The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-16
TIE BALL CLUB DISBANDS.
Detroit's Directory Buy the Players to
Supplant Theirs in the League.
How the Purchase Came About and the
Terms OF the Transfer-The Western
League Formally Disbanded.

The patrons Of the Indianapolis base ball clue
will learn with regret that it has no longer an
existence. 1t has formally disbanded, andits play
ers, with the exception of McKeon, Keenan, and
Casey, left at III o'clock last night for Detroit,
from whence they will go to some point on the
St Clair river for a ten days fishing trip, after
which they will supersede the players now
under contract with the Detroit League
club and viii represent that city
in the League. For some time
past it has been evident that the Western League,
of which Indianapolis was a member, was on the
verge of dissolution, and that the club must look
elsewhere for protection. The clubs with which
il was associated were weak compared with it,
and games were almost invariably so one-sided
as to be uninteresting, in consequence of which
the attendance fell off very heavily-so heavily,
in fact, that the receipts upon championship
games scarcely paid the guarantee of $50 to the
visiting club. This being the case, the directors
made every effort to find a new resting place for
the club, and with that object in
view opened negotiations with the
Detroit management looking to the purchase of
its franchise in the National League. Manager
Watkins went to Detroit and endeavored to per-
suade the directors into selling, but to no pur-
pose, they refusing to consider a proposition Of
S.. 900. They manifested a willingness to accept
$40, 900, but the Indianapolis directors purse
was not sufficiently large to meet the demand.
The Detroit people then came forward with a
counter proposition to buy out the Indianapolis
club, and yesterday morning John B. Maloney
and F. K. Stearns, two of the direct
ors, came down to talk business
with the local directors. After being
closeted with Messrs. Schwabacher, Treat and
Rauh all morning matters looked at noon as
ter a second meeting. the home people decided to
accept an offer of $1,000 and abandon the club.
The offer was, of course. made conditional upon
the transfer of the players, and the subject be-
ing preached to them, all but Casey signed condi-
tional contracts to 60. All except McKeon, Kee-
nan and Casey left last night for Detroit, and the
two former will leave on Thursday next. McKeon
and keenan, each get a three years contract, the
formers beirg for 5000 a month for the remainder
of this season, and $4, 900 a season for the next
two years, making him one of the highest priced
ball players in the country. Keenan's contract
calls for So, 400 a year. Casey declined to be
transferred, and will probably sign with Balti-
more. The Detroit directors intimate that they
will s~upp!ant all of their present players with
the men taken from Indianapolis, except Wood,
their left fielder, and will retain Weidman and
Bennett, their best battery. For the next ten
days tho indianapolis players will hunt and fish
on the st. Clair river, and will play their first
games at Detroit with Providence and Boston at
the expiration of the ten days required by the
tripartite agreement.