Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-05-23
THE FAT MEN.

benefit OF the orphans. Our representa-
tive is a believer in fat men, although
he does not come under the saving
clause by nearly forty pounds, two hun
dred being the minimum weight of the
specimen fat man.
Old Shakespeare puts the following in
the mouth of julius Ceser:
Would he we're fatter. But / fear him not.
Let me have men about me that are fat,
S~leek-hesded men, and such as sleep O.
Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look.
He thinks too much. Such men are danger
Gus.
And Oliver Werdel Holmes sings in
praise of csrpu,encs in the following
strain:
Still she strains, the aching clasp,
That binds her virgin zone;
l know it hurts her. though she looks
AS cheerful as she can.
Her waist is longer than her life,
For life is but q span.
On the way out in the omnibus there
were eight fat men and our lean reporter
The aggregate weight of the eight fat
ones was exactly 1897 pounds, the aver
age weight being a little over 224 pounds
At the Olympic Park the game was
arranged under the respective captains,
as follows: Captain Kings Imperial
Team-Messrs, Sim, Armstrong, Dowdy,
Burke, Brown, Podests, Waldron, Hukil,
Thrall, P~ettigrew, Cirode, S%toddard, Ca.
male, Farrell, Taylor. Captain Frank
lands ~Infantum Team-Messrs Leidy,
Price, White, Peters, Leath, Cannon,
McGsrvey, Mcdonald, Saunders, Trabue,
Quentsl and Mitchell. The game vas
played without reference to the number
nine" under the management Of Mr.. Ed
Worsham, umpire, and Frsyser Hoist,
scorer. The bats used were about eight
inches in width, and the ball. a lively
hollow india rubber one, was eight inches
in diameter. Goats and vests we're
thrown aside and nine waddled to the
field to catch, while the other tremen.
dous nine went to the bat. Three innings
we're played in two hours, resulting in IL
for Captain Kings side and IL for Cap
tain Frsnk!and's. The bases we're placed
INSTEAD OF ninety feet apart at about
fifty, so that a fat man could make the
runs in due time.
After it was discovered that " ground.
ers" could not be caught by men whose
persons in front presented a rotundity Of
appearance, and which reminded the
poetic dreamer of the lines,
IT'S the sunset OF life gives US mystical lore
Coming events cast their shadows before,
it was unanimously resolved that if a
ball was caught on the first bounce it
was sufficient for all practical purposes.
Consequently the game this afternoon
will be played on the principle of the
first bounce, with bases fifty fest
apart and bats eight inches wide where.
with to strike a lively ball eight inches
in diameter.
To an artistic and humorous point Of
view, the playing yesterday was i'm
mense, such as would astonish a profeS
sional nine, but yet such as would de
light nine hundred and nine thousand
citizens of any nationality, creed or pre-
vious condition of servitude. 1t was mel
a burlesque upon base ball playing any
more than is the opera bouffe a bur
lesque upon the Italian opera, and Ger
tainly the music Of 0fenbach is as pure
q type of the opera as that Of Gounod
Verdi or Wagner.
The game commenced and wound NJ
in the most ludicrous situations and tab
leaux. The batting was anything bu'
tremendous or heavy; the pitching wa.
done underhanded, and the ball passed
at the slowest possible rate, forming tina
curve known as the parabola by the tint
it reached the catcher. The nam
catcher in the above game was certainly
a ~misnomer, for but few balls werI
caught by the so-called catcher even OIL
the 6rst bounce.
r Daring the progress Of the practice
!, game, Colonel Frank White made
, splendid run to the third base, but il
try ing to run home ahead Of the ball b
3 stumbled and rolled to the base amid
( cloud Of dust that for a time hid from
view the eEtire base ball field, and IT,
conclusion sounded like the wreck O
matter and the crush Of worlds. Col
Pettigrew also stumbled while maxim
the home base, and when he emerge
from the cloud Of dust an awful rent i
his pants added to the ludicrous sceue
The game to-day will be llayed regr
: larly, and nine innings will be tackled b
the great mines. Ample accommod'
ton has been provided for all visitors
), and those who attend will probably nevt
again see so wonderful a game played b
heavy gentlemen Of social standing an
worth.