- 
 ing on a bank, fifteen feet from the track, dressed 
 in all colors of under-clothing, and some of 
 them with bare legs, while forty feet back of 
 us (ours was the rear car of the train), on 
 the same track, stood a big engine panting and 
 blowing, and looking to us larger than the capi- 
 tol at Washington. When we began to compare 
 notes after finding that we were safe, we found 
 there was a disabled train ahead of us on the same 
 track, while behind us was the fast freight, and 
 as we had stopped just around a curve, the engi- 
 neer of the freight could not see our train. The 
 explosions which I heard were torpedoes placed 
 on the track, but owing to lack of time they were 
 placed not more than fifty yards back of our train. 
 The crashing of glass which so startled me was 
 
1*2*2 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 caused by the two players who had the berth 
 under mine. They each took a header through 
 the windows, and, strange as it may seem, escaped 
 without injury. In my hurry to get out, I could 
 not find the opening in the curtains, and as time 
 was precious, I tore a slit in the curtain large 
 enough to let me out, a feat which I could never 
 have accomplished under any other circumstances. 
 One of my players who had an upper berth had 
 been presented by his admirers with a handsome 
 gold watch, and of course his first thought was to 
 save the watch. When he slid out of his upper 
 berth with the time-piece in his hand, and minus 
 all clothing except an undershirt, his partner 
 was just crawling out of the lower in time to have 
 the player with the watch in his hand take a seat 
 on the back of his neck. There was no time to 
 readjust, so out of the car they went in that posi- 
 tion. You can imagine the picture. Two of my 
 players were so frightened that they forgot how 
 to get out of their berths, and consequently stayed 
 there. Take it all in all, we came very near to 
 missing a scheduled date, and, as it was, experi- 
 enced all the questionable pleasure of a genuine 
 collision." 
 
 4 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 123 
 
 HOW OJSTE OF ANSON'S YOUNG PITCHERS KEPT 
 HIS AR3I IN PITCHING FORM — A SLEEPING- 
 CAR ADVENTURE. 
 
 Horace Fogei, of the Philadelphia Public 
 Ledger, is authority for the following sleeping- 
 car yarns, at the expense of Anson's new pitcher, 
 Sullivan, and Mark Polhemus, formerly of the 
 Hoosiers: 
 
 "Last season," writes Fogel, " Washington had 
 a pitcher named Sullivan — I think the same player 
 who lately signed with Chicago. He was a very 
 green but precocious youth, and had never been 
 inside of a sleeping-car until after joining Wash- 
 ington. The first trip the ' Senators ' made after 
 Sullivan had joined them he was taken along. 
 Being down to pitch next day, he was given a 
 lower berth by Manager Irwin, so as to get a good 
 night's rest After the porter had fixed up his 
 berth, Sullivan went behind the ' curtains to 
 undress. Soon after he emerged and called sev- 
 eral of the boys to his berth. ' Say, what's that 
 little hammock in there for? ' he queried. ' That,' 
 replied Hank O'Day, 'is a pitchers berth; the 
 man who has to pitch the following day always 
 gets that berth. The car company provides that 
 hammock for the pitcher to rest his arm in.' 
 O'Day looked grave, and Sullivan took it for 
 
124 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 granted that the hammock was used for that pur- 
 pose. After Sullivan had undressed, he discov- 
 ered that the hammock was on his left side; so he 
 emerged for the second time from behind the cur- 
 tains, and, calling (J Day, said: ' This bed must be 
 for a left-handed pitcher, as that hammock is on 
 the wrong side for me.' CTDay showed him the 
 difference by simply changing the pillows around. 
 Sullivan then went to bed; and when, an hour 
 later, the boys peeped in through the curtains, he 
 was lying flat on his back, sleeping soundly, with 
 his arm resting in the hammock-like clothing 
 receptacle. In the morning they found him in the 
 same position. Sullivan was very lame in his 
 shoulder the next day, his position, with his arm 
 hanging afoot higher than his body in that ham- 
 mock all night, having been too much of a strain 
 on him. 
 
 u I am told by several Washington players that 
 this story is 'true." 
 
 "A funny incident occurred one night on a 
 sleeper while I had charge of the Indianapolis club. 
 I had just signed Polhemus, a youngster from the 
 New England League, and, being a very fly young- 
 ster, it did not take the i old gang ' long to get 
 4 on to ' him. We were on our way from Indian- 
 apolis to Philadelphia via the B. & 0. road, leav- 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 125 
 
 ing the former place on a Saturday night. Pol- 
 hemus had never traveled over the B. & O. road, 
 and the boys had him pretty well scared by tell- 
 ing him what a dangerous road it was, especially 
 coming over the Alleghany Mountains between 
 Grafton and Parkersburg. Polhemus was warned 
 not to go to bed until after we had crossed the 
 mountains, as the road was so full of sharp curves 
 that he would be in danger of being chucked 
 out of his bed. It was Sunday night, about 10 
 o'clock, when we neared the mountains, and 
 ' Polly ' being very sleepy, decided to go to bed 
 and take the risk of being tumbled out. Well, 
 he went to bed, and soon was fast asleep. He 
 occupied an upper berth. Leitner, who was the 
 most mischievous youth I ever saw, had been 
 playing tricks on the rest of the boys all day 
 long, and the idea struck him to give ' Polly ' a 
 good scare. He loosened the straps which held 
 the berth down, and then calling Seery to his 
 assistance, the two pushed up the trap-like upper 
 section. The lock-spring caught, and there was 
 Polhemus locked in against the roof of the car. 
 Then there was a racket in that section, ' Polly ' 
 kicking as hard as he could, and yelling at the 
 top of his voice for assistance. He thought the 
 car was upset; that he was in a wreck, and felt 
 himself hopelessly imprisoned, where he expected 
 
126 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 to be roasted alive as soon as the car caught fire, 
 which he took for granted as an inevitable result. 
 The boys kept him locked up for about a minute, 
 and then turned the lever and lowered the section. 
 Out jumped ' Polly,' pale as a sheet, and so ter- 
 ribly frightened as to be w T holly bewildered. The 
 lights from the gas-jets seemed to give him the 
 impression that there was fire all around him, and 
 he made a leap for the door. Fortunately, he ran 
 in a direction where several of the boys were 
 standing, and they stopped him. But for their 
 interposition, I believe he would have run out and 
 jumped from the train, which was going at the 
 rate of about fifty miles an hour. It took i Polly ' 
 several minutes to recover his senses, and it is 
 needless to add that he was very angry when he 
 discovered the trick. The funny part of that 
 night' s ride was that Leitner, who perpetrated the 
 joke, soon after went to bed, he also occupying 
 an upper berth, and actually did roll out of bed, 
 and hurt himself not a little. The train was 
 moving very fast, and when going around one 
 of those sharp curves which all ball-players 
 know, Leitner was jerked out, and fell in a heap 
 in the middle of the aisle. He occupied the berth 
 next to me, and I was the first to discover the 
 accident. I heard groans, and, poking my head 
 out from behind the curtains, I discovered Leit- 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field, 127 
 
 ner sitting in the aisle with his arms clasped about 
 his body and moaning to himself. I got up and 
 assisted him to his feet, and, upon examination, 
 found that he was considerably more frightened 
 than injured. In the meantime the other boys 
 awoke, and all had a good laugh at Leitner's 
 expense, the man wiio laughed most heartily 
 being Polhemus. ' ' 
 
 HOW OJCTE BALL-GAME WAS LOST — ZIMMERMAN'S 
 GREAT TRIPLE PLAY. 
 
 " While manager of the Chattanooga, Tenn., 
 club, in 1885," writes Billy Voltz, of the Philadel- 
 phia Press, " my team stopped off at Macon, Ga., 
 to play that club a postponed game. A victory 
 for Chattanooga meant a change from fifth to 
 fourth place, and a victory for Macon meant third 
 place for them, as they were then tie for second. 
 I put Ramsay, the celebrated pitcher, in the box, 
 and owing to the illness of Siegel, my right-fielder, 
 I was forced to put Bullas, who was Ramsay's 
 regular catcher, in the field, and Cox, who was a 
 worse fielder than Bullas, was obliged to catch 
 Ramsay. Up to the beginning of the ninth 
 inning, the score stood 3 to 2 in our favor. We 
 were first at bat, and were retired without a run. 
 Then the Macon men came to bat. Two hands 
 
128 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 were out and men were on second and third bases, 
 when Peltz, one of the Macon players, rapped out 
 a liner into right-field. Bullas was a miserable 
 excuse for a fielder, and was slow in sighting the 
 ball. Then, too, the sun was in the poor fellow's 
 eyes. When he did sight the ball, he saw he was 
 playing too far in, and started to run toward the 
 right -field fence, which, by the way, is not as high 
 as the average fence. As Bullas turned to catch 
 the ball, it crashed through his fingers, hit him 
 on top of his head, from which it bounded over 
 the fence, and we lost the game by a score of 4 to 
 3, Peltz stopping at second base. This can be 
 vouched for by any of the contestants in that 
 game and the spectators who witnessed it." 
 
 Jack Bellman and Leve Shreve were discussing 
 catchers and ball-players in general, on the Louis- 
 ville grounds, one day last summer, when Billy 
 Reccius told the following about Billy Zimmer- 
 man, formerly right-fielder of the old Eclipse 
 club: 
 
 " Zimmerman," said he, " was one of the great- 
 est fielders I ever saw. He played with the 
 Eclipse club the year previous to its admission to 
 the association. One day he saved the game for 
 us by making a remarkable triple play. A low 
 fly-ball was hit to right-field, and the bases were 
 full. There were no outs, and the runners, think- 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 129 
 
 ing that the ball would fall safe, started around 
 the circuit, Zimmerman caught the ball a few 
 inches from the ground, and he was going so fast 
 that he touched first base before he could stop. 
 He then threw the ball to second, completing the 
 finest play ever made on a ball-field." 
 
 EARLY RECOLLECTIONS OF HENRY CHADWICK — 
 BASE BALL IN THE '60S — A GAME OF ONE 
 HUNDRED INNINGS — THE VETERAN'S ESTI- 
 MATE OF " ROUNDERS." 
 
 Says the veteran, Henry Chad wick: ' ' My earliest 
 recollection of base ball dates back to the fall of 
 1847 — over forty years ago — when I went with a 
 party of young fellows to the Elysian Field, 
 Hoboken, to play a scrub game of the base ball of 
 those days. The regular field was occupied by 
 the Knickerbockers that day, and we had our game 
 on an adjoining open lot. I played short-stop, 
 and we had lots of fun. Our side lost; I know, 
 because I had to chip in to pay for the oyster sup- 
 per we played for. I plugged two base-runners 
 out who ran from home to first, hitting one in the 
 back and the other on the leg before they got to 
 the base. I got hit once on the neck, but the ball 
 was not hard, and it did not hurt much. 
 
 "In those days they played a game of base 
 
130 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 ball in the New England States which would 
 occupy a couple of days in playing a match of 
 over a hundred innings. Before that time, in the 
 '308, they played town ball in Philadelphia, of 
 which the old Olympic Club was the first club to 
 play the game. But base ball per se was not estab- 
 lished in Philadelphia until 1859 and I860. The 
 first game of base ball I ever saw in Philadelphia 
 was in I860, between the old Equity and Winona 
 clubs. I remember their having bases one cubic 
 foot square, like a cushion stool, and when a run- 
 ner would reach a base he would take a seat on 
 the bag. 
 
 "The most enjoyable trip I ever took in report- 
 ing base ball was that on which I went with the 
 Nationals of Washington, July, 1867. That excur- 
 sion did wonders in extending the popularity of 
 base ball. I shall never forget our experience in 
 Chicago that trip. The Nationals had had a walk- 
 over with the clubs of Columbus, Cincinnati, 
 Indianapolis, Louisville, and St. Louis, but they 
 struck a snag when they met the Forest City nine 
 at Dexter Park, Chicago, the pitching of Al 
 Spalding bothering them considerably, and they 
 met with their first and only defeat at the hands 
 of the Forest City nine that time. They tried to 
 get up a return game, but the Rockfords declined. 
 They well knew that defeat would have followed. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 131 
 
 The next day the Nationals met the Chicago 
 champions, the Excelsiors, who were sanguine of 
 taking the visitors into camp after their defeat by 
 the Forest City nine. But this time the Nationals 
 played their game, and defeated the Excelsiors 
 by 49 to 4. You never saw a madder crowd than 
 the Excelsiors and their betting friends were that 
 night. They swore it was a put-up job, etc. 
 Just look over the files of the Chicago Tribune of 
 July 27, 28, and 29, 1867; you will find some 
 interesting base-ball reading also in the Chicago 
 Times and Republican of those dates, 
 
 " The first book on base ball which I wrote was 
 Beadle's Dime Book of 1860, which was pub- 
 lished yearly for over twenty years. This was 
 the first book on the game ever published. A 
 comparison of that work with the League Guide 
 of 1889 shows what wonderful changes have been 
 made in the game within a quarter of a century. 
 New York was the great center of base ball then, 
 and yet in that city but little public interest was 
 taken in the game compared to that of the present 
 time. The Atlantic Club in 1861 played in but 
 seven matches. 
 
 "The pitcher in those days had to deliver the 
 ball by a square pitch only. He was required 
 to stand behind a line twelve feet in length and 
 forty-five feet distant from the home base. He 
 
L33 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 could run eight or ten feet in the act of delivering 
 the ball, and he had to pitch ball after ball until 
 the batsman was suited. The Umpire sat in a 
 chair with an umbrella over his head to protect 
 him from the sun, and had an easy time of it. 
 
 "I remember one time that Matty O'Brien of 
 the Atlantas — their regular pitcher — acted as 
 Umpire, and he became so interested in the con- 
 test that, in a play in which the running home of 
 a base-runner from third had to be decided, Matty 
 called out 'judgment' and looked around for the 
 Umpire, forgetting that he himself was the man." 
 
 Concerning the English game of " rounders," 
 unto which, in the past, Englishmen have likened 
 base ball, Mr. Chadwick says: "My first experi- 
 ence in playing 'rounders' occurred nearly sixty 
 years ago, when I was an English school-boy. 
 We used to each go out to a field back of the 
 school, get three stones for bases, dig a hole 
 in the ground for home base, and mark a line 
 where the runner was to stop running round the 
 bases after leaving third base. The 'feeder,' or 
 pitcher, tried his best to toss the ball into the hole, 
 and the batsman would do his best to knock the 
 ball into the field. If he succeeded he ran to the 
 bases, and if not caught out could only be put 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 133 
 
 out by being hit by a thrown ball when off a base. 
 This was all there was to the game. It was 
 simply a game to occupy about an hour or two, 
 and the fun consisted in hitting the runner. 
 There was no skill required in pitching, batting, 
 or fielding. For Englishmen to compare a boyish 
 pastime like this to our manly national game of 
 base ball, is the veriest nonsense. 
 
