Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-09-16
OUTDOOR SPORTS.
IN A BAD way.

The Athletic Club In Debt to the Play. ers-A strike Narrowly Avertod-Ths
 Players C.amorlnx for their Money, Etc.
 A crisis which menaces the very OK istence of the famous old Athletic club
 is approaching, says the Sporting Life,
 and unless there is a very material
 change in the situation the American Association may be minus a club mem-
 Der. The club has been supposed to be
 behindhand financially for some time,
 but the local papers kindly retrained from mentioning the matter. The facts can be no longer suppressed, however,
 because the players have taken the mat
 ter in hand and propose either to force
 the club to pay salaries fully six weeks
 overdue or else quit
 A number of the players contemplated
 strike and had made up their minds to
 refuse to play the scheduled game with
 Louisville yesterday, but some of the
 more cool-headed players fortunately
 called upon the editor of the Sporting
 Life for counsel, and upon his advice all
 hands agreed to play the scheduled
 games and have recourse only to the
 methods pFescribed by baseball law for
 the recoVSry of their salaries.
 Apart from this some of the play
 CTS proposed to take legal steps for
 the recovery of their salaries, and ac- cordingly Seward engaged as counsel
 Messrs. Judge & Wolf, a well-known
 local law firm. With a view to securing an amicable settlement, Treasurer
 Whitaker was notified to meet the players at the lawyers office to-day at eleven o'Dlock.
 At this meeting, which was attended by all but three of the players, the situ- ation was freely discussed. The play CTS discussed their willingness to play and wait for their back salaries, pro- vided they were given some assurance that there would be greater regularity in paying up for the balance of the season. This assurance Messrs. Whit aker and Pennypacker would or could not give. They stated that the club had no money in the treasury and that the players would have to depend upon the gate receipts for their salaries. This, of course, did not meet with the views of the players, who realized that at the rate the club was drawing it would be lucky to meet its guarantee obligations. Some of the players asked for their re- lease, but this, of course. the club off cials would not give, and the only al- ternative left the players by the club was to play and depend upon the gate receipts or not play at all and be placed under the ban for insubordination.
 As the counsel of the players held out but little hope of recovery by legal process, the players decided to appeal to the Association in accordance with sections T and 72 of the Association constitution to force the club to either pay up or release the players from con- tract and reservation. An appeal was accordingly drawn up by the lawyer. TGis will be signed by all of the players and forwarded to President Phelps at once: Meantime the players will go on playing. They do not propose to forego their legal claims whatever the result of this appeal, and have already engaged another lawyer to hold himself in read iness to enter suit in a day or two.
 Tle players are very bitter against Treasurer Whitaker, the ruling spirit of the club. They say that six weeks sal ary is unpaid and that he will give them 10 satisfaction. He is never to be found near the ground when the players want to see him, and leaves the burden of putting off the just claims of the play, CTS, many of whom are sorely in need of money, upon poor Manager Sharsig, who has exhausted his private funds and re- ceives no better treatment from the club than the players. This constant evasion of the treasurer has greatly irri- tated the players, and they do not know what to make of 1t They fear that they are to be sold out or dumped in some way, and are apprehensiVe that the club | will not make the next Western trip. They also say that upon the occasion of | the second Western trip a few weeks ] ago it was very doubtful whether the | team would start at all up to within day set by schedule of departure.
 What is puzzling the players Is what | Is being done with the receipts which | Treasurer Whitaker of course takes | care of. They state that they have l watched affairs very narrowly and can | not figure out how the club can be much, | to the bad, taking the average attend l anee the season through, the compara- lively small salary list and the by no | means excessive incidental expenses | into consideration.