Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-10-23

It Requires Nerve aud Pluck to UmpiRe
the National Game Nowadays.

Il
From the Chicago Tribune.
/ The umpire Is an alleged necessity. Without
himAi il is averred that the national game could
not be maintained. The authority with which
he Is invested and the perversty with which
| he exercises 1t make him al once the common
| enemy of players and enthusiastic spectators
| he mas no respect tor either players or public,
anu Is remorseiess in indie Ing injuries
| that can never be repaired. He calls balls
against the best pitchers and tells them
he VIII fine them if they ask "What
was the matter with that last ball?' he calls
| strikes against the best batsmen, and
charges them $40 tor suggesting that the ball
was too hign, or "too low or "not over the
plate, as the case may he; he yells "foui''
when one OF the home players makes a hit 10
| .'fair; he says "safe'' when one of the other
side tries 70 steal second and is thrown out by
o,e =, cue anu Wnen tie game is tie ne let
SECOND base without ever going near the third
bag. Ihe number oi other impurities that he is
TINS tor $500 a month and expenses. For that
stipend lie takes his lille In his own hands and
sher ends 70 @ players sna
Erotneo at and threatened, and In some in
| stances peited with various missiles. On u
lew occasions he mas beeu assaulted. In Gin
cinnati they have tried to suppress him with
beer glasses and In Baltimore they have turned
their tougns ON him; and all to no purpose,
ior Ne mas oObbed up Serenely at the very next
game. Ii not necessity. he Is certainly daring
| aud irrepressible.
country to-day is John Kelly of the American
association. He Is very cool, has good Judg-
nent Oh balls end Strikes and, being very ac-
i've, loiIows the bail wherever there Is pOssi-
oiiity OF close base play so that he can get near
| 10 IL and decide inteliiseutiy. Aud yet he often
ers of uoth ths .n A snd Smsr, e 0a py
lion say the secret OF Johns popularity is that
ne lavors the home club on all close plays, aud
In that way Catches the crowd.
In 1852. at Troy, n. Y, Kelly, his namesake
on the Chicago club, and Fred Pieffer took
leading parts in one vi The most violent DEM
onstrations that the Chicago club has ever
laced. PIener Was then play ing with the Troy
ciuO, While Alike Kelly was playing at short
ior The ChicsgOs, and John Kelly was umpire.
Alter Pieuer had Reached second base nil
the next 6atsman sent slow bounding ball
toward Mike Kelly. Pietfer ran i'll front OF ii,
RAN on To third. Nike could not see the bail
until Piefier got Out of the way, and before
Could gauge 1T 1t struck nim ON the arm anu
got away from him. Pletter home Inc
play. but was decided out for interfering wi VA
Tue BALL This enraged the Tr,jans. aud they
started toward Johu Kelly anu threatened to
MOI nim. Inc Chicago nine got around John
ANA protected linn. After having dOE that
lhucu Arson started 10 make bluff In his
favor. lie mad uttered but u few words when
| the chief of police OF West Troy stepped up to
HIM AND IN ansry tones Said:
I'll you don't shut your mouth I'll run you
The captain shut up ON the instant The
held was nns,lly cleared and the game was re-
newed wniIe the crowd iairly nuwied VEN
geance on the umpire and the entire Chicago
nine. Fortunately, Pieffer succeeded in wiz
ming the game for his side, wnicn put tue pre-
viou,iy furious gathering in good huLnor, and
JUhu Nelly AMI the Chicago nine Were permit
leu To uepart without i;IuieS,aLiOn Pieifer says
lie Will always believe that II ,he game nad not
turned out as ii uid The Two keilys and Auso
would surely nave beeu nluUbeu, while tue rest
oI tue Cuicaso delegation would not nave been
much better OFT.
"A T
Dosier. de u.lpired Inc famous lie game OF
seventeen Innings between. the Gu ,cstso and
Providence CUBS at Providence, i'll 1850. The
crowd tnouS Ia DoSier had favored the Cnicagos
on close plays, and manifested its dIapprOUd-
llon In aIInOSt couLinLOu, kissing and cns1tins.
with the score / To 1, the Providence side wa,
put out viii ouA a run in the egn leenth inning.
linen Williamson led of with d luree-base IA,
aud Kelly Went to the oat, with Ansou lol-
low. Inc crowd became wild, aud DosIer
weakened and called the game, as he SAID, ON
account Of darkness. Bob Morrow, the prcsi-
dent of the Providence cluu, mad started or The
gate Win the aSoweo Intent 10 Walt Tor DUsier
aud thrash him as soon he got out oi the
grounds, and il is claimed that DOsie. over
ueard MOrrOW declare himself.