 "Base ball is unquestionably an American game. 
 In fact, I know it is, for I had much to do for sev- 
 eral years in formulating its rules, and in evolv- 
 ing the game, as now played, out of the old exer- 
 cise game of thirty odd years ago. I was on the 
 committee of rules of the old National Association 
 in the ' 60s, and nearly all of the work of revis- 
 ing the rules each year was left in my hands, 
 even before I became chairman of the committee. 
 When I took hold of the work of improving the 
 old game, the ball was too large and too elastic; 
 there was no penalty for wild pitching, and bats- 
 men could hit at fair balls or not just as they 
 chose; players never touched bases when they ran 
 them; the bound catch was in vogue; the Umpire 
 was irresponsible and his duties almost nominal; 
 in fact, the game was merely for fun and exercise. 
 I helped to make it the manliest game in vogue, 
 and to make it a strictly American game, having 
 no equal in the world for the purpose it serves as 
 
134 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 a Held game of ball, suitable for all ages and all 
 classes. By and by, when English prejudice is 
 removed and our Yankee game is given a fair 
 show, it will go side by side with cricket in Eng- 
 land. All I want for it is for Englishmen to give 
 our game as fair a show as they have done the 
 Canadian game of Lacrosse. But don't insult 
 our game by calling it 'rounders.' " 
 
 The most successful base ball year in the 
 annals of the Harvard nine was that of 1870. It 
 was in that year they met the New York Mutuals 
 on the Boston Club grounds, and I append the 
 score: 
 
 HARVARD. 
 
 r-Batting.-^ , Fielding. N 
 
 o. R. IB. t.b. Assists. Fly catches. ^ 8 ™ Errors. To ^ t put 
 
 Eustis,rf 1 6 6 1 1 
 
 Wells, cf 15 5 6 2 2 
 
 Perrin,lstb...5 2 3 3 1 10 10 
 
 Bush, c 4 322 1 3 4 
 
 Austin, s S....4 1 2 2 5 2 
 
 Goodwin, p...2 2 2 2 2 
 
 Reynolds, 3d b. 4 12 1 2 3 
 
 White, 2db...4 12 2 2 1 2 3 
 
 Thorpe, 1 f....2 446 1 2 2 
 
 Totals...27 24 27 31 12 11 12 3 27 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 135 
 
 
 MUTUAL 
 
 1, 
 
 
 
 
 
 r— Batting.— > 
 
 r 
 
 
 -Fielding. 
 
 
 \ 
 
 0. K. IB. T.B. 
 
 Assists. 
 
 Fly catches 
 
 Outs on 
 ' bases. 
 
 Errors. 
 
 Total put 
 outs. 
 
 E. Mills, 1st b. 6 111 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -7 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 Eggler, cf....2 2 3 4 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 Nelson, 3d b..2 2 4 5 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Patterson, If.. 5 111 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 Hatfield, ss...2 4 3 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Martin, r f 5 1 1 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 C. Mills, c 1 4 4 4 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 Wolters, p....3 3 1 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 Swandel,2db.l 4 2 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 Totals...27 22 20 22 8 11 9 7 27 
 
 Innings. 1st 2d 3d 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 
 
 Harvard 2 3 2 8 14 3 1—24 
 
 Mutual 5 1 1 4 3 2 4 2—22 
 
 Both the catchers are dead, and Nelson is the 
 only professional name in service of the old 
 Mutuals. 
 
 A TRAGEDY OF THE DIAMOND— KEN MTJLFORD's 
 STORY OF LOU HEENKE'S FATAL ACCIDENT 
 ON THE FIELD AT ATLANTA — HOW A BRAVE 
 FELLOW DIED. 
 
 "To the ever-growing volumes of literature of 
 the game, not a chapter has been contributed upon 
 the life and trials of a manager," writes Ren Mul- 
 ford, Jr., of the Cincinnati Times- Star. "Poor 
 fellows, they are too modest to talk about it, 
 
136 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 for about their devoted heads all season long 
 ring the cheers of admirers in the halcyon days 
 of victory, and the jeers of caustic critics when 
 the hours of defeat are darkest. For reverses they 
 have one brief, eloquent excuse — 'hard luck;' 
 and when Fate smiles her sweetest, during the era 
 of success, there can be but one reason for the 
 turn of the tide— ' great ball-playing.' Man- 
 agers are like all the rest of mortals— they are 
 born, not made. They have their ups and downs, 
 just like the directors of elevators. When for- 
 tune smiles they breathe easily, and when the 
 fickle jade has turned her back they suffer in 
 silence, for managers, like umpires, were fated to 
 be abused. 
 
 " It is 'on the road ' that the guardian angel of 
 a ball club's destinies earns his salary. There 
 never was a team on the face of the globe so 
 bound by the scheduled rules and regulations 
 that it did not need watching. The witching 
 hour of midnight oft sees the distracted manager, 
 with fire ' in his eye and watch in hand, pacing 
 the gloomy corridor of a hotel, looking for the 
 culprit pets of the diamond field, who have trans- 
 gressed the laws laid down for their government. 
 It is not all of management to sit with the boys 
 upon the bench and scowl as misplays are made 
 or smile when the swish of the bat and crack of 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 137 
 
 the horse-hide keeps the score-board boy busy 
 chalking up tallies that make victory certain. 
 The joys of the life are all magnified — the dis- 
 agreeable tasks hidden behind a curtain that is 
 seldom raised to the multitude! 
 
 u So much by way of introduction. It is not 
 with the passive joys and sorrow r s of a manager, 
 however, that this sketch will deal. Few have had 
 the sad experience that bef el Gus H. Schmelz dur- 
 ing the early years of his career as a guardian 
 angel of tossers of the sphere. Not often has the 
 shadow of death darkened the professional dia- 
 mond. Despite the element of danger in this 
 sport of sports, serious accidents on the field are 
 of rare occurrence. It was decreed for one of 
 Gus Schmelz' s 'boys' to die for his club. The 
 sacrifice had never been made before. Let us 
 hope the future holds no such tragic event. 
 Atlanta was the scene of the sad affair. It was 
 in 1885 and the ' Gate City ' boys were marching 
 victoriously toward the pennant, the trophy of 
 the Southern League race that they finally car- 
 ried off in triumph. On that fatal afternoon they 
 had in the Nashvilles opponents worthy of their 
 best efforts. It required head work to win that 
 game. Met at every point by the Tennesseeans, 
 it verily seemed that the tide of success had been 
 turned. Lou Heenke — a Cincinnati boy, by the 
 
138 Stories of the Base Ball Field, 
 
 way— in the natural run of tilings took his turn 
 at the bat, with one of his Atlanta confreres on 
 third and one man out. One run might win that 
 game, for nothing but blanks had been drawn, and 
 Heenke played to get that man home. He 
 blocked the ball safely. Down toward third it 
 slowly rolled and Norman Baker, who was pitch- 
 ing for the Nashvilles, quickly recovered it. By 
 a feint he scared the runner back to third, and 
 then threw wildly toward first. Charley — better 
 known as ' Lefty' — Marr was at that base for 
 Nashville, and he dove forward to stop the ball. 
 He barely touched it, but it dropped on the line 
 at his feet. Without the loss of a moment 
 he stooped to recover it. Heenke was coming 
 down the path as fast as his legs would well carry 
 him. Marr was in his way and a collision was inev- 
 itable. With the force of a catapult Marr's head 
 was planted full in the breast of the runner. 
 Heenke dropped like a shot, w T hile Marr was sent 
 spinning head over heels into right field, where he 
 lay half stunned. The run was in and Heenke 
 with a groan crawled safely to first. 
 
 " 'Can you play it out, Lou?' he was asked. 
 
 " 'No,' was the brief but emphatic reply, and, 
 wounded to the death, the big first-baseman left 
 the field. His eyes rested upon it wistfully as he 
 walked to a conveyance which was destined to 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 139 
 
 take him to the hotel where the last scene of all 
 was enacted. Suffering untold tortures, he never 
 murmured. Few thought that collision meant 
 death to one of Atlanta 1 s favorites. Arriving at 
 the hostelry he walked up three flights of stairs to 
 his room, away from God's bright sunshine, to 
 face the great unknown. The whole story of his 
 death has never been told. From the lips of one 
 who held his hand while the 'Grim Reaper' 
 stifled his breath and beaded his forehead with 
 the dew of dissolution, I heard it. For hours he 
 lingered in agony. One chum remained stead- 
 fastly by his side, kindly repulsing friends who 
 called and ministering to the dying player. That 
 man was ' Hen ' Bittman. 
 
 ' ' 'No soldier ever faced death with less fear than 
 Lou Heenke,' declared Bittman. ' Only once did 
 I hear him complain. He lay there waiting for 
 the end he knew was coming, and as his eyes 
 roamed over the ceiling he groaned, ' Oh, God, 
 how can you let me suffer so!' that was all. 
 His first question, when the boys filed in after the 
 game, was: 
 
 " 'What was the score? ' 
 
 " 'We beat 'em three to nothing,' came the 
 reply, but the glamour of the victory was lost in 
 counting the awful cost, for it was then known 
 that before the sun set upon another day a 
 
140 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 ball-player's spirit would take its flight into 
 eternity. 
 
 " 'I wish you had struck out,' remarked Bitt- 
 man. 
 
 " 'What's the difference? I made a run by it,' 
 was Heenke's cheery response. 
 
 " ' Shall I telegraph to your wife? ' Bittman 
 asked. 
 
 "'Oh, no, she would only have to carry me 
 home,' came the answer, with a meaning not to 
 be misunderstood. 
 
 " ' But hadn't I better write? ' 
 
 1 ' Bittman was persistent and Heenke responded : 
 
 " 'Yes, if you will.' 
 
 " 'What shall I tell her? ' 
 
 " 'You can say that I got hurt in a ball-game 
 and died! ' 
 
 "Here was nerve for you! Around the couch of 
 the dying boy devotional services were held. Ball- 
 players knelt while the Giver of all things good was 
 petitioned to receive to Himself the youth whose 
 life was fast ebbing away. These were trying- 
 moments for Manager Schmelz. He was a sorroAv- 
 ing participant in all these preparations for the 
 inevitable. Heenke was conscious up to the last 
 moment. 
 
 " 'Good bye! Amen! ' were the last words he 
 spoke, and as the rattle of death told that the 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 141 
 
 end had come, Manager Gus Schmelz turned away 
 faint and sick at heart. Lou Heenke sleeps his 
 last sleep in a Cincinnati cemetery. 
 
 ' i On the heels of that tragedy there came another 
 incident which bordered on a murder. A half- 
 drunken fellow was abusing Heenke after his death, 
 in the presence of several of his former confreres. 
 Bittman resented the insults and avowed his 
 intention to defend the name of the dead from 
 slander. The Georgian was not to be subdued by 
 mere words, and drawing a knife as long as a 
 bayonet, he made a pass at Bittman' s jugular. 
 The blow fell short and 'Jimmie' Green, who 
 has since played in the Tri- State League, with one 
 blow knocked the would-be knife-user down and 
 then disarmed him. The rumpus created much 
 excitement, for Atlanta was still grieving over 
 Heenke's sad fate. It was not long before Manager 
 Schmelz heard the story, and rushing to Bittman 
 he said: 'Stay around the hotel to-night; we've 
 had one man killed and we do not want to lose 
 another!' These leaves from a manager's life are 
 exceptional. Were they mere matters of course, 
 there would be more gray-haired gentlemen in the 
 profession than can now be counted." 
 
142 Stories of the Base Ball Field, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE BASE-BALL STRUCTURE lis' AMERICA — THE 
 REVOLT OF THE PLAYERS AGAINST THE 
 NATIONAL LEAGUE. 
 
 The history of the growth and development of 
 base ball has been so completely covered, its 
 championship contests of past years recapitulated 
 so ably, and the records of its great clubs and 
 players given so fully, as to render chronological 
 treatment in this volume unnecessary; yet there 
 are certain periods and features of the game' s his- 
 tory which the writer is inclined to touch upon 
 briefly in this chapter. 
 
 At no period of its existence has the game been 
 brought before public notice so widely as during the 
 past winter — 1889-90. The attempt of one hundred 
 or more of the most prominent players in the coun- 
 try to disrupt and cripple the two leading and 
 the oldest organizations of the base-ball structure 
 in America, by withdrawing in a body under the 
 protection of the Brotherhood of Ball Players, 
 has made the winter in question by far the most 
 eventful period in the game's history. An 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field, 143 
 
 erroneous impression of the causes which led to 
 this upheaval in the base-ball world exists in many 
 sections of our own country, and particularly in 
 
 England and Australia, where the American game 
 is just obtaining a foothold; and as the writer 
 hopes that this little volume will be read not only 
 throughout the United States, but in Great 
 Britain and Australia as well, it has occurred to 
 him that a brief and plainly-worded history of 
 the- " break," and the schemes of its instigators, 
 leading up to the revolt itself, may not only be of 
 interest, but serve as well to correct mistaken im- 
 pressions — many of which without question exist. 
 At the time of the organization of the Brother- 
 hood, the National League of Professional Ball 
 Clubs had been in existence about eleven vears, 
 and the American Association almost as long. 
 When the National League was organized, base 
 ball was comparatively in an embryotic condition. 
 There was no such thing in existence as a well- 
 organized association of professional clubs, with 
 pre-arranged schedules, with clearly-defined play- 
 ing rules, or with inter-state club laws and pro- 
 tective measures against insubordination, intem- 
 perance, and dishonest ball-playing. The game was 
 at the mercy of gamblers and tricksters, and held 
 a position in public estimation which certainly 
 gave little promise of its subsequent development 
 
144 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 into the recognized national game of the Ameri- 
 can people, backed financially and controlled by 
 men of high social and business standing, and 
 numbering among its enthusiastic patrons thou- 
 sands of the best citizens in our great centers of 
 population. To rescue the game from the slums 
 and sand lots, to weed out the drunkards and 
 " crooked" players, to build up the sport and 
 place it upon a plane that would entitle it to 
 public esteem and win for it popularity among 
 the better classes, was indeed a Herculean 
 task, when one considers its unenviable stand- 
 ing back in the early '70s. It can readily 
 be understood, also, that, under the circum- 
 stances, the utmost rigor and the sternest dis- 
 cipline practicable was necessary in the con- 
 trol of players, who had never been subjected to 
 even the mildest discipline, and who as a class 
 were not sufficiently intelligent to understand the 
 necessity for anything of the kind. Such rules, 
 measures, and policy were consequently adopted, 
 and when certain players, a year or two later, were 
 accused and convicted of a plot to " throw" cer- 
 tain championship games between league teams 
 for the benefit of the gambling fraternity, they 
 were permanently expelled from the ranks of the 
 League, and their cases so summarily and sternly 
 dealt with that the remaining players of the 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 145 
 
 young organization were thoroughly convinced of 
 the League' s intention to control its affairs with 
 ungloved hands and stand no nonsense. 
 
 As the National League grew in age, and the 
 game began to assume cleaner and more promis- 
 ing proportions, other necessary rules and regula- 
 tions were suggested through each succeeding 
 season, and they were promptly adopted and 
 rigorously enforced. Each year, however, seemed 
 to bring forth some new obstacle to the game's 
 financial and professional success, and one of the 
 greatest that in time developed was the grasping 
 policy of both clubs and players. The National 
 League club at Chicago, for instance, would employ 
 and develop a young player until, by his excel- 
 lent work in the field or at the bat, he attracted 
 the attention of a rival club. The result was the 
 refusal of the player to sign for another year with 
 his old club, save at a substantial advance, equal 
 to or above that offered by the rival club which 
 desired his services. This, of course, was all right 
 so long as the increase of salary asked for was 
 kept within reasonable limits; but ere long clubs 
 began, under pressure of competition, to assume 
 salary lists which they must have known their 
 prospective gate receipts did not warrant, and the 
 result was financial embarrassments without num- 
 ber, and the consequent threatened abandonment of 
 IQ 
 
146 Stories of the Base Ball Field, 
 
 base ball as a. business enterprise by those who 
 had invested their dollars. 
 
