Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-05-18
KNIGHTS OF THE BAT.
Freight Agents and Cotton Buyers
Perspiring for the Orphans.
And q Patient Crowd Ksjoying the
Misery.


Misery.
An immense crowd deserted Memphis
yesterday for the cool shades Of Olympic
Park. 1t was very shady out there IN
der umbrellas. Business in the city was
almost suspended; houses we're shut up
for want of customers; the street-cars
having no passengers kept lazily on the
track; the buzz of insects was heard in
the evening air, and the Court Square
squirrels came down on the sidewalks to
see what all the silence was about.
Three reporters we're detailed from the
LEDGER staff to report the great event Of
the season. The one who got back makes
this imperfect sketch Of the principal
events of the day. Having never before
witnessed & game Of base ball, especially
on behalf Of the orphans, be cannot
give all the professional touches of the
game where they should come in.
The Olympic Park is nice patch OF
ground, fenced in to keep people out,
two miles north Of the city on the for
nent side OF the Louisville railroad. 1t
is beautifully shaded by a clump Of trees
about q mile off. The coolest thing IN
the grounds was q beer cellar, but he
was above ground at last accounts.
Owing to the humidity Of the atmos-
phere and the tendency Of paper collars
to float on the surface, the beer soon dis.
appeared. In the distance doomed up a
beautiful building known as Leath Or
phan Asylum, which greatly inspired
the noble boys who had enlisted to chase
the glowing hours with fiery feet for the
benefit Of orphsnized humanity. As
they-the orphsns-looked on with q
spy.glass in the grim torrid distance,
and saw the sufferings and the sun
stroke in their behalf, the tears welled
up in their eyes, and many a youth
vowed with uplifted hand to repay the
noble endeavor when he should grow up
BY joining a fancy base ball club on the
score of rebate. Other boys, not being
orphans, climbed in wei the fence and
reserved their opinion. They proved to
be the shsrpest critics on the stand,
and succeeded in getting between the
reporters and the-the business. Some
people called it a game, but we owe a
duty to posterity as a chronicler and an
oracle Of passing events, and therefore
cannot conscientiously make game of so
solemn a subject.
The torture began about 8 o'clock.
An Immense concsurSe Of people was
present. The railroad and all the hacks
and omnibuses in the city had been
brought into requisition to carry out
those who started before dinner. The
rest walked. The Christian Brothers
band played a few cheerful and sympa-
thetic airs, and the crowd hardly knew
whether to laugh or cry, but they 1901
found OFT that it was necessary to do a
little Of both. The two sides were repre-.
scented as follows:
Freight Agents - L~ightburne, first
base; Gibson, second base; luther, right
field; Carver, third base; Hart, catcher;
Smith, pitcher; Bourne, short-stop;
Forbes, center field; and Hughes, left
field.
Cotton Buyers Camp, third base;
Katzsnburger, short-stop; Wolfenden,
left field; Bowles, first base; Cashier,
pitcher; Jones, catcher; Gateus, center
field; Latham, second base; Daniel, right
field.
They SHE'D into the ring at the call Of
the bugle, and looked rather cheerful
considering the circumstances. Some
one had been thoughtful enough to bring
along a cypress paddle, sawed out to suit
at a lumber mill, and warranted to bit a
ball il held still. which proved to be the
great difficulty. The ball produced was
an elongated, spherical concern on the
model Of Chinese cannon ball, and bad
an un%accountable way of winding around
the paddle or bat and curving back into
places where it was not wanted. This
accounted for q tendency on the part Of
B. Hughes to pull down his vest. The
feature Of the occasion was the Hospital
tent near the square, where Drs. Jake
Wood and JepthA Fowlkes kept spin
ters, ice water aud other comforts for
the wounded, who always made it APPOINT
to call in from the gorJ
field every time the ball bit the
paddle. Only two got a chance to cal
all the afternoon; one was a cotton
buyer and the other a freight agent
The ball would have suffered very little
i some Of the members had not sat
down on it to rest. 1t was also badly
aattened out on Carver's eye. Hughes
handled it very tender.y. Forbes lodged
it every time the same as be would 6
bomb-shell, and in doing SO once had Il
roll over like a Saw-log on down grade.
The casualties we're numerous. One
} man got entirely around the circuit o.
bull pen, but he will be laid up for {
week. K~atzenburger wal wounded il
the leg and had to be carried from III,