Bliiy McLcan, PnllaueI PIMA pugislist but
all honest and fearless man, has umpired Tor
both the League and the American association
he was eXCI...Ule and Inclined resent annoy
ance. In 1879 lie uin piiIng u game. Oh the
lake front and Kelly was behind the bal. He
had lined every mau III Dotn uIurs except the
geniai Nike. Finally "A Dali Came over The plate
said:
flows that, BiIIy?"
well, I've nneu nobody yet, so 1 guess I'll
have To line you. That's $40" was the reply.
AT Worcester, Mass, McLean stopped d game
AMI went up Into tue grauu stand itiLer d man
That lad bcen annoy Ing MIN, aud saw the man
on the grounds Deiore The game began ar ain
On anoLner occasion, at Puiladei pnia, some
parties Ia the grand stand Kept up AN incessaut
Jabber about his decisions. He Lurued around
and ordered them smut up, aud wnen thew
uid not used he picked up !, bat aud threw II
SeH6f6lv An
man GU the left arm. AuoLner time he threw "A
catchers mask into a stand.
IL Is u very singular TACT That many men who
are utterly iucoiup pc ,euL Will seek anu obtain
appointments AS umpires. Three mignt he
quoted among the notaoie INSTANCES this season.
During game at Puiiaueipnia Kelly WAS living
on tue grass just outside tue captain s line AM
directly opposite tnlru base. Gore wa, at the
plate anu I'LL d tall along the foul line In tine
tniru bag, which II tipped. rnen Muivey tipped
IL and IL went out into foul ground. SPINNER
the umpire, Called foul, and Kelly Went up to
course vi Inc Dail. DE began by saying, 'Tnat
WAS a lair Uall."
AT tnls Skinner turned pale, walked toward
give u show"
Kelly Immediately shouted, .Old man. that
Was iOui by d foot went Dack and stre,ene,I
out again Oh the grass.
In 1853 there Was great rivalry between the
ST. Louis BrOwns aud tile Athletics uf the
American association, and one game betwe.n
tnein In May vi that Year At fhIIadel pima wa,
foiiowed oy riotous demonstration. UrI.uud
ii. Butler, now III this city "a. agent iur the
Litka cUu'p any, was The umpire. Tue day be-
lore, when Inc AtnleLics were ahead and five
innings had not been played, called the
game UI account OI rain, and Tue crowd WAS
enrdsed at nim Tor that. When the tSrowns
n,id iaken tiioir bali Of the ninth inning the
scOfe Stood tO Z III their favor. In their n,If
.. Tue inning the Athletics got Two men ON
bases anu mad two OuI, wnen Stovey went La
the bat aud hit bal! to lett abo,,t
seven leet outside the foul line He
Fan TO second, and the two men on the
bases home. When Butler or,iereu tine
suoutIns. Fair! iair! iaIr!' anu Stovey c.,Iied
Tor "tIine ana made quite u kick agans. the
oecision. W me he Was talking d man with a
plsloi IN his hand jumped over "a low Inside,
straigh ior Butter. The police ntcrce ID ed hI IN
anu IoUk uiin into custody. Butler Insisted
that the bali Was ''iouI,' aud compelled Il,
men To 20 back aud Stove to lace tue pitcner
Caught tue crowd made rush Tor Butter Jul
Knight aud Stovey Of the AIhietics cot
nim safely into the ciuL house. The
Louisville club Was spending AL open dale
III PnIiadeiphia and the eutire team was
out " see Lne game. As the Browns
got into their Carriages to riue LacS no
their hotel Jack Gleason OF Tie Loulsyilies
Jumped up in front oil one'Oi the Carriages along.
side Oh the driver. Jack was ABOUT Buffers
build and had blond anu ,tstciie iust ms Bu,i.r
had. Somebody mistOUk him 10: lue haie0 um-
pire and iet lily IL UricK us head. He ducxed
and the brick struck the driver In the mouth
Knocking out three oi his teeth. From that
day - tails no money Cat: hire that driver 10
naul base ball prayer "a single foot
Alter the cartilage mad gone about q hundred
yards young fellow VINO had been running
alongside Oi IL directed = brick Al Latham Tn.
latter had uad his eye Oh the man. and CATCH
Tue thrower ON the left cheek. aud xuss.s.d
him seuseless. A crowd gathered aronnd fn..