 It was this state of affairs which gave rise to 
 the " Reserve Rule," operating first among the 
 National League clubs alone, but since in vogue 
 among all professional organizations throughout 
 the country. In accordance with this rule each 
 National League club agreed not to tamper with 
 or offer money inducements to any one of five 
 players whom the club employing them might 
 name, thus virtually giving a club an option upon 
 the services of the number of players named 
 for the ensuing year. The number was gradually 
 increased until in 1888 each club was privileged to 
 reserve fourteen players, or five more than an 
 entire team. With succeeding years came the 
 national agreement, by which the National League 
 and American Association agreed to respect cer- 
 tain corporate rights relative to territory, players, 
 and club government, and this protective measure 
 increased its scope until to-day it embraces within 
 its membership every existing professional base- 
 ball organization in America (save the Players' 
 League), so that no ball-player, under suspension 
 from any cause, or refusing to carry out his con- 
 tract with any club, may be employed by any 
 other organization until he has been reinstated, 
 or until he has fulfilled his original contract. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 147 
 
 Then came the " sales system/ ' by which the 
 Boston club, for instance, desiring the services of 
 one of Chicago's best players, secured the right 
 to negotiate with such player upon the payment 
 of a money consideration to the club holding the 
 player in reserve. The reserving club at all times, 
 of course, had the privilege of refusing all offers, 
 and likewise the player had the right to object to his 
 transfer, unless the purchasing club agreed to his 
 terms, or to refuse entirely, M for any reason he pre- 
 ferred remaining where he was. For a time the 
 reserve rule checked the salary evil, but the sales 
 system opened the gates to clubs like Boston, New 
 York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, with well -filled 
 treasuries, to secure the star players of the 
 country, one by one, until they possessed teams so 
 strong as to impair the drawing power of their 
 less fortunate competitors, who, in their. efforts 
 to " keep up with the procession," were compelled 
 to assume salary lists far beyond anything their 
 financial strength and business judgment war- 
 ranted. Finally, a salary limit rule was adopted 
 by the League, but there were so many means of 
 evading it — means which no wording of the rule 
 could bar — that the measure quickly became a 
 dead letter. Then, as a substitute, while Presi- 
 dent Spalding was absent upon the tour of the 
 world with the Chicago and All- American teams, 
 
148 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 the League framed and adopted the " Classifica- 
 tion Rule," by which all league players were to be 
 divided into four classes, according to their play- 
 ing ability, their conduct and personal habits, 
 with a salary limit for each class. 
 
 This rule was a mistake — one of the few legisla- 
 tive errors the National League has been guilty 
 of. Its impracticability w r as soon demonstrated, 
 of course, but not until it had won for itself the 
 bitter opposition of the players, and until it had 
 afforded them an excuse for their ultimate revolt 
 against the League. Mutterings against the ' ' sales 
 system," the " reserve rule," and the u classifica- 
 tion rule," began to be heard during the fore part 
 of the season of 1889, and the press of the coun- 
 try discussed the relations of league players with 
 their clubs, pro and con, for weeks. 
 
 Meanwhile, John M. Ward, of the New York 
 club, and his fellow- workers, had organized the 
 Brotherhood of Ball Players, for the avow r ed 
 purpose of advancing the interests of the national 
 game, and of bringing about closer and more cor- 
 dial relations between the players and their clubs. 
 Shortly after its organization, this same Brother- 
 hood desired certain modifications and changes 
 made in the form of contract existing between the 
 clubs and players, and a committee, of which Presi- 
 dent John M. Ward was chairman, met the officers 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 149 
 
 of the National League in New York, and the latter 
 readily consented to such changes as made the 
 contract in every way acceptable to the Brother- 
 hood. After the adoption of the classification 
 rule, however, during the summer of 1889, the 
 Brotherhood apj)ointed a committee to wait upon 
 the National League, and request the appoint- 
 ment of a similar league committee for the 
 immediate discussion of the classification rule, 
 with a view to its nullification. 
 
 The League promptly appointed a committee, 
 which was to take under consideration the Broth- 
 erhood' s request for an immediate joint meeting, 
 and the committee, of which A. Gr. Spalding was 
 chairman — John M. Ward being chairman of the 
 brotherhood committee — decided that a legisla- 
 tive meeting in the middle of the playing season 
 would divert public interest and public attention 
 from the pennant race, as wejl as disturb the 
 work of the players themselves; and, in addition, 
 that, as there were no questions at issue which 
 could not be discussed after the close of the season 
 as advantageously to both sides as at the time 
 suggested by the Brotherhood, the committee 
 would advise the postponement of the meeting 
 asked for until the time of the annual meeting of 
 the League in November. 
 
 Upon receiving the League's ultimatum, Presi- 
 
150 Stories of the Base Ball Meld. 
 
 dent Ward' s first step was to bind the members 
 of the Brotherhood together by virtue of an oath, 
 especially administered, in which all brotherhood 
 players took a solemn pledge to stand by one 
 another, and declared, " before Almighty God," 
 that they would at no time in future be guilty of 
 any act that would in any way injure or work 
 detriment to any member of the order. Then the 
 first active steps in the great revolt were deter- 
 minedly taken by the brotherhood leaders. After 
 the work had progressed sufficiently, the players 
 were informed secretly, one team at a time, that 
 the Brotherhood proposed to bring things to an 
 issue with the League at the close of the season, 
 and that, in case of the refusal of the League to 
 make such concessions as the Brotherhood de- 
 manded, the Brotherhood would immediately take 
 steps toward the formation of a Players' League, 
 to be conducted upon a co-operative basis. A 
 contract, in which the signer agreed not to place 
 his signature to a league contract for 1890 with- 
 out the consent of the Brotherhood, was then 
 presented to and signed by a large majority of 
 the brotherhood members. When the plans of 
 the organization were finally divulged in Septem- 
 ber of 18b9, the brotherhood leaders had well 
 nigh completed their plans for a Players' League, 
 with clubs in the cities of Boston, Philadelphia, 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 151 
 
 New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, and 
 Chicago. 
 
 When the players signed the brotherhood 
 agreement not to sign a league contract for 1890, 
 it was generally understood, as many of them 
 afterward averred, to wit: Sunday, Clarkson, 
 Ganzel, McKeon, Zimmer, Beckley, Glasscock, 
 Denny, Thompson, Smith, and others equally 
 well known, that the Brotherhood would not 
 take steps toward the formation of a rival 
 league, unless the National League refused to 
 grant the concessions asked for. The unexpected 
 exposure of the Brotherhood's plans, however, 
 showed conclusively that the Brotherhood's inten- 
 tions were in no way provisional; that Ward and 
 his followers had fully determined to break away 
 from the old body, concessions or no concessions; 
 and at the annual meeting of the players' organ- 
 ization in November this avowal was publicly 
 made. The result was that a number of the more 
 intelligent, independent, and prominent players 
 washed their hands of the Brotherhood and told 
 the organization plainly that they did not propose 
 to be led by the nose in any such manner, among 
 such being Clarkson, Welch, Ganzel, Miller, 
 Tiernan, Beckley, Glasscock, Denny, Thompson, 
 Boyle, Sunday, and others, all afterward 
 signing contracts with the National League, and 
 
152 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 all of whom were expelled from the Brother- 
 hood. 
 
 During the months that have followed, the 
 brotherhood leaders, with the rank and file of the 
 oldest ball-players in the country well in hand, 
 have gone ahead with the work of strengthening 
 their organization, and completing their teams 
 for the season of 1890; the League, meanwhile, 
 accepting the situation and entering into the fight 
 inaugurated by the players, with ample means 
 and long years of experience to back it. The 
 League' s first act w T as to annul the classification 
 law at its November meeting. This law had been 
 adopted simply as an experiment, and its repeal 
 was assured, even though the Brotherhood had 
 taken no steps against it, It was a mistake in 
 legislation, but it harmed not a man among those 
 who led the revolt against the National League, 
 while it unquestionably opened the doors of 
 league clubs to many players of the younger 
 class. The law really looked toward the coming 
 generation of ball-players, and gave promise of 
 enabling the league clubs of six or eight years 
 hence — by classifying, with graded salaries, all 
 young players employed by the League — to go 
 through a championship season with a salary list 
 of from $25,000 to $35,000, where they are now 
 carrying pay-rolls of from $35,000 to $50,000— a 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field, 153 
 
 figure far in advance of what twelve of the sixteen 
 leading clubs in the country can stand. The sal- 
 aries of such players as Ward, O'Rourke, Ewing, 
 Connor, Williamson, Ryan, Duffy, Keefe, Crane, 
 Johnston, Radbourne, and others of the promi- 
 nent players in the revolt, were in no way affected 
 by the new law, yet it was they who raised the 
 greatest outcry. After repealing the classifica- 
 tion act and effecting other commendable changes, 
 the League resorted to such other means as would 
 enable it to recover from the blow aimed at its 
 existence bv the Brotherhood, and the moves 
 and counter-moves made by the two bodies— the 
 Brotherhood and the National League — made the 
 winter a never : to-be-forgotten one in the history 
 of the national game. 
 
 There can be no question but that the brother- 
 hood leaders had fully determined upon cutting 
 loose from the parent organization long before 
 the request was made for a joint meeting of the 
 league and brotherhood committees. No con- 
 cessions the League might have granted, nor any 
 steps it might have taken, would have prevented 
 the break. Base ball, as an amusement enterprise, 
 has become so prominent an institution during 
 the past few years, that a thirst for fancied 
 profits could not longer be resisted by the men 
 who have engineered the brotherhood movement. 
 
154 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 The League's " oppression," the " odious sales 
 system/' the ''unjust reserve law," and the 
 "farcical classification law," have been harped 
 upon as the casus belli by brotherhood leaders; 
 but the milk in the brotherhood cocoanut has 
 really been the desire of a dozen or perhaps a 
 score of players to secure a controlling hand in 
 affairs of the game, together with a slice of the 
 profits therein; and the feature of the movement 
 which puzzles the oldest heads in base-ball affairs 
 is the action of the remaining eighty odd ball- 
 players, in rallying to the support of this chosen 
 few, under a form of contract which they would 
 have repudiated without an instant' s hesitation, 
 had it been offered by the National League. Many 
 of these eighty players could, at any time during 
 the winter of 1889-90, have signed two and three 
 3^ear contracts with their old clubs, whose solv- 
 ency and ability to j3ay is unquestioned; yet they 
 stuck to contracts with the brotherhood organiza- 
 tion, which especially stipulate that the salaries 
 of the players shall be derived from the gate 
 receipts and no other source. 
 
 January 1, 1890, found the players' organization 
 upon an apparently firm foundation; that is, the 
 new league had obtained financial backing, and 
 had established teams in Boston, New York, 
 Brooklyn, and Philadelphia in the East, and in 
 
Stories of the iBase Ball Field. 155 
 
 Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Buffalo in 
 the West. Preparations for securing and equip- 
 ping grounds for the approaching season were 
 talked of, and the new organization declared its 
 ability to hold all of the players it had under 
 contract, as against any move the National 
 League people might make toward the end of 
 reclaiming the players or inducing them to 
 desert the brotherhood banner. The League, in 
 the belief that the reserve clause in its player's 
 contract gave the organization a legal option upon 
 the services of its men for 1890, resolved to put 
 the point to legal test, and forthwith asked for 
 a temporary injunction in the courts of New 
 York, restraining John M. Ward, by virtue of 
 his contract with the New York league club, from 
 playing ball with any other organization. The 
 court, however, while recognizing the validity of 
 the reserve clause, refused to grant a temporary 
 injunction, upon the ground that there was ample 
 time in which to decide the case by regular trial 
 before the playing season of 1890 began. This 
 decision of the court did much to bolster up the 
 brotherhood cause, and the press of the country 
 for a fortnight afterward blossomed with the 
 opinions and predictions of brotherhood enthu- 
 siasts, in which the success of the players' organi- 
 zation and the downfall of the National League 
 was assured. 
 
156 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 The League, meanwhile, had been shorn of al- 
 most every player it possessed. Every man, with 
 a few exceptions, of the hundred or more who 
 owed their success as ball-players to the success 
 of the National League, repudiated his contract 
 with the parent organization and rallied with his 
 fellow-players beneath the brotherhood standard. 
 Chicago was left with but three of its old players — 
 Anson, Burns and Hutchinson. Boston, New York, 
 Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Cleveland, 
 and Indianapolis were swept clean as a ball-room 
 floor, or, rather, were believed to have been for a 
 period of six weeks after the expose of the broth- 
 erhood conspiracy. Upon reflection, however, 
 many of the players who had signed brotherhood 
 agreements not to sign league contracts without 
 the consent of the players' organization, saw 
 through the subtle trick of the leaders in binding 
 them by such an agreement, and flatly refused to 
 abide by it. The result was that the following 
 players returned to the league fold before March 1 : 
 
 Boston — Clarkson (p.), Ganzell (c), Bennett (c), 
 Smith (s. s.). 
 
 New York — Murphy (c), Tiernan (r. 1), 
 Welch (p.). 
 
 Chicago — Anson (1st b.), Burns (3d b.), Hutch- 
 inson (p.), Wilmot (1. f.). 
 
 Cleveland — Grilks (c. I), McKeon (s. s.), Zim- 
 mer (c.) 5 Beatin (p.). 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 157 
 
 Indianapolis — Bassett (2db.), Boyle (p.), Buck- 
 ley (a), Denny ^3d b.), Glasscock (s. s.), Russie 
 
 (p.). 
 
 Philadelphia— Anderson (p.), Clements (c), 
 Decker (c), Delehanty (1. L), Day (p.), Grleason 
 (p.), Myers (2d b.), Shriver (c), Thompson (r. 1). 
 
 Pittsburgh — Beckley (1st b.), Miller (p.), Sow- 
 ders (p.), Sunday (c. 1). 
 
 Washington — Riddle (a). 
 
 Thus the first day of March, 1890 (the time of 
 going to press with this volume), finds the league 
 teams reorganized, each with from three to six of 
 its old players as a nucleus for teams made up of 
 talent drawn from the flower of the younger or- 
 ganizations of the country, such as the Western, 
 International, and California Leagues, organiza- 
 tions from which many of the old League's revolt- 
 ing players originally sprung. It finds the Na- 
 tional League strengthened by the admission, at 
 the close of last season, of the Cincinnati and 
 Brooklyn clubs entire — the two strongest teams 
 of the American Association of 1890. It finds the 
 National League circuit unbroken, with well- 
 equipped ball parks in every city, with competent- 
 generals and capable lieutenants, with a score of 
 the best of its old players back in line, with a 
 bursting treasury to furnish the sinews of war, if 
 there is to be war, and with salary lists lighter by 
 anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 than its clubs 
 
158 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 carried in 1889. It finds the National League deaf 
 to all suggestions for peace by interested press cor- 
 respondents, and determined to return to the re- 
 volting players an eye for an eye and a tooth for 
 a tooth. Verily it must (judging from the atti- 
 tude assumed by the League), be war, unceasing 
 and unrelenting, until one or the other, or both, 
 of the contesting organizations go under. 
 
 The Brotherhood, while apparently strong in 
 the present support of its players, will have many 
 redoubts to guard in the coming fight, and many 
 heavy burdens to carry. In order to hold the 
 players it has signed many of them under three- 
 year contracts, and has agreed to figures with all 
 of them that have swelled some of the salary 
 lists to anywhere from $45,000 to $60,000. Some 
 of the star players have been engaged under 
 arrangements which promise them remuneration 
 of from $4,000 to $7,500 for the first season. The 
 expense of organization; the cost of retaining 
 counsel, made necessary by the League' s moves 
 in the courts; the outlay attendant upon secur- 
 ing and equipping grounds in each city; of oper- 
 ating and traveling expenses combined, will 
 aggregate close upon three-quarters of a million 
 dollars, which the Players' League will have to 
 take in at the gate before it can pay its stock- 
 holders one dollar in dividends. With three 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field, 159 
 
 clubs playing ball in Philadelphia, five in Brook- 
 lyn and New York, two in Chicago, two in Bos- 
 ton, two in Pittsburgh, and two in Cleveland, the 
 prospects of a paying season in the cities named, 
 even for an organization with established grounds 
 and the lightest salary lists practicable, are, to 
 say the least, uninviting. 
 
 In addition to^ these financial clouds, the broth- 
 erhood league is handicapped by being without the 
 pale of the national agreement, which prohibits 
 any professional ball-club in good standing from 
 playing exhibition, practice, state, or inter-state 
 games with any club of any organization not a 
 party to the national agreement. In other words, 
 the brotherhood clubs are black-listed, and while 
 national agreement organizations have been indulg- 
 ing in exhibition and practice games, preparatory 
 to opening the approaching season, the brother- 
 hood clubs have been compelled to remain at 
 home for want of clubs to play against. 
 
