Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-04-27
DIAMOND ANNALS
The Life of Harry Wright AL.
most an Encyclopedia.
ACCURATE RECORD OF HIS DEEDS.
IT'S Here Complete, Though Briefly Told.
W. I. Harris, In Offering 1t, Gives More
Than Half The Credit Ia MIR. Frank
Hough, al the Philadelphia North Amer

Hough, oi the Philadelphia North Amer
No mau in baseball today is more popular,
more hunorcl. more respected by players,
magnat,s and public than Harry Wright,
the veteran manager and player. His career
is one of vast interest to all, anl IT Is of itself
"A SORT uf encyclopedia of the national game.
This record uf his life and services, though
I condensed, H. the most complet" ever given,
, aud Is absolutely correct as To facts. IL was
written in collaboration with Mr.. Frank
Hough, Of The Philadelphia North American,
than whom no one knows Mr.. Wright better.
| take pleasure in according Mr.. Hough more
than half of whatever credit is due the pro-
duction.
Harry Wright was born in Sheffield. Eng
land, in ISIS. When he was about eighteen
months old his parents removed to the L nited
States, where Daniel Wright, who has been
located in California for years; George. the
greatest short stop the game ever had, and
now a successful sporting goods dealer Of Bos-
ton, and Sam, who is associated in business
with his brother George. were born. From
childhood Manager Wright took a keen in
terest IN all outdoor sports aud pastines. a
trait that h. inherited from his father. who
was one of the first, If not the first, profes.
slonal crickrirr, il this country.
While serving hi, apprenticeship with u
manufacturing jewclor in Maiden lane. New
/ York, he drv,iel "a considerable portion of
each summer 10 playing cricket, and in ISL
he joined ia" KuicScrlp,ckcr club. The latter
organization hnrk" NJ during the war, many
of its members going To- the front
III lsji-Gj Mr. Wright joined the Gotham
club, ut New Iurs, playing third uni short,
AMI occasionally going behind the lat. lie
also played cricket with the ~. George club
on the Rod lipu>r grounds, First avenue and
On" Hundred and Second and tine Hundred
and Third streets, and in lsji lac made an
agreement 10 play with that club, but he was
Released from III engagement at his own re-
quest, and joined the Cincinnati Cricket club
"a Professional AZ "a salary 81 Sl.5p. Some
u the lest hupwn citizens of Cincinnati. ir-
Guiding j. ". johnston, Capt. II. \. Glass.
ford, 4. Is Champion and Charles Scanlon,
were members Of the club. They soon tired
of cricket, and "a July g, 1866, the Cincim-
natl Bal club was formed. The uniform was
a gorgeod, affair, consisting of rel caps. blue
trou>er>nni white shirts. The new club played
five games with the local amateur teams, win.
ming three.
In lss Mr.. Wright received an advan-
tageuus offer from the Germantown Cricket
club Il Philadelphia, which he would have
likei 10 accept, but the Cincinnati people
would not let him 60, aud though they had
ne legal claim un his services, only his prom
isr, he declined the offer. Think II that in
thoss days Of east iron, air tight contracts.
In lNii \. I. Goshorn, John Mclean, John
Joyce and Others ED a meeting aud resolved
To take the grounds back Of Lincoln park,
Cincinnati, ami they were opened on July 4,
Louisville being taken into camp by the score
Of 40 10 "A On July 10 Cincinnati was de-
feated by the National club s. to 10, and that
50 depressed Capt. Glassford that he re.
signed the presidency. That was the only
game the club lost that season, winning IL.
In lsbs President Champion declined the
presidency, and A. I. Goshorn, afte ward
director general II the centennial exhibition,
was elected. This year marked the advent Of
professionalism in baseball and the introduce
ton 81 the knicserbockers as part 81 a play
er's costume. The Buckeye club Of Cincinnati,
which was composed If teachers and pro.
fessors, was anxious TO down Wright's team,
and srnt AN agent east, who secured Dockney,
Cherokee Fisher, Sweasy and Leonard.
Wright was compelled to strengthen, and
John Hatfield, Fred Waterman, Asa Brai-
nard aud Doug Allison we're engaged. The
Buckeye grounds we're opened IN MAY, and in
The first game Harry Wright appeared on the
field cad ~ kuirsrrbockers and long red
stockings. AMI RAISED "A SENSATION, a few of
Ga. NOR. ,.Ft,1T-l.f H.. ,.u,. 81. .l-.
terizing hi, make up as indecent. Cincinnati
won all the gnmes from the Buckeyes.
The BucGrye people were anxious to win
the second game. and the night before they
took Hatfield. Brainard aud Allison out aud
got them drunk. The next day Wright would
not permit Hatfield TO play. although the di-
rectOrs coaxel Wright to change his decision,
but he would not.
In 1879 the mou Cincinnati Reds were
organized. This was the first entirely pro-
f~essional ball club. Before starting out on that
campaign Manager Wright laid down IA set Of
rules which have since been the basis of all
club discipline. The member were to report
at certain hours In the morning and after
noon, were to practice ~ long "A time and were
10 retire VI n certain hour. Drunkenness or
excess Of any kind was not " be tolerated, and
infringement of any of the rules meant a fine.
The writers of tine day attempted to ridicule
Mr.. Wright and his methods, aud the players
were REFERRED to MS "Wright's Babies" But
both Mr.. Wright aud his methods were vim
dicated. The club went through the season
without a defeat in fifty-eight games 'ayed
"a record that no team can even now expect
10 equal.
In 1870 the teis received their first defeat
ut the hands of the Atlantics, and the interest
In ball On Cincinnati died out, although the
club finished The season. Boston parties then
commenced negotiations with Mr.. Wright,
and Notwithstanding Mr.. Murat lIalstead's
offer 10 back him In the formation Of a new
club, he departed for the Hub Ia n. His
relations with Messrs. Adams aud Apollonis,
then running the Bostons, were not Of the
p~leasantest character. The playing rules
having been made from time TO time were
full Of contradictions aud distressingly prolix,
and in 1876 Mr.. Wright, assisted by Mr..
Apallonis, rewrote them.
When Melsrs. Splen, Billings and Conant
secured control Of the Boston club, they made
1t disagreeable for Mr.. Wright, but he was
such q favorite with Boston ball players that
neither II the triumvirs had the courage to
request his resignation. At their suggest ON,
however. the Providence club directors made
Q proposition 10 Mr.. Wright 10 take charge
Of their club, which he did In 1857. In the
eleven years that he managed the Boston
club IL won the ~pennant six times-a per-
Torrance which eloquently demonstrated his