Morning journal and courier., 1886-10-13
SORRY FOR BERGER.
Colonel Breeze Tells why he DtsIIkes
to Hear Ease Bail Mentioned.
from the Chicago News1

Colonel Brezee Tells why he DIsIIkes
to Hear Base Bail Mentioned.
From the Chicago News.1
81 have been in town forty Eight hours ~
said Colonel Lloyd Breeze, editor of the
Grand Rapids Telegram Herald, last even
ing. ''ani in that time I have done power
full lot of business. 1 came down to buy a
press, and 1 shall take back to Grand Rapids
with me tomorrow the finest perfecting
Washington hand-press ever seen in Michi-
gan-a press capable of printing, folding and
delivering to local subscribers 43, 900 papers
per hour"
"Of course you took in the game of base
ball to days"
ssNo, sir" said Colonel Breeze, harshly;
and then, moderating his tone somewhat,
he added: perhaps you are not aware
that am unalterably opposed to base balls"
''No, if truth must be told, that seri-
GUS intelligence has not yet been made pub
lic."
"Well, it happened in this way" ex-
planned Colonel Breeze. 81 have two part
ners in the proprietorship of the Grand
Rapids paper. One of them is Fred Berger,
whom you perhaps remember as business
manager of Sol Smith Russell, the Boston
publisher and actor Berger is one of your
humorous fellows, always ready for joke,
yet withal, gentle, whole -souled man
whom have been glad to encourage to
the extent of my limited ability. When
bought the Grand Rapids paper 1 let Berger
in on the deal, but before doing SO L had
serious talk with him and exacted from
him solemn promise that as long he
was associated with me il journalism he
would abstain from all qualification of his
humorous propensities. He gave me his
assurance that he would make an earnest
effort to deport himself with dignity. Well,
things ran along smoothly for while, and
we had all begun to remark how much
Berger had improved. But about three
weeks ago Sol Smith Russell said to Berger:
Fred, they're after somebody to go down to
Detroit to umpire game of base ball. Sup
pose, just for a lark, You let me fake you
up and send you down there as an umpire
of long experience and decided ability I'm
fortunately Berger fell in with the scheme
at once Russell telegraphed to the Detroit
club, Fred Berger of Grand Rapids was pre-
pared to umpire at short notice, etc. Back
came a dispatch urging Mr.. Berger to come
at once.' Well, Russell trotted out his
stage wardrobe, his wigs and his face paints,
and faxed up a great disguise for Bsr-
ger. You shall be barber said Rus
sell.
GA barbera"
eyes, just think of it-one of the editors
of the Grand Rapids Telegram Herald dis
guised as a barbsrp said Colonel Breeze.
ssYet in this odious disguise Berger did in
deed go down to Detroit. He made every
body believe he was barber, but he didn't
make anybody believe he umpire.
When the game was over the Detroit people
ran him cut of town-his decisions were
rank. Sol Smith Russell thought it was a
great joke, and SO did Berger himself, but
you can bet I was very angry about it. 1
don't know when have been SO humili
ated as was when I heard of the escapade.
I saw only one way out of the trouble, and
that was to claim that the umpire. Berger,
was not my Berger, but another. So, when
the Grand Rapids people questioned me
full of east wind until ] felt my soul groan-
ing beneath the weight of the perjuries L
uttered. 1t has been an awful expert
ence, and 1 have suffered so keenly that
it makes me almost wild to hear tell of