 Still further, the Brotherhood, being a black- 
 listed organization, is likely to suffer a raid upon 
 its ranks at any time. No agreement exists 
 between it and other professional organizations, 
 by which the latter have in any way consented to 
 recognize the former as being possessed of any 
 rights to players or territory; consequently, any 
 national agreement club that chooses can invade 
 
160 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 brotherhood territory and hold out financial or 
 other inducements to brotherhood players. Under 
 these disadvantages, and with unheard-of salary 
 lists, in addition to the expense of organization 
 and equipment, in the face of an assuredly 
 divided patronage, the Brotherhood league, even 
 though it receive the bulk of public patronage 
 the first season — even though petty jealousies 
 and internal dissensions do not arise among its 
 players, as many have predicted, will have a by 
 no means easy " row to hoe." 
 
 Many brotherhood sympathizers have criticised 
 the National League for its harsh policy toward 
 its men, have likened the ball-player to a bond- 
 man, and have applauded the leaders of the play- 
 ers' revolt upon what some people have termed a 
 ' ' break away from serfdom. ' 5 The fact is beyond 
 denial that Ward, Keefe, Connor, Richardson, 
 Ewing, Gore, Whitney, Johnston, Kelly, Rad- 
 bourne, Nash, Fogarty, Wood, Farrar, Buffinton, 
 Irwin, Hanlon, Carroll, O'Brien, Faatz, Duffy, 
 Van Haltren, Dwyer, Tener, Farrell, and each and 
 every one of the remaining prominent players who 
 joined the brotherhood movement, were beyond 
 the reach of any unpleasant effect of the classifi- 
 cation or reserve rules or of the sales system. 
 They were drawing salaries ranging from $2,500 
 to $5,000 for playing ball during seven months in 
 
Stories of tlie Base Ball Field. 161 
 
 the year. Not a man of them sustained unpleas- 
 ant relations with his club, so far as the public 
 knows, not brought about by his own actions. I 
 can cite no instance in which any body of men 
 have been treated with more consideration, or 
 have been better paid for their services than have 
 the players who have led and aided the revolt 
 against the National League. The excuse of hard- 
 ship and oppressive treatment therefore falls flat. 
 The excuse of insufficient pay, for obvious rea- 
 sons, has never been offered. The National League 
 has made some mistakes, it is true; but instances 
 are rare in which great organizations, confronted 
 by such difficulties as the National League has 
 overcome, have done better. The National League 
 has made the game of base ball all that it is to- 
 day; it was a National League president and Na- 
 tional League teams who introduced and popular- 
 ized the game in England and Australia. The 
 National League has invariably taken the ' ' strides 
 that tell" in the advance and progress Qf the 
 sport and the improvement of its plaj r ers as a 
 class, and it seems unlikely now that the Nation- 
 al League will be dismayed, even by so deadly a 
 blow at its existence as the Brotherhood has 
 aimed. 
 
 "Why fight us?" is a question the Brother- 
 hood has asked repeatedly. " There is room for 
 11 
 
162 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 two organizations, and we are only exercising our 
 right and privilege to go into business for our- 
 selves. Admit us to the protection of the na- 
 tional agreement, and let the best organization 
 
 win." 
 
 Naturally the League is averse to entertaining 
 such a proposition. The Brotherhood did its 
 utmost to wipe the older organization out of 
 existence at one bold stroke, and to tell the truth 
 the National League was, for a time, stunned by 
 the blow dealt it.. 
 
 It has gotten upon its feet within the allotted 
 time, however, and it does not propose at this 
 stage to " double up" with its antagonist and 
 form part of the latter' s combination. On the 
 contrary, it will continue the fight and employ all 
 the skill, strategy, tactics, and means of which it 
 is master. 
 
 President Ward of the Brotherhood is a bold 
 and cunning operator. He has aimed a more 
 deadly blow at the existing base-ball structure in 
 America than has ever before been delivered, for 
 the reason that, by virtue of his unquestionably 
 shrewd plays, he has bound the players to his 
 cause in a manner that has rarely been equalled 
 in any past instance of the kind. First by the 
 oath of allegiance to the Brotherhood, and then by 
 the written promise of the men not to sign a league 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 163 
 
 contract without the consent of the Brotherhood, 
 he wove the meshes so tightly about the flower of 
 American playing talent as to hold it securely 
 against all assaults. Whether or not he will con- 
 tinue to do so remains to be seen. In establishing 
 the Players' League the Brotherhood has under- 
 taken a most difficult enterprise, which only the 
 events of the future can stamp as a success. The 
 difficulties of organization seem at this date to 
 have been passed, but the true tests of the Broth- 
 erhood' s strength and staying powers are still to 
 come. 
 
164 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE GAME IN OTHER COUNTRIES. 
 
 Notwithstanding the disparaging remarks of 
 Englishmen as to the game of base ball during 
 the tour of Great Britain by the Chicago and All- 
 American teams, and despite the fact that Aus- 
 tralia and New Zealand are a long way from the 
 United States, I have no hesitancy in expressing 
 the belief that the national game of America 
 will rapidly become the popular field sport of all 
 three of these countries. 
 
 One can readily understand the attitude of 
 Englishmen toward the game at the time the 
 Spalding tourists visited them. Naturally skep- 
 tical of all things not English, the residents of 
 Great Britain who attended the exhibition games 
 of the visiting teams, did so prepared to criticise 
 rather than to enjoy. Further than this, the 
 games where wholly lacking in anything calcu- 
 lated to arouse local interest or enthusiasm, and 
 still further, the spectators were in a great meas- 
 ure ignorant, if not wholly so, irpon all points of 
 play that make the game so exciting a sport for 
 Americans. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 165 
 
 I, myself, have realized how perfectly stupid 
 is a ball game to one ignorant of its rules or the- 
 ory. Fonder of foot -ball than of any other field 
 sport during my school-boy days, I attained my 
 majority without taking more than a passing 
 interest in the national game, and when I one 
 day sat in the grand stand of the old Chicago 
 grounds on the lake front, in 1881, and witnessed 
 my first league game, I felt very much as I imag- 
 ine the Englishmen felt when they sat through 
 the games at Kenington Oval, Lords, the Crystal 
 Palace, and other grounds upon which we played 
 during the winter of 1888-89. Of course they 
 voted it stupid. They had never seen an amateur 
 game by which to gauge the degree of skill 
 attained by league players, and they had so 
 little conception of those points of play which 
 raise an American crowd off its feet, that, save 
 for the presence of a few Yankees among them, 
 the day the boys played before the Prince of 
 Wales, at Kenington, not a murmur of applause 
 would have marked the really clever bits of 
 batting, fielding, and base-running that charac- 
 terized the game despite the wretched conditions 
 under which we played — the weather being abom- 
 inable. 
 
 While the Englishmen were sarcastically criti- 
 cal, however, they showed the interest they felt 
 
166 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 in our games by turning out by thousands to wit- 
 ness the exhibitions, and in the face of such 
 weather, too, as no party of enthusiasts in Amer- 
 ica could have been induced to breast, no matter 
 what the attraction. 
 
 Australia is conceded to be a great sport-loving 
 country, and, in proportion to its population, it is 
 with little question the greatest in the world; yet 
 not even in Australia was so great a degree of in- 
 terest shown in the visit of the American teams 
 as that which marked their tour of England. In 
 Australia the weather was charmingly favorable 
 to the game throughout our entire stay, while in 
 England the reverse was the case, the teams fre- 
 quently playing with the mud and water ankle- 
 deep in the out-field, while a driving rain and a 
 cold wind wet and chilled them to the marrow. 
 Yet the crowds were so great as to require ad- 
 ditional assistance at the gates, and the people in- 
 variably grumbled and showed their dissatisfac- 
 tion when the boys were compelled to cut short 
 the game at the close of the third or fifth innings. 
 Time and again I thought, as I saw thousands of 
 Englishmen standing forty and fifty deep about 
 the field, wrapped in their mackintoshes, and 
 with water splashing in their upturned faces, 
 " Yerily, I have never seen such out-and-out lovers 
 of sport anywhere in the world." 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 167 
 
 Base ball will take in England, for the reason 
 that there is not to-day, and has never been, a sport 
 there that can present such attractive points to 
 the masses as are found in the American game. 
 Cricket will doubtless ever remain the favored 
 sport of the wealthier classes who have the means 
 and the time to devote to it; but among the mid- 
 dle and working classes, so vastly in the majority 
 in Great Britain, base ball is bound to become a 
 national favorite. This class of people in Eng- 
 land have not the time to devote to a three-days 
 cricket contest, any more than have the same 
 classes in America, and the two-hours cut-and- 
 run, up-and-at-him game of the Yankees is just 
 the sort of a field sport the working classes in 
 England will enjoy, and which they can obtain 
 the time to patronize. 
 
 The English city which is without cricket and 
 foot-ball grounds is an exception. Those that our 
 party visited were splendidly equipped and con- 
 veniently located, so that, were the teams in Eng- 
 land, there would to-day be no obstacle to intro- 
 ducing the game at a rate of speed that would 
 very soon put it upon the firmest possible founda- 
 tions. In this respect, the visit of the Americans 
 in 1889 has already.borne excellent fruit. Gentle- 
 men prominently interested in both cricket and 
 foot-ball in London have determined to make the 
 
168 Stories of the Base Ball Meld. 
 
 American game a go if possible, and much has 
 already been done in that direction. The National 
 Base Ball League of Great Britain, with John M. 
 Betts, of the Essex County grounds, as Honorable 
 Secretary, has been organized, and foot-ballers in 
 particular are beginning to play the game with a 
 reasonable degree of success. Of course it will take 
 more than a single season's practiqe, however, for 
 the cleverest of them to attain any especial degree 
 of proficiency, but the injection of a little Ameri- 
 can talent into each of the English teams— which 
 has already been undertaken — will do much 
 toward helping our English cousins in mastering 
 the art of pitching, catching, throwing, batting, 
 fielding, and running bases. Within two or 
 three years' time — provided the same progress 
 that has marked the past twelve months shall 
 continue — Americans can safely anticipate seeing 
 their national game an acknowledged fixture 
 upon English soil. 
 
 As to Australia and New Zealand, both are admir- 
 ably adapted, in the matters of climate, grounds, 
 and the temperaments of the people, for the suc- 
 cessful introduction of the game, and the rapid 
 progress it has made throughout New South 
 Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and New Zea- 
 land, since the visit of the American teams to 
 those countries, leaves little if any room for doubt 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 169 
 
 but that base ball has been planted there to stay 
 and win a place in colonial hearts second only to 
 that it now holds in the heart of every sport-loving 
 American. 
 
 With little question, both England and Aus- 
 tralia will very shortly prove an excellent market 
 for American base-ball talent, and the capable, 
 ambitious young players who are first in the field, 
 not forgetting to take with them an ample stock 
 of good resolves as to personal habits and deport- 
 ment, will be very apt to be the biggest gainers 
 of the Spalding tour. 
 
 Strangely enough, the Cubans and Hawaiians 
 have developed a strong fancy for base ball, and 
 if the American game can gain a foothold in such 
 climes and among people of such temperaments, 
 it is certainly safe to predict that the time is not 
 far distant when the crack of the base-ball bat 
 may, like the beat of the English drum, be heard 
 around the world. 
 
170 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 NATIONAL PLAYING RULES OF PROFESSIONAL 
 BASE-BALL CLUBS, AS ADOPTED JOINTLY BY 
 THE NATIONAL LEAGUE AND AMERICAN ASSO- 
 CIATION, AND GOVERNING ALL CLUBS PARTIES 
 TO THE NATIONAL AGREEMENT. 
 
 [From tlie Spalding League Guide of 1890.] 
 
 THE BALL GROUND. 
 
 Rule 1. The ground must be an inclosed field, sufficient in 
 size to enable each player to play in his position as required by 
 these rules. 
 
 Rule 2. The infield must be a space of ground thirty yards 
 square. 
 
 the bases. 
 
 Rule 3. The bases must be— 
 
 Sec. 1. Four in number, and designated as first base, second 
 base, third base, and home base. 
 
 Sec. 2. The home base must be of whitened rubber, twelve 
 inches square, so fixed in the ground as to be even with the sur- 
 face, and so placed in the corner of the infield that two of its sides 
 will form part of the boundaries of said infield. 
 
 Sec. 3. The first, second, and third bases must be canvas 
 bags, fifteen inches square, painted white, and filled with some 
 soft material, and so placed that the center of the second base 
 shall be upon its corner of the infield; and the center of the first 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. Ill 
 
 and third bases shall be on the lines running to and from second 
 base, and 7i inches from the foul lines. Providing, that each base 
 shall be entirely within the foul lines. 
 
 Sec. 4. All the bases must be securely fastened in their posi- 
 tions, and so placed as to be distinctly seen by the Umpire. 
 
 THE FOUL LINES. 
 
 Rule 4. The foul lines must be drawn in straight lines 
 from the outer corner of the home base, along the outer edge of 
 the first and third bases, to the boundaries of the ground. 
 
 THE POSITION LINES. 
 
 Rule 5. The pitcher's lines must be straight lines, forming 
 the boundaries of a space of ground, in the infield, 5i-feet long 
 by four feet wide, distant fifty feet from the center of the 
 home base, and so placed that the 5i-feet lines would each be 
 two feet distant from and parallel with a straight line passing 
 through the center of the home and second bases. Each corner 
 of this space must be marked by a flat, round, rubber plate, six 
 inches in diameter, fixed in the ground even with the surface. 
 
 Rule 6. The catcher's lines must be drawn from the outer 
 corner of the home base, in continuation of the foul lines, 
 straight to the limits of the ground back of home base. 
 
 Rule 7. The Captain's or coacher's line must be a line 
 fifteen feet from and parallel with the foul lines, said lines com- 
 mencing at a line parallel with and seventy-five feet distant from 
 the catcher's lines, and running thence to the limits of the 
 grounds. 
 
 Rule 8. The players' lines must be drawn from the catcher's 
 lines to the limits of the ground, fifty feet distant from, and 
 parallel with, the foul lines. 
 
 Rule 9. The batsman's lines must be straight lines, forming 
 the boundaries of a space on the right, and of" a similar space on 
 the left of the home base six feet long by four feet wide, extend- 
 ing three feet in front of and three feet behind the center of the 
 
172 Stories of the Base Ball Field, 
 
 home base, and with its nearest line distant six inches from the 
 home base. 
 
 Rule 10. The three-feet lines must be drawn as follows: 
 From a point on the foul line from home base to first base, 
 and equally distant from such bases, shall be drawn a line on foul 
 ground, at a right angle to said foul line, and to a point three 
 feet distant from it; thence running parallel with said foul line 
 to a point three feet distant from the first base; thence in a 
 straight line to the foul line, and thence upon the foul line to 
 point of beginning. 
 
 Rule 11. The lines designated in Rules 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 
 10 must be marked with chalk or other suitable, material, so as to 
 be distinctly seen by the Umpire. They must -all be so marked 
 their entire length, except the Captain's and players' lines, which 
 must be so marked for a distance of at least thirty-five yards from 
 the catcher's lines. 
 
 THE BALL. 
 
 Rule 12. The ball— * 
 
 Sec. 1. Must not weigh less than five nor more than 5£ ounces 
 avoirdupois, and measure not less than nine nor more than 9J- 
 inches in circumference. The Spalding League Ball or the 
 Reach American Association Ball must be used in all games 
 played under these rules. 
 
 Sec. 2. For each championship game two balls shall be fur- 
 nished by the home club to the Umpire for use. When the ball 
 in play is batted over the fence or stands onto foul ground out 
 of sight of the players, the other ball shall be immediately put 
 into play by the Umpire. As often as one of the two in use shall 
 be lost, a new one must be substituted, so that the Umpire may, 
 at all times, after the game begins, have two for use. The moment 
 
 * The Spalding League Ball has been officially adopted by the National 
 League for the past eleven years, and used exclusively in all championship 
 games. It has also been adopted by the National League of Great Britain, 
 and the leading associations of Australia, New Zealand, Sandwich Islands, 
 Japan, Cuba, and Canada, making it the standard ball of the world. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 173 
 
 the Umpire delivers a new or alternate ball to the pitcher it comes 
 into play, and shall not be exchanged until it, in turn, passes 
 out of sight onto foul ground. At no time shall the ball be inten- 
 tionally discolored by rubbing it with the soil or otherwise. 
 
