Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-17
AN IMPORTANT LETTER.

Later in the afternoon a letter which had
been mailed on the 18th in New ork City ar
rived, addressed to a gentleman who is consid-
cradle of a local enthusiast and personal
friend of Cleveland players, though not in any
way identified in business way with the game,
and its contents were rather startling. 1t ad-
vised the recipient to warn local players to
postpone the signing of Brotherhood contracts
under any circumstances until after the next
Brotherhood meeting. The writer said that he
knew of three prominent Brotherhood men un-
der contract with one Eastern club and two
with another; that a break was to come in the
Western section and that certain players who
had not been mentioned in current reports had
affixed their names to League contracts, the
publication of which was withheld for reasons
plainly apparent.
The letter, in referring to the League meet
ing, said that unknown to the Brotherhood.
while its
LEADERS WERE WATCHING
the sessions at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, nego-
tIations had been pushed in other quarters and
favorable responses received from players. An
explanatory note further on in the letter in
ferred that the break to come in the Western
section was at Pittsburg, and from hint
dropped the impression was that Beckley, the
big first baseman, would bo in the League as
usual next summer.
LOCAL OPINIONS.
President Nimick was told of the gist of the
above dispatch, and said: There is lot of
truth in it. 1 can stand before the world, and
declare truthfully that about 20 old League
players have signed with their respective clubs.
1 stake my reputation on this statement Phila-
delphia has four of her best men resigned The
others am not at liberty to name just now for
the players sAkes. But good heavens, why
should any sensible player not sign with the
League? Answer me that Let me tell you
what the Pittsburg club means to do as sure as
Pittsburg exists. Every old player of
ours who refuses TO play with us
and who plays with a rival club
will be proceeded against as far as the law viii
allow; and further, every man who supports
these players in violating their agreement with
us will be sued for damages. Now, that is what
we intend to do. just as sure as my name is w.
A. Nimick. The law, of course. may not be in
our favor. but as sure as we live we mean to
fight to the bitter end for what we claim are
our legal rights, so that every man who con-
meets himself with the deserving players must
prepare for very expensive war. This is no
boast. We will haye, that is, the League will
have, about
100000 TO FIGHT
the legal aspects and think the law is on
our side in many ways.
DuI let In6 ASK why IlGLsDuIS suOulu SUI
scribe stock to stranger when local money IS
already invested in the same business? Is that
fair? Has this club, the old club or its propie-
tors ever acted dishonesty with the Pittsburg
public? Have we not invested thousands after
thousands of dollars in the club to please the
public, and now when we were just on the
point of getting or having a profit
able club is it a fair deal for
outsiders to step in and try to wreck our honest
money and prospects, l question whether a
good business man IN Pittsburg would do such
a thing. If it can in any way be proven that
we have acted dishonesty to players or public
will forfeit my stock. We ask fair play
That is all we want, and / believe, as Pitts
burger, that we will get it in this city. Depend
upon it that we have paid salaries to players
that are extraordinarily high; we have gone
down to our pockets time and time again to
keep good men together, and we have had no
complaints of any account. Then, l ask, as
business man of PittsDurg why conspiracy to
rob me and my colleagues of invested money
should be encouraged?'