The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-05-11
SURPLUS OF BACHELORS.
SOCIAL CUSTOMS AND SOCIAL MA
TERIAL OF THE HUB.
A Good Market for Assassins-A Swindie
That Furnishes NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Versus Nerve Food in the Base Ball
Business-BOstOn Gossip.
From Our Special CORRESPONDENT

Decentralization Gossip.
From Our Special CORRESPONDENT
Boston, May 8.
The campaign of the league ball clubs
this year promises to be mainly struggle
between Detroit, Chicago, New York and
Boston, though the "Phillies'" steady
work may yet bring them among the lead
ers. The death of Ferguson was a great
misfortune to the club.
Detroit is not SO likely to win as last
year. for it's pitchers are being freely batted
and it seems as if the three-strikes rule
would turn out badly for them. Arthur
Whitney will strengthen the CLUB in a
measure, but the veteran White can no
longer be power as catcher. Then the
club is bucking like Wild West broncho
to shake off Manager Watkins. That isn't
healthy sign.
The New Workers are praised volubly
by their home newspapers, and are al
ways spoken of as the Giants after
particularly CALLING defeat They num-
Der some strong players but as team are
extremely unreliable. The club is the
''Old Betty OF the ball field. The Giants
are too hysterical in their quarrels among
themselves and too superstitious when at
pay. Lucy GI11GA tIlo w UOuS dlu
Philadelphia are both ''hoodoos'' to them,
and that several members OF the club are
Jonahs. Manager Mutrie should give them
weaker tea, and put little celery or other
nerve food in it. Anything to beat Bos-
TOM rather chan @'Anything to win the
championship" is the cry down in Man
hattanville, and this partly accounts for
Boston's slip-up last year. Keefe was, and
is, one of the most effective pitchers in the
league against Boston, and it was a bad
day for the Hub when he signed. By the
way, there is good reason to believe that
his courage failed him at the last, and that
he receives a salary much smaller than the
$4,000 supposed to be paid him The Go
thamites outbatted the Bostons in their re-
cent series of games, and made fewer errors
But it isn't the New Yorks or even the
Detroits who are dreaded by the base ball
cranks of this locality as candidates
for the championship These clubs
may hinder Boston from gaining pos
session OF the coveted bunting, but
Baby Anson's greenhorns are the
men who are expected to cut out the pace
in the final dash. Boston has been buying
Anson's graduated pupils long enough to
know that his school is successful one.
AS Arson says: "Chicago has been fur
nishing $4,000 players to the country for
several years, and we will have some more
of them on hand next fall We have dis
posed of several Of our star performers,
and now we propose to 60 ia with an
everyday lot of men and win the fag.'
BOSTON has oie maefee0t '1hoodoo'' who
hasn't done much work yet this season. but
will take the snap out of the club
as soon as ne joins it. He
is sometimes described in reform club
meetings as "Devil's Broth'' and forms
the first element in Rev. Dr. Bumhard S
alliterative trinity. Capt Morrill, has
handled his men well SO far. The Bostons
are not batting strongly. A glance at
their record shows that here is their weak
ness. The only one who is batting the ball
Is Kelly. and he is head and shoulders
ABOVE any other man in the nine.
Clarkson seems to put his heart in his
work. He is willing to pitch twice week,
or oftener If necessary That is the dis
posltlon winch wins popularity, and per-
haps championship. Kelly and he are prom
ised reception in Chicago that will make
the very lake leap for JOY The Boston
management have done well to agree to
Radbourns terms 1t makes assurance of
good batting work doubly sure
49,
That Boston is good market for assas-
sins appears to be widespread impression
Luke Holman, the Worcester man who
bunglingly hired two detectives to murder
hiss sister in order to secure to him her
property, followed in the footsteps OF the
Baltimore hotelkeeper who hired a notori-
GUS Boston man to slay his sons wife,
whose breeding wasn't up to the hotel
keepers standard. Mellen was foiled in
his attempt to preserve his familys social
position by murder, his agent proving too
scrupulous for the task "J0hn Bull''
Donahue failed to perceive the neces-
sity of preventing vulgar people from
marrying into the Mellen set, and
considered it better policy to betray
his employer to the police. So, likewise,
the men Holman first bargained with knew
that assassination was an unwholesome
business Donahue went west soon after
the Mellen affair, and was falsely reported
to have been killed in Winnipeg. He was
a notable figure here for generation, be-
ing concerned in gambling and blackmail-
ing. During the war he was the confidant
of Governor Andrew, Charles Sumner and
other distinguished men.
One of the most evident proofs of an in
crease in the consumption of opium is the
existence and increase of a considerable
number of so-called cures or antdotes for