 Sec. 3. In all games the ball or balls played with shall be 
 furnished by the home club, and the last ball in play becomes 
 the property of the winning club. Each ball to be used in cham- 
 pionship games shall be examined; measured, and weighed by the 
 Secretary of the Association, inclosed in a paper box and sealed 
 with the seal of the Secretary, which seal shall not be broken, 
 except by the Umpire, in the presence of the Captains of the 
 two contesting nines, after play has been called. 
 
 Sec. 4. Should the bail become out of shape, or cut or ripped 
 so as to expose the yarn, or in any way so injured as to be — in the 
 opinion of the Umpire — unfit for fair use, the Umpire, on being- 
 appealed to by either Captain, shall at once put the alternate ball 
 into play and call for a new one. 
 
 THE BAT. 
 
 Rule 13. The bat— 
 
 Sec 1. Must be made wholly of wood, except that the handle 
 may be wound with twine, or a granulated substance applied, 
 not to exceed eighteen inches from the end. 
 
 Sec 2. It must be round, except that a portion of the surface 
 may be flat on one side, but it must not exceed 21 inches in diam- 
 eter in the thickest part, and must not exceed forty-two inches in 
 length. 
 
 In batting against the swift pitching of the 
 period, a tough, light bat is the best; and it should 
 be handled quickly in striking at the ball, giving 
 the wrists ample play, and not hit from the 
 shoulder. A comparatively light, quick stroke 
 of the bat meeting a swiftly thrown ball, will fre- 
 quently send it out of reach of the out-iielders ? 
 
174 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 while a safe tap of the ball will send it clear of 
 the in-fielders, and prevent a catch in the out-field, 
 unless the latter are playing very close in. 
 
 THE PLAYERS AND THEIR POSITIONS. 
 
 Rule 14. The players of each club in a game shall be nine in 
 number, one of whom shall act as Captain; and in no case shall 
 less than nine men be allowed to play on each side. 
 
 Rule 15. The players' positions shall be such as may be 
 assigned them by their Captain, except that the pitcher must take 
 his position within the pitcher's lines, as defined in Rule 5, 
 When in position on the field, all players will be designated 
 " Fielders" in these rules. •; 
 
 The field side is not complete without nine men 
 in the field. The Captain can place his men as he 
 likes, even to the extent of playing one of the out- 
 fielders as right short; but the ball can only be 
 thrown to the bat from the pitcher's regular 
 position. 
 
 Rule 16. Players in uniform shall not be permitted to seat 
 themselves among the spectators. 
 
 Rule 17. Every club shall be required to adopt uniforms for 
 its players; and each player shall be required to present himself 
 upon the field during said game in a neat and cleanly condition; 
 but no player shall attach anything to the sole or heel of his shoes 
 other than the ordinary tease-ball shoe-plate. 
 
 THE PITCHER'S POSITION. 
 
 Rule 18. The pitcher shall take his position, facing the bats- 
 man, with both feet square on the ground, one foot on the rear 
 line of the "box." He shall not raise either foot, unless in the 
 act of delivering the ball, nor make more than one step in such 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 175 
 
 delivery. He shall hold the ball, before the delivery, fairly in 
 front of his body, and in sight of the Umpire. When the pitcher 
 feigns to throw the ball to a base, he must resume the above posi- 
 tion, and pause momentarily before delivering the ball to the bat. 
 
 The pitcher must bear in mind the fact that if 
 he lifts his rear foot from off the back line of his 
 position before he delivers the ball, or before it 
 leaves his hand, he violates the rule, as in such 
 case he takes two steps in delivery, whereas the 
 rule confines him to but one step. It is immate- 
 rial whether he lifts his rear foot or not after the 
 ball leaves his hand. In every instance of his 
 making a feint to throw to first base, he must 
 afterward make a pause, and take his original 
 standing position before he throws the ball to the 
 bat. 
 
 THE BATSMEN'S POSITION — ORDER OP BATTING. 
 
 Rule 19. The batsmen must take their positions within the 
 batsmen's lines, as denned in Rule 9, in the order in which they 
 are named on the score, which must contain the batting order of 
 both nines, and be submitted by the Captains of the opposing 
 teams to the Umpire before the game; and when approved by 
 him, this score must be followed, except in the case of a substi- 
 tute player, in which case the substitute must take the place of the 
 original player in the batting order. After the first inning, the 
 first striker in each inning shall be the batsman whose name fol- 
 lows that of the last man who has completed his turn — time at 
 bat — in the preceding inning. 
 
 The " score" referred to in the rule is the 
 printed or written order of batting handed to the 
 Umpire by the Captain when the game is about 
 
176 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 to begin, and it can not afterward be changed in 
 its order except in the case of a substitute player 
 taking his place in the nine, in which case he bats 
 in the same order as that of the retired player. 
 
 Rule 20. Sec. 1, When their side goes to the bat the players 
 must immediately return to and seat themselves upon the players' 
 "bench, and remain there until the side is put out, except when 
 batsman or base-runner. All bats not in use must be kept in the 
 bat racks, and the two players next succeeding the batsman, in the 
 order in which they are named on the score, must be ready with 
 bat in hand to promptly take position as batsman. Provided, that 
 the Captain and one assistant only may occupy the space between 
 the players' lines and the Captain's lines to coach base-runners, 
 
 No player has a right to leave the players' 
 bench, except when called to the bat. Neither 
 have they the right to put their bats on the ground 
 when not using them in their position at the bat. 
 In the case of the Captain and his coaching assist- 
 ant only, can any player leave the bench when ' 
 not at the bat. Umpires should see that this rule 
 is strictly enforced. 
 
 Sec. 2. No player of the side at bat, except when batsman, 
 shall occupy any portion of the space within the catcher's lines, 
 as defined in Rule 6. The triangular space behind the home 
 base is reserved for the exclusive use of the Umpire, catcher, and 
 batsman, and the Umpire must prohibit any player of the side M at 
 bat " from crossing the same at any time while the ball is in the 
 hands of, or passing between, the pitcher and catcher, while stand- 
 ing in their positions. 
 
 Sec. 3. The players of the side "at bat " must occupy the por- 
 tion of the field allotted them, but must speedily vacate any por- 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 177 
 
 tiou thereof that may be in the way of the ball, or of any fielder 
 attempting to catch or field it. 
 
 players' benches. 
 
 Rule 21. The players' benches must be furnished by the 
 home club, and placed upon a portion of the ground outside the 
 players' lines. They must be twelve feet in length, and must be 
 immovably fastened to the ground. At the end of each bench 
 must be immovably fixed a bat rack, with fixtures for holding 
 twenty bats; one such rack must be designated for the exclusive 
 use of the visiting club, and the other for the exclusive use of the 
 home club. 
 
 THE GAME, 
 
 Rule 22. Sec. 1. Every championship game must be com- 
 menced not later than two hoars before sunset. 
 
 Sec. 2. A game shall consist of nine innings to each contesting 
 nine, except that — 
 
 (a) If the side first at bat scores less runs in nine innings than 
 the other side has scored in eight innings, the game shall then 
 terminate. 
 
 (b) If the side last at bat in the ninth inning scores the win- 
 ning run before the third man is out, the game shall terminate. 
 
 During the closing months of the season the 
 Umpire should keep himself well posted as to the 
 almanac time for sunset on the day of the month, 
 so as to be ready to call play at least two hours 
 before the official time for sunset. The moment 
 the winning run in a game is made, that moment 
 the contest ends, and the Umpire must call game. 
 For instance, if there be no man out, and a runner 
 on third* base, and the score a tie, and a home hit 
 is made, the moment the home base is touched by 
 
 12 
 
St the Base Ball Field. 
 
 the runner from third the game ends, and only a 
 single run can be credited to the batsmen. 
 
 A TIE GAME. 
 
 Rule 23. If the score be a tie at the end of nine innings to 
 each side, play sh.aU only be continued until the side first at bat 
 shall have scored one or more runs than the other side, in an 
 equal number of innings, or until the other side shall score one or 
 more runs than the side first at bat. 
 
 A DRAWN GAME. 
 
 Rule 24. A drawn game shall be declared by the Umpire 
 when he termin game on account of darkness or rain, after 
 
 five equal innings have been played, if the score at the time is 
 .1 on the last even inning- played; but if the side that went 
 second to bat is then at the bat, and has scored the same number 
 of runs as the other side, the Umpire shall declare the game drawn 
 without regard to the score of the last equal innings. 
 
 For instance, if the fifth innings has ended, 
 and the sixth has been commenced, and the score 
 is 6 to 5 at the end of the first part of the sixth 
 innings, and the side second at the bat have but 
 five runs to their credit, and before a hand is out 
 a run ties the game, and rain or darkness obliges 
 the Umpire to call the game, the contest becomes 
 a drawn game. But if the score at the end of T 
 fifth even innings is equal and the side first at the 
 bat fails to score, and their opponents then get in 
 one run before a hand is out. and the Umpire 
 then calls the game on account of rain or dark- 
 ness, the side last at the bat wins. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 179 
 
 A CALLED GAME. 
 
 Rule 25. If the Umpire calls " Game" on account of dark- 
 ness or rain at any time after five innings have been completed by 
 both sides, the score shall be that of the last equal innings played, 
 unless the side second at bat shall have scored one or more runs 
 than the side first at bat, in which case the score of the game 
 shall be the total number of runs made. 
 
 A FORFEITED GAME. 
 
 Rule 26. A forfeited game shall be declared by the Umpire in 
 favor of the club not in fault, at the request of such club, in the 
 following cases — 
 
 Sec. 1. If the nine of a club fail to appear upon afield, or 
 being upon the field, fail to begin the game within five minutes 
 after the Umpire has called " Play," at the hour appointed for the 
 beginning of the game, unless such delay in appearing or in com- 
 mencing the game be unavoidable. 
 
 The " unavoidable " delay above mentioned 
 means a detention caused by the breaking down 
 of any conveyance, or that of any accident on a 
 railroad. 
 
 Sec. 2. If, after the game has begun, one side refuses or fails 
 to continue playing, unless such game has been suspended or ter- 
 minated by the Umpire. 
 
 Sec. 3. If, after play has been suspended by the Umpire, one 
 side fails to resume playing within one minute after the Umpire 
 has called "Play/' 
 
 This is a very important rule, as it gives the 
 Umpire full power to put a stop to the unneces- 
 sary delays caused by continuous disputing of 
 the Umpire's decisions. When delays were 
 points to play in the game, in the case of an 
 
180 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 approaching shower or of darkness, and those 
 delays could be obtained by constant kicking, the 
 Umpire is empowered to call play the moment he 
 renders every decision, and if the kicking is con- 
 tinued one single moment thereafter, the game 
 becomes forfeited under the rule. 
 
 Sbc. 4. If, in the opinion of the Umpire, any one of these 
 rules is willfully violated. 
 
 Sec. 5. If, after ordering the removal of a player, as autho- 
 rized by Rule 57, Sec. 5, said order is not obeyed within five 
 minutes. 
 
 Sec. 6. In case the Umpire declares a game forfeited, he shall 
 transmit a written notice thereof to the President of the Associa- 
 tion within twenty-four hours thereafter. 
 
 NO GAME. 
 
 Rule 27. " No Game " shall be declared by the Umpire if he 
 shall terminate play on account of rain or darkness, before five 
 innings on each side are completed. 
 
 It is absolutely essential that five innings on 
 each side shall have been played to a finish and 
 the sixth about to be commenced before the game 
 can legally be ended as a game. In any other 
 case u No Game" must be called by the Umpire, 
 such as in the instance of the second part of the 
 fifth innings not being completed. 
 
 SUBSTITUTES. 
 
 Rule 28. Sec. 1. In every championship game, each team 
 shall be required to have present on the field, in uniform, at least 
 two or more substitute players. 
 
 Sec. 2. Two players, whose names shall be printed on the 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 181 
 
 score card as extra players, may be substituted at any time by 
 either club; but no player so retired shall thereafter participate in 
 the game. In addition thereto, a substitute may be allowed at any 
 time, in place of a player disabled in the game then being played, 
 by reason of illness or injury, of the nature and extent of which 
 the Umpire shal] be the sole judge. 
 
 This is a very important rule, and the changes 
 introduced require to be well understood, Under 
 this rule, as it now is, the Captain of either nine is 
 given the power to introduce three distinct pitch- 
 ers in the game, viz., the one originally named in 
 the batting order, and two extra men; or he can 
 change his battery entire by substituting a 
 pitcher and catcher. This, too, is independent of 
 any substitution of players for those who may be 
 disabled by illness or injury. These changes of 
 players in putting in extra men, too, can be made 
 at any period of an innings, or of a game. 
 
 Sec. 3. The base runner shall not have a substitute run for 
 him except by consent of the Captains of the contesting teams. 
 
 A substitute for a base-runner — and he only 
 —can only be introduced by consent of the oppos- 
 ing nine's Captain; if he refuses, that ends it. He 
 can, of course, designate the particular substitute 
 he allows to run. 
 
 CHOICE OP INNINGS— CONDITION OF GROUND. 
 
 Rule 29. The choice of innings shall be given to the Captain 
 of the home club, who shall also be the sole iudge of the fitness 
 of the ground for beginning a game after rain. 
 
182 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 The advantage in the choice of innings lies with 
 the side who go in last at the bat. The Captain 
 of the home team is sole judge of the fitness of 
 the field for beginning a game, as to its being too 
 wet or muddy, etc. But after play is called, and 
 a shower wets the field again, the Umpire then 
 becomes the sole judge as to whether the field is 
 in proper condition to resume play or not. 
 
 THE DELIVERY OF THE BALL — FAIR AND UNFAIR BALLS. 
 
 Rule 30. A fair ball is a ball delivered by the pitcher 
 while standing wholly within the lines of his position, and facing 
 the batsman; the ball, so delivered, to pass over the home base, 
 not lower than the batsman's knee, nor higher than his shoulder. 
 
 Rule 31. An unfair ball is a ball delivered by the pitcher, 
 as in Rule 30, except that the ball does not pass over the home 
 base, or does pass over the home base, above the batsman's 
 shoulder, or below the knee. 
 
 There are two classes of "fair" balls referred 
 to in the rules, one of which is the ' ' fair ball ' : 
 mentioned as touching fair ground from the bat, 
 and the fair ball referred to in Rule 30. It w^ould 
 be well to call the latter a good ball, as of old, 
 leaving the term "fair" ball to refer solely to 
 balls hit to fair ground. The Umpire, in judging 
 the range of balls — as referred to in Rule 31 — 
 should bear in mind the fact that the rule requires 
 the ball to be below the knee, and above the 
 shoulder, to be an unfair ball. If it comes in on 
 
 .■ 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 183 
 
 the line of the knee, or the shoulder, it is a legal 
 ball. 
 
 BALKING. 
 
 Rule 32. A balk is — 
 
 Sec. 1. Any motion made by the pitcher to deliver the ball to 
 the bat without delivering it, and shall be held to include any and 
 every accustomed motion with the hands, arms, or feet, or posi- 
 tion of the body assumed by the pitcher in his delivery of the ball, 
 and any motion calculated to deceive a base-runner, except the 
 ball be accidentally dropped. 
 
 Sec. 2. The holding of the ball by the pitcher so long as to 
 delay the game unnecessarily; or, 
 
 Sec. 3. Any motion to deliver the ball, or the delivering the 
 ball to the bat by the pitcher when any part of his person is upon 
 ground outside of the lines of his position, including all prelimi- 
 nary motions with the hands, arms, and feet. 
 
