Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1893-05-11

z-@1= themselves in the
dust at his feet and beg him to go to their
aid at his own terms. They came not, how
ever. He suffered and perspired in private
one whole summer and meditated and
shivered one entire winter, and then he saw
great light. The light led him on and on
till 1t brought him to IL, Gates Of Eastern
park, the home Of the l. uoklyn club To
his knock came the inv tation, ENTER
So the prodigal had retlrned. But they
killed no fatted calf. They did not even
open keg Of beer. All that erected the
penitent was cold Hello, i W" An
hour later he had signed a COL. calling
for just 5000 less than was offer, lin last
spring and 5000 less than he demanded.
The case Of Lovett was prod to drive
many Of the holdbacks of this spring into
camp, and they are all there except about
as many as you can count upon the fingers
OF one hand without going over the row
twice. This, too, in spite Of all the volume
OF threats from players who several months
ago declared they would quit playing ball
and 'go into business" before they would
accept reduction in salary to fit the re-
ceipts of the game Some of the boys were
bluffing, but some were in dead earnest"
Each one Of the latter class seemed to be-
lieve that there was an empty niche in the
business or commercial temple waiting for
him to step into and fill. He expected that
''going into business" was as easy as going
In and out Of the rain, but somehow the
tide of trade would not catch him up in its
mad swirl, and when baseball salary days
began to run he concluded wisely that a
two-thirds loaf was better than none, and
he FASTENED to get in touch with the club
paymaster.
A reminder comes along here that base
ball has none of the heroes n,sv it had in
the past. Last week CT Jones was
appointed an Eastern lea pire. And
If there be one man on ear, :. 10 has more
enemies than any other that man is an
umpire. But Jones is glad to accept the
berth. For what it pays him he agrees to
''bear the proud mans contumely" and
take his chances of escaping with his life
from the vengeance Of the cranks.
Yet this is the same Jones whose popu-
larity in the early eighties was sometimes
annoying to him. have seen him during
those days take refuge from the worshipful
throng of boys and men who followed him
along the street until he became annoyed
beyond the limit of his endurance.
Another applicant for an umpireship is
Joe Hornung. He is anxious to get the berth
at a salary Of $50 month. In the fall Of
1883 was witness to this mans acme Of
popularity. The scene was the Boston base
ball grounds; the occasion was the final
meeting between the Boston and Provi-
dence clubs. This game decided the Ma
tional league championship for that season.
Nine innings were played, and the score
was tie. Joe Hornung, the Boston's left
fielder, led off for his team in the ninth
inning with a 8-base hit and scored the
winning run on Burdock's safe single to
right. The scene which followed cannot
be described. Suffice 1t to say that Hornung
and Burdock, both immensely popular be-
fore that day, could have had the keys Of
the city for the asking that night. Their
names were on the lips of half the people of
Boston. Longfellow and Dr. Holmes could
have been spared more easily just then
than Hornung and Burdock. That was
less than ten years ago. Today Joe could
not borrow a picayune from any of the
thousand Bostonians who that night sang
his praise, and Burdock last week was sent
to the workhouse for ten days on convic-
ton of drunkenness and lettering.
Since the proposition was made to bring
the old Cincinnati Red Stockings and their
conquerors-theA tlantics- together at Chi
cago on June IA there has been unearthed
newspaper account Of an auction sale
which took place at the Union grounds
the Red Stockings home in Cincinnati-in
April following the celebrated game in
Brooklyn mentioned in my last letter.
Among the effects sold on that occasion
were pitcher and goblet won in tourna-
ment in 1857, gold medal won in 1866 and
the different balls won in the celebrated
year of unbroken victories These balls
sold for from 81 to $40. The latter price
was paid for the "a Mutual ball of $780,
Thus in less than nine months after the
elimination Of the Red Stockings fame in
their defeat on the Capitoline grounds the
team was dispersed, the club had disbanded
and all the trophies of victories were sold.
Since that day the fame of those Red
Stockings has had resurrection, and it
will live as long as the game lives. The
balls, which sold in 1871 for mere songs,
would, If put up at auction now, fetch
many times as much money.
News comes from Chicago that Toe Quest,
who at one time some years ago was IA
mons second baseman, is one of the heirs to
an estate of SAC, 00O, 900 located somewhere
beyond the Atlantic. To anybody but q
ball player such news would be interesting.
With ball players of experience, however,
a little matter like that has no powers OF
excitement. Mr.. Quest will probably fall
into his millions when he gets them) as
naturally as duck goes swimming and
will not make half the noise about it which
some of the players produced this spring
when they were offered not more than 80
an hour for playing ball.
| AS q rule. more ball blazers fall heir to
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