The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-13
BASEBALLCRANKS
Men Whose Particular Fad |.
the National Game.
GENERAL DIXTELL, OF BOSTON.


Bell. Maurice Barrymore and Other
Are Happiest When Gazing at the Dia
mond.
The world is full of cranks, and some OF
them are dangerous enough to be kept
under lock and key. But the cranks
shall write about are of an entirely differ
ent character, and they are mostly well to
do men. and others who have, through the
nature Of their business, a good deal OF
spare time on their hands. They all have
fad, and that fad is baseball. They love
1t as horse loves his oats.
There are various kinds of cranks.
There Is the studious crank, there is the
! quiet crank, there is the noisy crank, and
| he Is sometimes the most disagreeable. /
| only know of one exception to the rule
| OF course, the army of cranks who sit on
the bleacheries and shout their approba-
ton do not come under the ban of noisy
cranks. The species referred to is an al
together different bird.
The intention is not TO pick out anybody
as prize crank, for in their way the
cranks are all on a level, with one excep-
ton, in their love of the game.
This one exception is peculiar case.
He is man who has nothing on earth to
do, and who seems to have devoted him
self heart and soul to baseball 1t is true
that he has some interest in business vent
ures, but they do not worry him in the
least. The man is Arthur E. DixwelI. of
Boston. He is commonly known as Gen
eral Dixwell, but he is entirely innocent
of military glory.
Dixweu at one time was a minority
stakeholder in the Boston club: and when
the Boston management declined one sea-
son to sell season tickets, Dixwell was very
indignant. He set up what he called
"gen'ral petition" The old man bothered
everybody so much about this petition that
they got to calling him "Old General Pc
tition." This finally dwindled down to
General" and Mr.. Dixwell has since been
known as General Arthur Dixwell Odd
ly enough he accepted the title with eoua-
nimity, and thousands of people really
think he is general
The general las always been a great
friend of the ball player. In the DAYS
when ball players were glad to play for
500 month they often became short, but
always found the general a good lender.
The trouble was that many of them failed
to return tie loans, and the general lost so
extensively that after a while he closed |
the bank. The general always presents
every new Boston player with a new bat |
bag; and every now or then, when the |
Dat bags get worn out or pretty we'll used |
up, the general has a set made for all |
hands.
Dlxwell Is not rich man, but he has a
good income, something like six or eight
thousand dollars, and when the Brother
hood revolt came he stood by the Players
and was persuaded to invest a large sum
of money. He will probably get something
out of the $4,000 now in q receivers hands
in Cincinnati. The other of his invest
ments is stock in the Boston american
association club. 1t is doubtful If he will
ever get many dividends from that hold
ng.
Dixwell keeps books of records of all tbe
Association and League players. He even
las duplicates-one made from the scores of
he Boston Globe, and the other made from
he scores of the Boston Herald He does
his, he says, SO that he can compare them
1t the end of the year. This alone shows
lie true simplicity of the man. He spends
great deal of time on these figures. and
airly revels in them. He goes to all the
James, keeps himself very quiet in front
eat, and it is only when the Bostons make
good play, score run, or win the game
hat he is heard from; then he lifts his
ead and shouts, Hill hill hill This is Dix 1
veil as he is-a good natured old man, al
1ost crazed on baseball, and yet, withal. a [
nan who can talk intelligently with you
n many other topics.
The raSt of INV aoC+ary, | I
gent men, who love the game and make t
fad out of it. They never fail to go to '
ne games, if they can do so without inter s
ering with business. The owner of one ]
our most popular racquet clubs, whose
anne withhold, and another crank known h
3 Mr.. Chapman, always sit together in a s
OK, without any outside demonstrations t
approval They are my studious cranks: ]
icy never miss game, and they are al \
avs figuring if there is not some way to
IN game or improve the team. Their
llculations seldom pass beyond them
Ives. Both of them, last summer, got an
ga that knew pretty much everything
lat was going on the inside. l frequently
sited them in their box and told them
hat l knew, which was generally very
tile
Among the enthusiastic cranks may be
tmed Nick Engel, Digby Bell, Jimmie
dams, DeWolf Hopper, and a dozen
hers of their class. There is an impress
IN abroad that Mr.. Engel, who is a boni-
&c, is only a crank for business purposes.
lis is entirely untrue. l know him pretty
I'll, have travelled to Philadelphia with
N great many times TO see games, and
low him to be q Simon-pure crank. He
'uld rather see a ball game than eat the
est dinner, and that is saying a good
al, for Nick is a good liver. He never
sses game. Nick has another fad, and
at IS the monograph. He has an ele
Mt machine, and he is ready to keep it
hiding out tunes all day for you if you
ten TO them. He is close observer of
= games, and only know of two harder
ers than Nick They are Hopper and
Il. They never miss game where the
W York team plays if they can help it.
Hopper watches the game closely, and
kes running comment upon the play 80
:. In fact ne talks so fast that few Of
sc near him can understand what he n
g.
Sell is very quiet. He sits with his cane -
sped in his hands up under his chin and I
tches the game intently. From time to eas
lie during change Of innings Bell makes IN
nv cuttipo comments repsrdiro H. No
- n - - -. ;7,5;1-es W
$50 = ~ u be
11e A@S 0Ne u INC must eA I'll
ssiye faces Of any actor on the stage al
len the Giants are losing. Digby's face is
ense IN its unspeakable regret. and
ietimes disgust When they are win !
z and have a dead sure thing. the moon vii
II Is not more refulgent than Digby's the
nd 90, fsca tao
mother great crank among the actors Is eA
lrice Barrymore. He l. crazy about the -,