 The balk rule was violated last season by 
 Umpires, both in the League and the Association, 
 and the result was a poorer record of base-running 
 than in 1888. In the first place the pitcher was 
 frequently allowed to be too slow in his delivery, 
 thereby violating Section 2 of the above rule. Then, 
 too, he was allowed to violate the first section, in 
 making motions well calculated to deceive the 
 base-runner, which the rule explicitly prohibits. 
 The pitcher commits a balk every time he makes 
 any movement of his arms or his body, such as he 
 is regularly accustomed to in his method of 
 delivery, and if he makes any one of these pre- 
 liminary motions, and then throws to first base 
 
1S4 of the Base Ball Meld. 
 
 to catch a runner napping, or makes a feint to 
 throw, he unquestionably makes a balk. The 
 base-runner on a base alone is entitled to a base 
 on a balk in all cases where the pitcher makes a 
 motion to deliver the ball to the bat, and fails to 
 do so. The batsman is only entitled to a base on 
 a balk, when the ball is actually delivered to the 
 bat after the pitcher has stepped outside the lines 
 of his position; or has made two steps in his 
 delivery: or has failed to make a pause, and to 
 stand in his position after making a feint to throw 
 to a base. Of course, when the batsman is given 
 a base on a balk, every runner on a base takes a 
 base also on the penalty. 
 
 DEAD BALLS. 
 
 Rcle S3. A dead ball is a ball delivered to the bat by the 
 pitcher that touches the batsman"s bat without being struck at; or 
 any part of the batsman's person or clothing while standing in his 
 position without being struck at; or any part of the Umpire's 
 person or clothing, while on foul ground, without first passing the 
 catcher. 
 
 The Umpire should be careful and watch the 
 action of the batsman when attempting to l - ' bunt " 
 the ball— viz.. to let the thrown ball strike the bat 
 — so as to be sure that it is not a "bunt," but an 
 accidental hit and consequently a dead ball. 
 
 Rule 34. In case of a foul strike, foul hit ball not legally 
 caught out, dead ball, or base-runner put out for being struck 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 185 
 
 by a fair hit ball, the ball shall not be considered in play until it 
 is held by the pitcher standing in his position. 
 
 BLOCK BALLS. 
 
 Rule 35. Sec. 1. A block is a batted or thrown ball that is 
 stopped or handled by any person not engaged in the game. 
 
 Sec. 2. Whenever a block occurs the Umpire shall declare it, 
 and base-runners may run the bases, without being put out, 
 until the ball has been returned to and held by the pitcher stand- 
 ing in his position. 
 
 Sec 3. In the case of a block, if the person not engaged in 
 the game should retain possession of the ball, or throw or kick it 
 beyond the reach of the fielders, the Umpire should call ' ' Time," 
 and require each base-runner to stop at the last base touched by 
 him until the ball be returned to the pitcher standing in his 
 position. 
 
 The Umpire is requested to watch all play 
 likely to result in a " block" ball, very carefully, 
 and to promptly call " block ball" in a loud 
 voice the moment the block occurs; and be very 
 prompt in calling time in the case of any such 
 action of an out-fielder as that referred to in Sec- 
 tion 3 of the rule. The ball is not in play after 
 a block has been called by the Umpire, until 
 the ball is held by the pitcher while standing in 
 his "box." Whenever the pitcher sees that 
 " block" is likely to occur, he should remain in 
 his box until the ball is fielded in. 
 
 THE SCORING OF RUNS. 
 
 Rule 36. One run shall be scored every time a base-runner, 
 after having legally touched the first three bases, shall touch the 
 
186 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 home base before three men are put out by the opposing side. 
 Exception: If the third man is forced out, or is put out before 
 reaching first base, a run shall not be scored. 
 
 If, when two men are out, a base hit is made 
 while a runner is on second base and none at 
 first base, and the runner on second is caught 
 napping between second and third, and the run- 
 ner on third reaches home before the runner 
 caught between bases is touched out, the run 
 counts; but if, under somewhat similar circum- 
 stances, there is also a runner on first as well 
 as second, in such case all that is necessary for 
 the base player at third, is to hold the ball 
 there before the runner from third gets home, 
 to prevent the run from counting, as, in such 
 case, the runner from second to third is forced 
 off, and there is no necessity to run him down 
 to touch him. 
 
 THE BATTDsG RULES. 
 
 Rule 37. A fair hit is a ball batted by the batsman, standing 
 in his position, that first touches the ground, the first base, the 
 third base, any part of the person of a player, Umpire, or any 
 other object that is in front of or on either side of the foul 
 lines, or batted directly to the ground by the batsman, stand- 
 ing in his position, that (whether it first touches foul or fair 
 ground) bounds or rolls within the foul lines, between home 
 and first, or home and third bases, without interference by a 
 player. 
 
 Rule 38. A foul hit is a ball batted by the batsman, stand- 
 ing in his position, that first touches the ground, any part of 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. * 187 
 
 the person of a player, or any other object that is behind either 
 of the foul lines, or that strikes the person of such batsman, 
 while standing in his position, or batted directly to the ground 
 by the batsman standing in his position, that (whether it first 
 touches foul or fair ground) bounds or rolls outside the foul 
 lines, between home and first or home and third bases with- 
 out interference by a player. Provided, that a foul hit not 
 rising above the batsman's head and caught by the catcher playing 
 within ten feet of the home base, shall be termed a foul tip. 
 
 There is a very important difference between a 
 ball hit directly from the bat to the ground and 
 a ball hit into the air from the bat. In the 
 former case the character of the hit ball, as to 
 its being fair or foul, is decided entirely by 
 the fact of its rolling or bounding from fair 
 ground to foul, or from foul ground to fair. 
 But, in the case of a ball hit in the air, it becomes 
 fair or foul from its first touching fair or foul 
 ground, no matter in what direction it may after- 
 ward roll. In the case of a ball batted direct to 
 the ground, the fielder should not touch the ball 
 until it has stopped rolling. For only then is it 
 settled either as a fair or foul ball. But if he 
 does pick it up before ifc stops, it becomes fair or 
 foul according to whether the fielder is standing 
 upon fair or foul ground at the time he fields 
 the ball. 
 
 BALLS BATTED OUTSIDE THE GROUNDS. 
 
 Rule 39. When a batted ball passes outside the grounds, the 
 Umpire shall decide it fair should it disappear within, or foul 
 
188 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 should it disappear outside of the range of the foul iines > and 
 Rules 37 and 38 are to be construed accordingly. 
 
 Rule 40. A fair batted ball that goes over the fence at a less 
 distance than 210 feet from home base shall entitle the bats- 
 man to two bases and a distinctive line shall be marked on the 
 fence at this point. 
 
 The latter rule is intended to govern the batting 
 on ball grounds not sufficiently large in the out- 
 field for ordinary out-field play. 
 
 STRIKES. 
 
 Rule 41. A strike is— 
 
 Sec. 1. A ball struck at by the batsman without its touching 
 his bat; or, 
 
 Sec 2. A fair ball legally delivered by the pitcher, but not 
 struck at by the batsman. 
 
 Sec. 3. Any obvious attempt to make a foul hit. 
 
 Rule 42. A foul strike is a ball batted by the batsman when 
 any part of his person is upon ground outside the lines of the 
 batsman's position. 
 
 An " obvious attempt" to hit the ball foul 
 would occur if the batsman turned round and 
 attempted to hit the ball just as it had passed 
 him to the left of his position. It should be under- 
 stood that no attempt to bunt a ball can be justly 
 construed as an effort to hit a foul ball intention- 
 ally. 
 
 THE BATSMAN IS OUT. 
 
 Rule 43. The batsman is out — 
 
 Sec 1. If he fails to take his position at the bat in his order of 
 br.tting, unless the error be discovered and the proper batsman 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 189 
 
 takes his position before a fair hit has been made; and in such 
 case the balls and strikes called must be counted in the time at 
 bat of the proper batsman. Provided, this rule shall not take 
 effect unless the out is declared before the ball is delivered to the 
 succeeding batsman. 
 
 If the wrong batsman goes to the bat and he 
 makes a fair hit before the error is discovered 
 and declared, the change of batsman can not be 
 made until the turn at the bat comes round again. 
 In all cases the out must be declared before 
 another ball is thrown to the bat. 
 
 Sec. 2. If he fails to take his position within one minute 
 after the Umpire has called for the batsman. 
 
 If there be any attempt to gain time by delays 
 in batsmen going to the bat, the Umpire should 
 take his watch, ready to note the time, and 
 promptly declare the dilatory batsman out on the 
 expiration of the one minute. 
 
 Sec. 3. If he makes a foul hit, other than a foul tip as 
 defined in Rule 38, and the ball be momentarily held by a fielder 
 before touching the ground. Provided, it be not caught in a field- 
 er's hat or cap, or touch some object other than a fielder before 
 being caught. 
 
 Sec 4. If he makes a foul strike. 
 
 Sec. 5. If he attempts to hinder the catcher from fielding 
 the ball, evidently without effort to make a fair hit. 
 
 The action of the batsman should be closely 
 watched in this regard, when a runner is on 
 first base and the catcher is trying to throw him 
 out. 
 
19o Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 Sec. 6. If, while the first base be occupied by a base-runner, 
 three strikes be called on him by the Umpire, except when two 
 men are already out. 
 
 It makes no difference whether the catcher 
 holds the ball on the fly or not, after the third 
 strike has been called, the striker is out when 
 there is a runner on first base, and only one 
 man out when the third strike is called. In all 
 other cases the catch must be made in order to 
 put him out, or otherwise the catcher has to try to 
 throw him out at first base. 
 
 Sec 7. If, while making the third strike, the ball hits his 
 person or clothing. 
 
 In other words, if he strikes at an inshoot ball 
 after two strikes have been called, and the ball — 
 without touching the bat — hits his person or 
 clothing, he can not be given his base on being hit 
 by a pitched ball, and neither can the ball be 
 called dead, but neither more nor less than the 
 third strike, and the batsman decided out. 
 
 Sec 8. If, after two strikes have been called, the batsman 
 obviously attempts to make a foul hit, as in Section 3, Rule 41. 
 
 BASE-RUNNING RULES. 
 
 WHEN THE BATSMAN BECOMES A BASE-RUNNER. 
 
 Rule 44. The batsman becomes a base-runner — 
 Sec 1. Instantly after he makes a fair hit. 
 Sec. 2. Instantly after four balls have been called by the 
 Umpire. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 191 
 
 Sec. 3. Instantly after three strikes have been declared by the 
 Umpire. 
 
 Sec. 4. If, while he be a batsman, his person or clothing be 
 hit by a ball from the pitcher, unless — in the opinion of the 
 Umpire — he intentionally permits himself to be so hit. 
 
 Sec 5. Instantly after an illegal delivery of a ball by the 
 pitcher. 
 
 An illegal delivery of the ball is made whenever 
 the pitcher delivers the ball to the bat, after 
 stepping outside the lines of his position; after 
 failing to pause before sending the ball to the 
 bat; after making a feint to throw to first base; 
 and after raising his rear foot from the ground 
 before the ball leaves his hand. The ordinary 
 balk, however, does not give the batsman his 
 base, but only the runners. 
 
 BASES TO BE TOUCHED. 
 
 Rule 45. The base-runner must touch each base in regular 
 order, viz.: First, second, third, and home bases; and when 
 obliged to return (except on a foul hit) must retouch the base or 
 bases in reverse order. He shall only be considered as holding a 
 base after touching it, and shall then be entitled to hold such base 
 until he has legally touched the next base in order, or has been 
 legally forced to vacate it for a succeeding base-runner. 
 
 There is an exception to the latter part of the 
 rule, and that is in the case of a runner being on 
 first and second bases, or second and third bases, 
 and an attempt to steal bases is made. For 
 instance; suppose the runner on third attempts to 
 steal home, and the runner on second in the 
 
192 Stories of the Base Ball Field. . 
 
 interim runs to third and touches that base; under 
 the ordinary working of the rule he would be 
 entitled to hold that base; but, in this exceptional 
 case, if the runner trying to steal home finds 
 that he can not do it successfully, and tries and 
 succeeds in getting back to third base he is entitled 
 to that base, and the runner from second to third, 
 who has touched and held third must return to 
 second, and if touched while standing on third 
 base, he is out. 
 
 ENTITLED TO BASES. 
 
 Rule 46. The base-runner shall be entitled, without being 
 put out, to take the base in the following cases — 
 
 Sec. 1. If, while he was batsman, the Umpire called four 
 balls. 
 
 Sec 2. If the Umpire awards a succeeding batsman a base 
 on four balls, or for being hit with a pitched ball, or in case of an 
 illegal delivery — as in Rule 44, Sec. 5 — and the base-runner is 
 thereby forced to vacate the base held by him. 
 
 Sec. 3. If the Umpire calls a "balk." 
 
 Sec. 4. If a ball delivered by the pitcher passes the catcher 
 and touches the Umpire or any fence or building within ninety 
 feet of the home base. 
 
 Sec. 5. If, upon a fair hit, the ball strikes the person or cloth- 
 ing of the Umpire on fair ground. 
 
 This is intended to apply when the double 
 umpire plan is in use. 
 
 Sec 6. If he be prevented from making a base by the obstruc- 
 tion of an adversary. 
 
 Sec 7. If the fielder stop or catch a batted ball with his hat. 
 or any part of his dress. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 193 
 
 This ; ' obstruction of an adversary " has two 
 distinct meanings under the rules. Of course, when 
 the base-player holds the ball in his hand ready 
 to touch an advancing adversary, he stands in the 
 runner's way and virtually obstructs his adver- 
 sary; but, in this case, it is a legal obstruction. 
 But, when he does not hold the ball and then in 
 any way obstructs a runner, the latter can not be 
 put out even if afterward touched off the base. 
 
 RETURNING TO BASES. 
 
 Rule 47. The base-runner shall return to his base, and shall 
 be entitled to so return without being put out — 
 
 Sec. 1. If the Umpire declares a foul tip (as denned in Rule 
 38) or any other foul hit not legally caught by a fielder. 
 
 Sec 2. If the Umpire declares a foul strike. 
 
 Sec 3. If the Umpire declares a dead ball, unless it be also 
 the fourth unfair ball, and he be thereby forced to take the next 
 base, as provided in Rule 46, Sec, 2. 
 
 Sec 4. If the person or clothing of the Umpire interferes 
 with the catcher, or he is struck by a ball thrown by the catcher 
 to intercept a base-runner. 
 
 WHEN BASE-RUNNERS ARE OUT. 
 
 Rule 48. The base-runner is out — 
 
 Sec 1. If, after three strikes have been declared against 
 him while batsman, and the catcher fail to catch the third 
 strike ball, he plainly attempts to hinder the catcher from fielding 
 the ball. 
 
 Sec 2. If, having made a fair hit while batsman, such fair 
 hit ball be momentarily held by a fielder, before touching the 
 ground or any object other than a fielder. Provided, it be not 
 caught in a fielder's hat or cap. 
 13 
 
194 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 Sec. 8. If, when the Umpire has declared three strikes on 
 him, while batsman, the third-strike ball be momentarily held by 
 a fielder before touching the ground. Provided, it be not caught 
 in a fielder's hat or cap, or touch some object other than a fielder, 
 before being caught. 
 
 Sec. 4. If, after three strikes, or a fair hit, he be touched 
 with the ball in the hand of a fielder before such base-runner 
 touches first base. 
 
 If the base-runner from home to first base 
 reaches the base — that is, touches it — at the same 
 moment that the fielder holds the ball on the 
 base, the runner is not out. It must be plain to 
 the Umpire that the ball is held by the fielder 
 before the runner touches the base, or he is not 
 out. 
 
 Sec. 5. If, after three strikes or a fair hit, the ball be securely 
 held by a fielder, while touching first base with any part of his 
 person, before such base -runner touches first base. 
 
 Sec 6. If, in running the last half of the distance from home 
 base to first base, he runs outside the three-feet lines, as defined 
 in Rule 10; except that he must do so if necessary to avoid 
 a fielder attempting to field a batted ball, and in such case shall 
 not be declared out. , 
 
 Umpires should closely watch the runner from 
 home to first to see that he does not touch fair 
 ground in running along the pathway; for, if he 
 does, he must be declared out. Runners frequently 
 run off the path, touching fair ground, and, when 
 they do, they are out. 
 
