The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-08-19
HOME At LAST
CONQUERED He
RoES HAVE RETURNED.
VAVQUISHBD ON THE BALL FIELD.

Bnt Tnvinciblc in Defeat Manager
Ed welsh's Interesting Story of fhs
Rail- Teams TrIp-They Left the Mas
cot Behind. and Got Left Ther,seIvc,
The afternoon train over the Nor
folk and Western from the Soutl
brought back to Roanoke the base
ball club last Sunday.
There was no brass band or delega
ton of citizens to meet them at the
station. Only a few admirers were
there and as soon as the returned pill
grims of che ball and bat had shaker
hands they scattered themselves ovel
the city to their various homes.
1t was not as a victorious club thai
the Roanoke sluggers returned. Their
trip had not been strung out with 6
long series Of victories, and the boy.
didn't linger about the station to tel
of their trip through the Southwest
and down in Tennessee. They were
tired. They had fought the gooG
fight, but they hadn't won it, and az
everyone was ready with joke al
their expense, they were more than
anxious to get home. None of then
liked toface the music, butt has beer
found that the story about Manager
Ed. Welsh jumping from the train al
Commerce street and making his way
to his home in Newtown by a back
street has no foundation.
AT any rate this is what Mr.. Welch
told q reporter of THE TINES who
went do IN to the Machine Works to
ask him about it. And in denying
the story the manager told the re-
porter number of amusing incidents
of the trip.
"To what do l ascribe our defeat at
Knoxville?n repeated the manager.
"Well, III tell you. In the first place
we made mistake in leaving our
mascot behind us in Roanoke. You
remember the old white dog that is
present ut every game here, don't
you? He's the mascot and we never
lost a game as long as he was with US.
The boys are as superstitious regard
ing that dog as sailor is about leav-
ing port on Friday. But all the same
we got along all right in Bristol. The
boys down there are pretty good
players, but not as good as the Roam
okes. As YOU know, we beat 'em both
games.
con the last day we were there,
however, the street car that carried
the boys to the grounds, and to which
was hitched pair of mules, came to
grief. The mules ran away and the
boys were scattered along the street
for couple of squares. Rosenthal
and Ford were on the re.-r platform
trying to put on the brake when
Charley Patterson fell OUT and an
other of the boys fell on him. Then
they began to jump. Rosy and Ford
went together and rolled in the dust.
Brodie declared that he was kicked
by one of the mules through the win
dow, and Wigmore jumped and fell.
"One Of the fellows, Dolan, think,
jumped, too, and came down on Wigs
leg with his spiked shoe, and this
made him yell that his leg had been
run over. was on the front platform
and couldn't get off, or doubtless l
would have been mixed up too. The
mules ran on for four squares, when
they were stopped, and the boys gath
cred themselves together, and climbed
into the car again. Wewon the game
all the same, however, but when the
boys got to Knoxville and were beaten
three straight games they declared
that the runaway car had something
TO do with it.
"At Knoxville we got Roanoke
paper, and then the boys found that
the brewery had opened and there
was free beer for everybody. This
seemed to dishearten them more than
else, and they talked, about
it for long time. The idea of hun
dred kegs, and niue Of them there
1t was tough.
But, joking aside, the Reds were
too much for us. It's better club,
and we were out played from the
start. Then, too, the grounds were
not familiar to as, and that was
another advantage. Now, remember
I'm not trying to make any excuse
for being beaten at Knoxville; I'm
simply giving statement of what
conspired to beat us. The audience
had a hand in it too. They were
large and enthusiastic, and when one
of the Reds made a good play they
were rewarded by cheers from the
grand stand and bleaching boards.
This rather gave the boys the razzle-
dazzh. For instance, q hot one went
through Wigmore's legs, and as soon
as it was hit @ cheer went up that
almost deafened us. I've seen Wig
stop many q hotter one, but he didn't
stop that. You can say what you
please, but the sympathy of the audi
ence has good deal to do with the
playing.
Taking everything into considera-
ton, think we can beat the Reds
when they visit us. But it will be a
pretty game no matter which club is
victorious. When they get on our
old grounds we are going to give them
a tussle from way back,
81 don't think there is as much en-
thusiasm in Knoxville this season as
there was last. The grounds are
new and much further out of town.
But the street cars run to the gates
and the managers sell tickets to them
at twenty cents and they sell them
for quarter. You can't get back
though on the ticket, and if you &c
broke it is long walk into town.
81 don't know when the Knowles
will be here. We are looking for @
date now, and there will be. not 9
doubt but that the series will be the
best we have yet seen. The next
game here will probably be with the
Monumentals, of Baltimore Thai
too will be pretty game. I"