Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-07-05
Irregular Ball Playing.


A Bloomington delegation, consisting
OF Messrs Ed. Garthwait, Lon Casey,
Ned Jacco, VIM. Garner, Michael
Woodhouse, and Fred Stevens, were
brought over last week charg-
ed with having seriously spoiled
the Sabbath in that section by indulg-
ing in games of ball on that day. The
complainant was the Rev. Cheney.
pastor of the Congregational church at
Bloomington. When the case was
called the boys, through their attorney,
Mr.. T. BARLEY, entered plea of guilty.
Mr.. BARLEY said they could but plead
guilty to the charge but would ask the
clemency OF the court. The games had
been played in a spot remote from the
village, being something more than a
half mile from the town and the nearest
house was quarter of a mile away
from the ground. The gentleman had
petition, signed by many of the bust
ness men of the town, in the morning
after the arrests had been made, which
he read. 1t denounced the action as
mean and contemplate and held there
was no cause for anything of the kind.
The feeling in Bloomington was, OBJ
served the attorney, that the whole
matter was unnecessary and uncalled
for. The defendants were among the
best boys in the village. Boys who
never before transgressed the law.
There were eighteen in the club but
only those six had been taken although
the others were equally guilty. They
would ask that the court would be
lenient in its decision in the matter.
The gentleman believed in UNFOLDING
the law and being a law abiding citizen,
but when boys meet away from houses
OF worship the prosecution seemed to
be stretching the matter and purpose of
the law for the purpose of havi ne these
boys fined. The people wanted to know
the amount of the costs and they would
pay them.
Mr.. Orr said in regard to the arrest
OF only six of the club, the object of
the complaining witness was simply to
see the law enforced, and therefore the
gentleman had advised him that six
would do as well as forty. The CON-
plainsnt and witnesses did not want any
thing more than to show that this thing
must be stopped.
Justice Baldwin said il was not so
much the amount of money as to tell
the defendants that they had violated
the law and therefore, after warning
them that repetition of the offense
would subject them to the full penalty,
he made the fine two dollars and costs,
the latter to be divided among the six,
the whole amounting to $39.O5, which
was promptly paid.
In an interview had with Mr. Cheney
afterwards, he said that there was no
malice on the part of the complai nants
anditwas with extreme repugnance that
they resorted to law. At the time when
o match game between the Cassvile
and Bloomington clubs was announced
for Sunday some time ago, he had circu-
lated petition asking them not to play
on Sunday. This petition had been ex-
tensively signed, some of the signers
being the same men whose names were
presented in court. The clubs had re-
fused to accede to the request contained
in the petition, and had played their
game as announced. Therefore there
seemed to be nothing left for those re-
ligiOusly inclined, and who believed in
the proper observance of the Sabbath,
but to resort to the law, much as they
were disinclined to do so. The ball
grounds were not so far away but they
attracted all the younger class, as we'll as
disturbed, those who were coming to
and going from church along the road,
which ran near the grounds. The COM
plainants had counted the cost before
starting and should go ahead on the line
marked out, SO long rs the peace of the
Sabbath was disturbed.
The defendants went back firm in the
determination to continue to play on
Sunday and from the prospect it would
look as if an irrepressible conflict was on
hand.