 Sec 7. If, in running from first to second base, from second 
 to third base, or from third to home base, he runs more than three 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 195 
 
 feet from a direct line between such bases, to avoid being touched 
 by the ball in the hands of a fielder; but, in case a fielder be occupy- 
 ing the base-runner's proper path, attempting to field a batted 
 ball, then the base-runner shall run out of the path, and behind 
 said fielder, and shall not be declared out for so doing. 
 
 The running out of the reach of a fielder hold- 
 ing the ball ready to touch a runner, must be 
 plainly done beyond the distance of three feet to 
 put the runner out. It makes no matter how far 
 he runs oif the line, except the fielder holds the 
 ball in his hand and reaches out to touch the 
 runner. If the runner is near the fielder while 
 the latter is attempting to field the ball, then the 
 runner must run out of his reach in order to 
 avoid obstructing him. 
 
 Sec. 8. If he fails to avoid a fielder attempting to field a 
 batted ball, in the manner described in Sections 6 and 7 of this 
 rule; or, if he in any way obstructs a fielder attempting to field 
 a batted ball, or intentionally interferes with a thrown ball. Pro- 
 vided, that, if two or more fielders attempt to field a batted ball, 
 and the base-runner comes in contact with one or more of them, 
 the Umpire shall determine which fielder is entitled to the benefit 
 of this rule, and shall not decide the base- runner out for coming 
 in contact with any other fielder. 
 
 This obstructing a fielder is a very important 
 matter for the Umpire's decision, and it requires 
 the closest attention. For instance; suppose a 
 fielder is under a fly-ball which is falling on the 
 line of the bases; in such case, the runner has 
 no right of way on the base path, but must run 
 
19(3 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 on one side of the fielder to avoid obstructing 
 him in making the catch. This rule applies in all 
 cases of fielding a batted ball; but the base-run- 
 ner can not intentionally interfere with a fielder 
 attempting to field a thrown ball, and such inter- 
 ference is at all times intentional where it could 
 readily have been avoided, such as purposely 
 getting in the way of a thrown ball so that it 
 might strike him on the back, or putting up his 
 hand to cause it to glance off his arm, etc. 
 
 Sec. 9. If, at any time while the ball is in play, he be touched 
 by the ball in the hands of a fielder, unless some part of his per- 
 son is touching a base he is entitled to occupy. Provided, the 
 ball be held by the fielder after touching him; but (exception as 
 to first base), in running to first base, he may overrun said base 
 without being put out for being off said base, after first touching 
 it, provided he returns at once and retouches the base, after which 
 he may be put out as at any other base. If, in overrunning first 
 base, he also attempts to run to second base, or, after passing the 
 base he turns to his left from the foul line, he shall forfeit such 
 exemption from being put out. 
 
 So long as the runner overrunning first base 
 keeps on the right side of the foul line he is 
 entitled to exemption from being put out in 
 returning; but the moment he crosses the foul 
 line he forfeits such exemption. In attempting 
 to run to second base after overrunning first, he is 
 not required to return to first, and retouch that 
 base before running to second. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 197 
 
 Sec. 10. If, when a fair or foul hit ball (other than a foul 
 tip as referred to in Rule 38) is legally caught by a fielder, such 
 ball is legally held by a fielder on the base occupied by the 
 base-runner when such ball was struck (or the base-runner be 
 touched with the ball in the hands of a fielder), before he retouches 
 said base after such fair or foul hit ball was so caught. Provided, 
 that the base-runner shall not be out in such case, if, after the 
 ball was legally caught as above, it be delivered to the bat by the 
 pitcher before the fielder holds it on said base, or touches the 
 base-runner with it; but if the base-runner in attempting to reach 
 a base, detaches it before being touched or forced out, he shall 
 be declared safe. 
 
 On all fair or foul fly-balls caught, runners on 
 bases who leave a base the moment such ball was 
 hit, must return to them at once, and if the fielder 
 catching the fly-ball throws it to the base-player 
 in time before the runner can get back, a double 
 play is made, the batsman being out on the catch, 
 and the runner on the base. 
 
 Sec. 11. If, when a batsman becomes a base-runner, the 
 first base, or the first and second bases, or the first, second, 
 and third bases be occupied, any base-runner so occupying a 
 base shall cease to be entitled to hold it, until any following base- 
 runner is put out and may be put out at the next base or by being 
 touched by the ball in the hands of a fielder in the same manner 
 as in running to first base, at any time before any following base- 
 runner is put out. 
 
 The base-runners in such case are " forced" 
 off the bases they occupy by the batsman' s fair 
 hit, and they can be put out at the base they are 
 forced to run to, just the same as in running to 
 
198 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 first base, simply by the player holding the ball 
 on the base. 
 
 Sec. 12. If a fair hit ball strike him before touching the fielder, 
 and in such case eo base shall be run unless forced by the batsman 
 becoming a base-runner, and no run shall be scored, or any other 
 base-runner put out. 
 
 The change in the rules prevents the double 
 play which could be made under the rule of 1889. 
 For instance, if a ball from the bat struck the 
 runner running from first to second, the fielder 
 fielding the ball could throw it to first base on 
 time to put the striker out. Under the new rule, 
 only the runner who is hit by the batted ball — and 
 before it touches a fielder — can be put out. 
 
 Sec. 13. If, when running to a base or forced to return to a 
 base, he fail to touch the intervening base or bases, if any, in the 
 order prescribed in Uule 45, he may be put out at the base he fails 
 to touch, or by being touched by the ball in the hands of a fielder, 
 in the same manner as in running to first base. 
 
 In returning to a base on a foul ball the runner 
 is not obliged to touch the intervening bases, thus; 
 if the batsman hit a ball to the out-field on which 
 he runs to third, and the ball be declared foul, the 
 runner can return direct to home base, without 
 retouching second and first. 
 
 Sec. 14. If, when the Umpire calls "Play," after any sus- 
 pension of a game, he fails to return to and touch the base he 
 occupied when ' ' Time " was called before touching the next 
 base. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 199 
 
 The call of "Time" by the Umpire deadens 
 the ball, and until ' 4 Play ' ' is called, runners can 
 not leave the bases they were holding when time 
 was called. 
 
 WHEN BATSMAN OR BASE-RUNNER IS OUT. 
 
 Rule 49. The Umpire shall declare the batsman or base-run- 
 ner out, without waiting for an appeal for such decision, in all 
 cases where such player is put out in accordance with these rules, 
 except as provided in Rule 48, Sees. 10 and 14. 
 
 The Umpire should be required to declare how 
 the batsman or base-runner was put out in all 
 cases. It is the most satisfactory. 
 
 COACHING RULES. 
 
 Rule 50. The Captains and coachers are restricted in coach- 
 ing to the base-runner only, and are not allowed to address any 
 remarks except to the base-runner, and then only in words of 
 necessary direction ; and no player shall use language which will 
 in any manner refer to or reflect upon a player of the opposing 
 club or the audience. To enforce the above, the Captain of the 
 opposite side may call the attention of the Umpire to the offense, 
 and upon a repetition of the same the club shall be debarred from 
 further coaching during the game. 
 
 The noisy coaching in vogue last season is a 
 nuisance the Umpire should put a stop to. It is 
 plainly not "words in necessary direction," but is 
 intended solely to annoy the pitcher. If the rule 
 is violated, the penalty is that the side on which 
 the fault lies is prohibited from further coaching 
 during the game. 
 
200 Stories of the Base Ball Meld. 
 
 THE UMPIRE. 
 
 Rule 51 . The Umpire shall not be changed during the progress 
 of a game, except for reason of illness or injury. 
 
 .HIS POWERS AND JURISDICTION. 
 
 Rule 52. Sec. 1. The Umpire is master of the field from 
 the commencement to the termination of the game, and is entitled 
 to the respect of the spectators, and any person offering any 
 insult or indignity to him must be promptly ejected from the 
 grounds. 
 
 Sec 2. He must be invariably addressed by the players as 
 " Mr. Umpire; " and he must compel the players to observe the 
 provisions of all the playing rules; and he is hereby invested with 
 authority to order any player to do or omit to do any act as he 
 may deem necessary, to give force and effect to any and all of 
 such provisions. 
 
 The power of deciding all points of play, 
 whether covered by the rules expressly or not, is 
 given the Umpire in Section 2 of the above rule, 
 in which he is empowered to order any player 
 "to do or to omit to do" any act he may deem 
 necessary to give force and effect to the spirit of 
 the Code of Rules. In fact, as stated in the rule 
 — the Umpire is "master of the field" from the 
 first innings of the game to the last, 
 
 SPECIAL DUTIES. 
 
 Rule 53. The Umpire's duties shall be as follows— 
 Sec 1. The Umpire is the sole and absolute judge of play. 
 In no instance shall any person be allowed to question the cor- 
 rectness of any decision made by him except the Captains of the. 
 contending nines, and no other player shall at such time leave his 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 201 
 
 position in the field, his place at the bat, on the bases, or players' 
 bench, to approach or address the Umpire in word or act upon 
 such disputed decision . Neither shall any manager or other officers 
 of either club — except the Captains as before mentioned — be per- 
 mitted to go upon the field or address the Umpire in regard to 
 such disputed decision, under a penalty of a forfeiture of the game 
 to the. opposing club. The Umpire shall in no case appeal to any 
 spectator for information in regard to any case, and shall not 
 reverse his decision on any point of play on the testimony of 
 any player or bystander. 
 
 Tljis rule has hitherto been violated with impu- 
 nity each season, and it is high time that it be 
 strictly carried out to the letter. It expressly 
 prohibits any player from speaking to the Umpire 
 during a game except the Captain, and the latter 
 even has no right to dispute a single decision in 
 a game in which a simple error of judgment is 
 alone involved, such as in the case of a base- 
 runner being touched while off a base or not, or 
 as to a ball delivered by the pitcher to the bat, 
 he may justly or unjustly decide a called ball or 
 a strike. In all such cases the Captain has no 
 right to address a word to the Umpire under 
 this rule, except to ask for judgment. The utter 
 uselessness of disputing decisions involving only 
 errors of judgment is shown in the fact that no 
 such decision can be reversed. Only when the - 
 Umpire errs in his interpretation of the letter of 
 any special rule can the Captain call for an expla- 
 nation, or appeal for a reversal of the illegal 
 
202 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 decision. It should be borne in mind that the 
 penalty for a violation of this rale is forfeiture 
 of the game. 
 
 Sec. 2. Before the commencement of a game, the Umpire 
 shall see that the rules governing all the materials of the game are 
 strictly observed. He shall ask the Captain of the home club 
 whether there are any special ground rules to be enforced, and if 
 there are, he shall see that they are duly enforced. Provided, they 
 do not conflict with any of these rules. He shall also ascertain 
 whether the fence in the rear of the catcher's position is distant 
 ninety feet from the home base. 
 
 Sec 3. The Umpire must keep the contesting nines playing 
 constantly from the commencement of the game to its termination, 
 allowing such delays only as are rendered unavoidable by accident, 
 injury, or rain. He must, until the completion of the game, 
 require the players of each side to promptly take their positions in 
 the field as soon as the third man is put out, and must require the 
 first striker of the opposite side to be in his position at the bat as 
 soon as the fielders are in their places. 
 
 Sec 4. The Umpire shall count and call every " unfair ball" 
 delivered by the pitcher, and every "dead ball," if also an 
 unfair ball, as a "ball," and he shall also count and call every 
 "strike." Neither a "ball" nor a "strike" shall be counted or 
 called until the ball has passed the home base. He shall also 
 declare every "dead ball," "block," "foul hit," "foul strike," 
 and "balk." 
 
 Rule 54. For the special benefit of the patrons of the game, 
 and because the offenses specified are under his immediate juris- 
 diction, and not subject to appeal by players, the attention of the 
 Umpire is particularly directed to possible violations of the purpose 
 and spirit of the rules, of the following character — 
 
 Sec 1. Laziness or loafing of players in taking their places 
 in the field, or those allotted them by the rules when their side is 
 
Stories of tire Base Ball Field. 203 
 
 at the bat, and especially any failure to keep the bats in the racks 
 provided for them; to be ready (two men) to take position as 
 batsmen, and to remain upon the players' bench, except when 
 otherwise required by the rules. 
 
 Sec. 2. Any attempt by players of the side at bat, by calling 
 to a fielder, other than the one designated by his Captain, to field 
 a ball, or by any other equally disreputable means seeking to 
 disconcert a fielder. 
 
 Sec. 3. The rules make a marked distinction between hin- 
 drance of an adversary in fielding a batted or thrown ball. This 
 has been done to rid the game of the childish excuses and claims 
 formerly made by a fielder failing to hold a ball to put out a base- 
 runner. But there may be cases of a base-runner so flagrantly 
 violating the spirit of the rules and of the game in obstructing a 
 fielder from fielding a thrown ball that it would become the duty 
 of the Umpire, not only to declare the base-runner "out" 
 (and to compel any succeeding base-runners to hold their bases), 
 but also to impose a heavy fine upon him. For example: If the 
 base-runner plainly strike at the bail while passing him, to prevent 
 its being caught by a fielder; if he holds, a fielder's arms so as to 
 disable him from catching the ball, or if he run against or knock 
 the fielder down for the same purpose. 
 
 CALLING "PLAY" AND "TIME." 
 
 Rule 55. The Umpire must call "Play," promptly at the 
 hour designated by the home club, and on the call of " Play," the 
 game must immediately begin. When he calls "Time," play 
 shall be suspended until he calls "Play" again, and during the 
 interim no player shall be put out, base be run, or run be scored. 
 The Umpire shall suspend play only for an accident to himself 
 or a player (but in case of accident to a fielder, " Time " shall not 
 be called until the ball be returned to, and held by the pitcher, 
 standing in his position), or in case rain falls so heavily that the 
 spectators are compelled, by the severity of the storm, to seek 
 shelter, in which case he shall note the time of suspension, and 
 
204 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 should such rahi continue to fall thirty minutes thereafter, he shall 
 terminate the game; or to enforce order incase of annoyance from 
 spectators. 
 
 The Umpire can not suspend play on account 
 of rain, unless it rains so heavily that spectators 
 are obliged to seek shelter from ; ; the severity of 
 the storm. ' ' An ordinary drizzle or a gentle shower 
 does not produce this effect as a rule. " Time''' 
 can always be called by the Umpire to enforce 
 order in case of any portion of the crowd becom- 
 ing unruly. 
 
 Rule 56. The Umpire is only allowed, by the rules, to call 
 " Time" in case of an accident to himself or a player, a " block/' 
 as referred to in Rule 35, Sec. 3, or in case of rain, as denned by 
 the rules. The practice of players suspending the game to dis- 
 cuss or contest a decision with the Umpire, is a gross violation of 
 the rules, and the Umpire must promptly fine any player who 
 interrupts the game in this manner. 
 
 The Umpire must do more than fine a player or 
 players who violate this rule. He must call 
 "Play" immediately, and forfeit the game in 
 favor of the side at fault, within one minute after 
 play has been called, if the disputing of decis- 
 ions does not cease within that time. 
 
 INFLICTING FINES. 
 
 Rule 57. The Umpire is empowered to inflict fines of not less 
 than $5 nor more than $25 for the first offense on players 
 during the progress of a game, as follows — 
 
 Sec. 1. For indecent or improper language addressed to the 
 audience, the Umpire, or any player. 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field, 205 
 
 Sec 2. For the Captain or coacher, willfully failing to remain 
 within the legal bounds of his position, except upon an appeal by 
 the Captain from the Umpire's decision upon a misinterpretation 
 of the rules. 
 
 Sec 3. For the disobedience by a player of any other of his 
 orders or for any other violation of these rules. 
 
 Sec 4. In case the Umpire imposes a fine on a player, he shall 
 at once notify the Captain of the offending player's side, and shall 
 transmit a written notice thereof to the president of the association 
 or league within twenty-four hours thereafter, under the penalty 
 of having said fine taken from his own salary. 
 
 Sec 5. A repetition of any of the above offenses shall, at the 
 discretion of the Umpire, subject the offender either to a repetition 
 of the fine or to removal from the field, and the immediate substi- 
 tution of another player then in uniform. 
 
