The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-10
MOURNING FOR RUSIE
THE ONE MAN NEEDED TO PUT THE
GIANTS ON THEIR FEET.
Never Was such. a Cry for Help as
that New York Now Sends Up for
the Indianapolis Twirler.

and not to answer their prayers caesar
put away the crown upon the Lupercal and
jcyed at watching the Roman people grovel
and beseech him TO be their boss and their
demi-god. That was a long time ago. There
were no baseball extras to print. columns
about Caesar and roast his enemies and
let loose the waiting. inviting verses Of base
bah poets who couldn't do without him any
longer.
The "bleachers" at Rome could not yearn
for a man as the New York bleacheries and
their population yearn for Amos. Probably
there has not been a man in all history
more madly sought after. Come over into
Macedonia and help u.s." was piteous cry.
but a sadder. more grievous one is that song
that New York sings day after day. as its
team of Giants goes gravitating. down the
standing list:
We want ye. Annie Rusie.
An we want ye mighty badly;
We want We, Annie Rusie, yes we do
Anathemas and maledictions enough have
been hurled at President Freedman, of the
New York Baseball Club. to drive a sensi-
tive man to drink or 10 going to bed and
leaving the gas turned on. But he Is a stiff
necked generation, and swears Rusie shall
not have the same money he had last year.
And Amos, big and brawny, with the skill
of a japanese juggler and the nerve of
Spartan, sits still in his home town of In
danapolis and declares he'll go back to
lounge-making in the old factory before he'll
be browbeaten into coming back like
whipped schoolboy and wearing the Ounce
cap, and taking the buffets from a boss
whose only desire is to give him the worst
of Ii.
And while they stand thus, glaring at one
another, the New York team is promptly and
steadily going TO the dogs for the lack of
pitchers, and the pennant is already growing
a pair of stout wings on itself and flying
Iurtner from this town With almost every
game that is played.
And the New York enthusiasts are break
ing their hearts.
1t is great thing to be Amos Rusie.
And why is he so wanted, this Amos? Why
are the thousands of respondent rooters sure
he Is the only Moses as well as the only
Amos that can lead them out of this wilder
ness or woe and disaster?
Look at the fine pictures here. Look at
That is the real Amos. That, barring few
clothes, is the way he would look, with a
slugger at the bat, three balls and strikes,
couldn't see the ball. For Rusie never loses
mis- nerve He never fears to let drive at
full speed in the tightest kind of a place.
RUSIES GREAT CURVES.
And he never pitches straight balls for
fear Of sacrificing his speed, either. He
doesn't have to. His curves are as fast as
straight balls He has pulled the Giants out
of a hole many a time and oft, just because
he had unlimited sand, and skill and muscle
to back it,
Look at the giant moulding Of those Hoos-
Ter legs, and that back, and those sinewy
arms. That 212 pounds of Rusie is what the
New York baseball cranks want TO see in
the pitchers box. The office boy who plays
hockey an afternoon TO go 10 the game would
BET all the sesterces his employer has in the
TIL II Freedman would give in and put Amos
IN 10 bang at the adversary with that awful
lnshoot OF his, and that high ball that moth
against. ~
1t Is fairly heartrendng to sit In the
grand stand on baseball day and note the
Jowncast Visases al around you when line
urlVe goes past the unfortunate pitcher
who is not Rusie. one of the Visiting
team trots grinning down TO first base on
called pals. There goes up erief-laden
damn" under his breath, with the added
and soulful declaration that amos would
never have done that never in the worldv'
Then in the mental score cards of five
thousand sufferers there goes down an
other error to Freedman.
Dumber, but even deeper, is the misery of
the cranks who buy the baseball extras
and hang in stricken groups about rhe city
score boards, when the home team is being
field by teams which with Rusie IN he
box, your New Yorker is sure they could
polish on like plate of cakes.
But Imagination would have hard work
indeed TO paint the riotous joy that would
reign in this town If at the next home
game Rusie's name should appear IN the
cast. Examine those hands. The pictures
will show you the way this human catapult
does his business. 1t is easy TO understand
when you study these pictures. why It Wa
that when John B. Day brought Rusie here
from the West he had TO pay $500 for a
catcher like Charley Farrell, who was hard
listed enough to take him throughout a
And laying aside local pride and a longing
for the pennant, this Amos has afforded
New York ball-goers an almost incredible
amount Of that unparalleled baseball ner-
vous tension which they pay their money
for. 1t is dissipation, to be sure, just like
any. other. but tension is what your New
Yorker wants, and the more he gets of it in
return for his spending money the more he
thinks of the chap who gives it to him.
Raae Is wny ,ney w9 hr n hnse ana IKE
be comforted because he is not. Rusie has
never disappointed them when they wanted
70 pe strung up and Kept strung up never
turned all their keen joy Of battle into deep
and dar1ning disgust.
TIE ROW WITH FREEDMAN.
And with all the struggles in which Amos
has won out for New York, with his record
of man after man struck out in the most
foriorn of hopes and victory fairly strangled
from defeat. with the memory of the large
stack of shining .'simoleons'' he has brought
into the cash box. 1t is small wonder that
he should be loath to rent that PIP pounds
Of brains and Drawn and deftness and pluck
for $2.400 the season. especially when the re-
duction of 5000 is accompanied by many un-
kind. even savage, speeches.
The row between RuSe and Freedman,
which has been keeping Amos in Indianap-
oils and the ''rooters believe, sending
New York's pennant chances Suffering off
up the blowhole at the very opening of the
season, has been argued pro and con in coll
umns OF cold type. 1t has been fierce and
unpleasant. 1t started TO recount il
briefly, IN Jacksonville last year when the
Giants were training there. Ruse drank
too much. He never denied IL. They said
that he got drunk and insulted the Mayor
of the town That was very naughty. In
Baltimore again he and Eddie Burke, of
Burkevil.e, got loaded" and were fined 800
each. Burke's fine was RENTED. Rusie
asked that his fine be RENTED, too, on con-
dition of good behavior. Freedman prom
ised to remit 1t, and Rusie played the season
out like major. The last game of the sea-
son was with Baltimore and Freedman sent
down word by Manager Harvey Watkins
If Rusie didn't win that game he would fine
him another 800. II was talked about and
got to Rusie. and the game was lost Two
49, l-e.1 k,nIl - =; 4