 Umpires did not enforce the rule last year, of 
 removing an offending player from the field for 
 repeatedly disputing an Umpire's decision, as 
 they should have done. It is a very effectual rule 
 against kickers, especially kicking Captains, who 
 are nuisances on the diamond. 
 
 FIELD rules. 
 
 Rule 58. No club shall allow open betting or pool selling 
 upon its grounds, nor in any building owned or occupied by it. 
 
 Rule 59. No person shall be allowed upon any part of the 
 field during the progress of the game (in addition to the players 
 in uniform, the manager on each side, and the Umpire) except 
 such officers of the law as may be present in uniform, and such 
 officials of the home club as may be necessary to preserve the 
 peace. 
 
 Rule 60. No Umpire, Manager, Captain, or player, shall 
 address the audience during the progress of a game, except in case 
 of necessary explanation. 
 
206 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 Rule 61 . Every club sliall furnish sufficient police force upon 
 its own grounds to preserve order, and in the event of a crowd 
 entering the field during the progress of a game, and interfering 
 with the play in any manner, the visiting club may refuse to play 
 further until the field be cleared. If the ground be not cleared 
 within fifteen minutes thereafter, the visiting club may claim, and 
 shall be entitled to, the game by a score of nine runs to none (no 
 matter what number of innings have been played). 
 
 There should be a rule in the code, as there is 
 in the constitution of the league, prohibiting any 
 player of a team from being party to any bet or 
 wager on the game in which he participates. 
 
 GENERAL DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Rule 62. "Play" is the order of the Umpire to begin the 
 game, or to resume play after its suspension. 
 
 Rule 63. "Time" is the order of the Umpire to suspend 
 play. Such suspension must not extend beyond the day of the 
 game. 
 
 Rule 64. " Game" is the announcement by the Umpire that 
 the game is terminated. 
 
 Rule 65. "An Inning" is the term at bat of the nine players 
 representing a club in a game, and is completed when three of 
 such players have been put out as provided in these rules. 
 
 Rule 66. u A Time at Bat" is the term at bat of a batsman. 
 It begins when he takes his position, and continues until he is put 
 out, or becomes a base-runner; except when, because of being hit 
 by a pitched ball, or in case of an illegal delivery by the pitcher, 
 as in Rule 44. 
 
 Rule 67. " Legal "or " Legally " signifies as required by these 
 rules. 
 
 SCORING. 
 
 Rule 68. In order to promote uniformity in scoring champion- 
 ship games, the following instructions, suggestions, and defini- 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 207 
 
 tions are made for the benefit of scorers, and they are required to 
 make all scores in accordance therewith. 
 
 BATTING. 
 
 Sec. 1. The first item in the tabulated score, after the player's 
 name and position, shall be the number of times he has been at 
 bat during the game. The time or times when the player has 
 been sent to base by being hit by a pitched ball, by the pitcher's 
 illegal delivery, or by a base on balls, shall not be included in this 
 column. 
 
 Sec. 2. In the second column should be set down the runs 
 made by each player. 
 
 Sec. 3. In the third column should be placed the first-base 
 hits made by each player. A base hit should be scored in the 
 following cases — 
 
 When the ball from the bat strikes the ground within the foul 
 lines, and out of reach of the fielders. 
 
 When a hit ball is partially or wholly stopped by a fielder in 
 motion, but such player can not recover himself in time to handle 
 the ball before the striker reaches first base. 
 
 When a hit ball is hit so sharply to an in-fielder that he caD not 
 handle it in time to put out the batsman. In case of doubt over 
 this class of hits, score a base hit, and exempt the fielder from the 
 charge of an error. 
 
 When a ball is hit so slowly toward a fielder that he can not 
 handle it in time to put out the batsman. 
 
 That in all cases where a base-runner is retired by being hit by 
 a batted ball, the batsman should be credited with a base hit. 
 
 When a batted ball hits the person or clothing of the Umpire, 
 as defined in Rule 37. 
 
 Sec 4. In the fourth column shall be placed sacrifice hits, 
 which shall be credited: to the batsman, who, when but one man 
 is out, advances a runner a base on a fly to the out-field, or a 
 ground hit, which results in putting out the batsman, or would 
 so result, if handled without error, 
 
208 Stories of the Base Ball Field, 
 
 FIELDING. 
 
 Sec. 5. The number of opponents put out by each player 
 shall be set clown in the fifth column. Where a striker is given 
 out by the Umpire for a foul strike, or because he struck out of his 
 turn, the put-out shall be scored to the catcher. 
 
 Sec. 6. The number of times the player assists shall be set 
 down in the sixth column. An assist should be given to each 
 player who handles the ball in assisting a run out or other play 
 of the kind. 
 
 An assist should be given to a player who makes a play in time 
 to put a runner out, even if the player who could complete the 
 play fails, through no fault of the player assisting. 
 
 And generally an assist should be given to each player who 
 handles the ball from the time it leaves the bat until it reaches 
 the player who makes the put-out; or, in case of a thrown ball, to 
 each player who throws or handles it cleanly, and in such a way 
 that a put -out results, or would result if no error were made by 
 the receiver. 
 
 ERRORS. 
 
 Sec. 7. An error shall be given in the seventh column for each 
 misplay which allows the striker or base- runner to make one or 
 more bases when perfect play would have insured his being put 
 out, except that "wild pitches," "bases on balls," "bases on the 
 batsman being struck by a pitched ball," or case of illegal pitched 
 balls, balks, and passed balls, shall not be included in said column. 
 In scoring errors of batted balls see Section 3 of this rule. 
 
 STOLEN BASES. 
 
 Sec. 8. Stolen bases shall be scored as follows — 
 Any attempt to steal a base must go to the credit of the base- 
 runner, whether the ball is thrown wild or muffed by the fielder, 
 but any manifest error is to be charged to the fielder making the 
 same. If the base-runner advances another base he shall not be 
 credited with a stolen base, and the fielder allowing the advance- 
 ment is also to be charged with an error. If a base-runner makes 
 
Stories of the Base Ball Field. 209 
 
 a start and a battery error is made, the runner secures the credit 
 of a stolen base, and the battery error is scored against the player 
 making it. Should a base-runner overrun a base and then be put 
 out, he should receive the credit for the stolen base. 
 
 EARNED RUNS. 
 
 Sec. 9. An earned run shall be scored every time the player 
 reaches the home base unaided by errors before chances have 
 been offered to retire the side . 
 
 Earned runs should be charged against the 
 pitching only on the basis of base hits made off 
 the pitching, and should not include stolen bases 
 or bases scored in any other way. 
 
 THE SUMMARY. 
 
 Rule 69. The summary shall contain— 
 
 Sec. 1. The number of earned runs made by each side. 
 
 Sec. 2. The number of two-base hits made by each player. 
 
 Sec. 3. The number of three-base hits made by each player. 
 
 Sec 4. The number of home runs made by each player. 
 
 Sec 5. The number of bases stolen by each player. 
 
 Sec 6. The number of double and triple plays made by ea^ 
 side, with the names of the players assisting in the same. 
 
 Sec 7. The number of men given bases on called balls by 
 each pitcher. 
 
 Sec 8. The number of men given bases from being hit by 
 pitched balls. 
 
 Sec 9. The number of men struck out. 
 
 Sec 10. The number of passed balls by each catcher. 
 
 Sec 11. The number of wild pitches by each pitcher. 
 
 Sec 12. The time of game. 
 
 Sec 13. The name of the Umpire. 
 14 
 
210 Stories of the Base Ball Field. 
 
 By including in the summary the number of 
 total bases made on base hits — such as two and 
 three baggers and home runs— a premium is 
 offered for record-playing at the bat. Assistances 
 on strikes are not to be included in the record of 
 fielding assistances. There should be a record 
 added giving the figures of runs batted in by 
 safe hits and legitimate sacrifice hits. 
 
 AMENDMENTS. 
 
 Rule 70. No amendment or change of any of these National 
 Playing Rules shall be made, except by a joint committee on 
 rules, consisting of three members from the National League and 
 three members from the American Association; such committee 
 to be appointed at the annual meetings of each of said bodies to 
 serve one year from the twentieth day of December of each year. 
 Such committee shall have full power to act, provided that such 
 amendments shall be made only by an affirmative vote of the 
 majority of each delegation. 
 
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Ml CHICAGO'S ALTON I 
 
 ^g| RAILROAD. |[ 
 
 •3rs»»v\ 
 
 ^ and Pullman Vestibuleo Limited Trains *%, 
 
 §™«Chicago™kansas CityandSt Louis/ 
 
 Ladies rmaceDotcarsI Frff 
 
 Palace recuning chair cms/of extra c^ge 
 
 T ^ T PULLMAN-PAIACE-SLEEPING-CARS • 
 
 ^Tickets to all Points West South and Southwest 
 
 O -195 S? CLARK S 
 
 i w Union Depot Ticket Off icej 
 
 GANALSTREET Between MADISON 
 ^ -AND V\DAMS STS. 
 
^ew 
 
 MONON ROUTE 
 
 *ji Q\ Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Ry. Co-Jf C**' 
 
 ONLY ONE NIGHT OUT 
 
 TO FLORIDA 
 
 Ever since the tide of Winter Tourist 
 travel turned Southward, the Monon 
 Route has been known as the Pull- 
 man Car Line from the Northwest to the South in general, but Florida 
 in particular. This route affords choice of two interesting lines from 
 Chicago or Michigan City to the Ohio River, thence diverging to all 
 points southeast and the Atlantic Coast, and south to Jacksonville, 
 New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. 
 
 Route No. I is via LaFayette and Louisville, and the Louisville 
 Southern division of the Monon Route, through the famous Blue 
 Grass and Distillery district adjacent to Lexington and Burgin, thence 
 the through line is formed via Chattanooga, with choice of routes to 
 Atlanta, Jacksonville, Thomasville, New Orleans, and all the Winter 
 Resorts and Sanitariums of the South. 
 
 Route No. 2 is via the Natural Gas region and Indianapolis to 
 Cincinnati, at which point through double connection is made with 
 diverging lines to the East, and via the Queen & Crescent through 
 car line to all points along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and also the 
 interior cities of Florida. 
 
 The Monon Route is the short and direct through car line 
 between Chicago and Chattanooga, Knoxville, Asheville, Salisbury. 
 Columbia, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Atlanta, 
 Birmingham, Pensacola, Memphis, and New Orleans. 
 
 The equipment consists of Pullman's Perfected Safety Vestibuled 
 Sleepers on night trains, and elegant Parlor Chair Cars on day trains. 
 
 Four Fast Express trains, equipped as above, leave Chicago from 
 the Dearborn Station every day in the year as follows: To Indianapo- 
 lis, Cincinnati, and the South, 9.55 a.m. and 9.30 p.m.; to LaFayet.te, 
 Louisville, Lexington, Burgin, and the South, 8.30 a.m. and 8.05 p.m. 
 
 For schedules of other trains, special rates, and pamphlets de- 
 scriptive of the Sanitarium Resorts on the Monon Route, address 
 
 L. E. SESSIONS, 
 
 Traveling Passenger Agent, Box 581, Minneapolis, Minn. 
 Or call on any Monon Route Ticket Agent. 
 
 W. H. McDOEL, Traffic Manager. JAMES BARKER, Gen'l Pass. Agent. 
 
 General Offices, 185 Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. 
 
THE FINEST ON EARTH. 
 
 THE ONLY 
 
 Pullman Perfected Safety 
 
 Vestibuled Train Service 
 
 WITH DINING CAR 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Chicago 
 
 The favorite Through Car Line CINCINNATI to ST. LOUIS, 
 KEOKUK, SPRINGFIELD, and PEORIA. 
 
 The only Direct Line between CINCINNATI, DAYTON, 
 FINDLAY, LIMA, TOLEDO, DETROIT, 
 
 Jtye Cal^e I^e^iops apd ^apada. 
 
 PULLMAN SLEEPERS ON NIGHT TRAINS, 
 
 PARLOR AND CHAIR CARS ON DAY TRAINS 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 CINCINNATI AND POINTS ENUMERATED, 
 
 THE YEAR ROUND. 
 
 M. D. WOODFORD, E. O. McCORMICK, 
 
 Vice-President. General Passenger Agrent. 
 
Chicago, 
 
 Milwaukee & 
 
 St Paul Ry. 
 
 <^ 4fc «&. .jfe 
 
 '#* *jR* ""fls* «w* 
 
 Stearq Heated and Electric Lighted Vestibuled Trains 
 betweeq Chicago, St. Paul, and Minneapolis. 
 
 Electric Lighted and Stean] Heated Vestibuled Trains 
 betweeq Chicago, Couqcil Bluffs, aqd Omaha. 
 
 Finest Diqing Cars iq trje world. 
 
 Free Reclining Chjair Cars betweeq Chicago aqd Omaha. 
 
 Fast Mail Liqe betweeq Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul, 
 and Minneapolis. 
 
 Transcontineqtal Route betweeq Chicago, Council Bluffs, 
 aqd Omar] a, or St Paul. 
 
 5,700 rqiles of road in llliqois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa. 
 Missouri, Soutrj and NortP) Dakota. 
 
 Everything First-Class. 
 
 First-Class People patronize First-Class Liqes. 
 
 Ticket Agents everywhere sefl Tickets over the CHICAGO, 
 
 Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. 
 
SOLID 
 
 "\ 
 
 M ichigan 
 C entra l 
 
 'The Niagara Falls Route" 
 
 If esliil Jralns 
 
 FROM 
 
 Chicago 
 
 TO 
 
 Buffalo 
 
 CARRYING 
 
 Through Sleeping Oars 
 
 -WITHOUT CHANGE, 
 
 To Toronto, via Canadian Pacific ; 
 
 To New York, via N. Y. Central & Hudson River; 
 
 To Boston, via Boston & Albany R. R. 
 
 THROUGH CARS ALSO, BY DIRECT LINES 
 
 Chicago to Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Saginaw, Bay City, 
 
 Detroit, and Buffalo; 
 Detroit to Saginaw, Bay City, Mackinaw, Marquette, Grand 
 
 Rapids, Muskegon, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, Buffalo, 
 
 and New York; 
 St. Louis to Buffalo, New York, and Boston, via Wabash 
 
 Railroad. 
 
 Meals served in sumptuous Dining Cars. 
 
 Drawing Room Cars on Day Trains. 
 
 Superb Equipment, Fast Time, 
 
 Safety, and Sure Connections* 
 
 Chicago City Office: 
 67 CLARK STREET, 
 
 Buffalo City Office: 
 64 EXCHANGE STREET, 
 
 E. C. BROWN, 
 
 General Superintendent. 
 
 0. W. RUGGLES, 
 
 Genl Passenger and Ticket Agent. 
 
Ifi APPROPRIATE PRE^EJIT FOR CjULDREW 
 
 OF JLT^T* AGES. 
 
 RAND.MeNALLY&CO.'S 
 
 Qame of geography. 
 
 interesting, Instructive, and Amusing for Old and Young, and Especi- 
 ally Adapted for the Entertainment and 
 Education of Children. 
 
 \M -* 
 
 TITHE outfit consists essentially of an outline map of the 
 JL United States, having upon it all the larger cities and 
 important streams, mountain peaks, lakes, etc., as well as 
 all raiiroad lines and State boundaries, but no names. On 
 the other half of the chart, which is made of heavy card- 
 board, and folds like a checker-board, are printed the 
 rules of the game and a list of the places shown on the 
 map. A key map, in duplicate, but having all places 
 named, and fifty pins, twenty-five white and twenty-five 
 black, complete the outfit. 
 
 The game consists of twenty-five points, and is played 
 by two persons, each taking twenty-five pins. The one 
 first succeeding in placing correctly twenty-five pins wins 
 the game. 
 
 There is no easier or pleasanter way to familiarize one- 
 self with the geography of our native land. 
 
 Sent, post-paid, to any address on receipt of price, $l u 
 
 RAND, McNALLY & 00,, Publishers, 
 
 CHICAGO. 
 
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