The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-21
IS SAVANNAH IN NEW LEAGUE?
sroRY FROM NEW ORLEANS THAT
THIS CITY WILL HAVE A CLUB.

the Franchise anu VIII buck the
club-JacI< Huston Signed Man
ager, and Is Now Looking for
pIayers-The story Not Credited
Here. and 1t Is Thought il Savan-
r,b Has Been Included in the Cir
emit the Real Backers Are New
Orleans People.
r will be a big surprise to base ball
,o77le in Savannah to learn that this city
b. A franchise in the Southern League,
which was recently organized in Atlanta.
1- will be a bigger surprise to learn that
q manager has been signed and is now
hustllng for players.
The first intimation that Savannah peo-
rIe had of this was the following notice,
which appeared in yesterdays Sporting
Life. the official organ of the National
League and usually a most reliable paper:
"Iack Huston has been appointed mana
scr of the Savannah club of the Southern
League. Players looking for ngagements
should address him at 400 Camp street,
New Orleans, La
In the New Orleans correspondence of
the same journal was this much more
startling announcement: 1.-THE railroad
people of Savannah are enthusiasts and
have offered a new park and financial aid
for a franchise and from the tender and
the boom base ball will get in that city
it is probable that the meeting will be
held there.
Savannah will have a local man or so
interested in its base ball matters, but just
yet there is no hope for learning the
identity of the party. Huston was Sc
cured by the New Orleans man to manage
the Savannah team and he has sent out
numerous offers to players"
It was further stated that an effort
would be made to have the street railways
support and control the clubs in all the
cities of the league.
Even the most thoroughly posted base
ball men In Savannah are at a loss to I'M
derstand the meaning of the statements
made in the base ball paper. A number
of them were seen last night, but if any
one here knows anything in regard to Sa-
vannah having a club in the league they
were very careful to keep il to themselves.
The story reads nicely, but to those In a
low" coming as 1t does, too, from New
Orleans.
II was impossible to see Director Har-
riman or Superintendent Johnson of the
Savannah, Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope
railway last night to find out definitely
if the railway people knew anything of
the purported deal. AT the same time, it
is pretty safe to say that the story is a
fake and that the railway people have
nothing whatever to do with the South
ernLeague.
The story says that the railway peo-
pie are enthusiasts" Those persons who
are acquainted with base ball matters as
they have existed in Savannah for the
past few years know how enthusiastic the
street railway people are. The statement
to them is a huge joke. The street rail-
way people have never taken any stock
in base ball since the Electric railway
built the park on Waters road in 1894.
This venture proved a big failure, and
the park was abandoned before the season
was finished. The Coast Line railway for
merly leased the ground on which the c.
L. A. park now stands, but they gave it
up after the season of 1895, and the Cath
Ollie Library Association has controlled 1T
ever since.
Last season, when il was thought that
Savannah would have a club in the South
eastern League, the Coast Line railway
people were approached with the hope
that they would give the club some finan-
cial assistance. Ut was positively refused.
They would not only not take any stock
in the club, but it was even found impos-
sble to get anything from them on the
assurance that the games would be played
in Bolton street park. The railroad peo-
pie claimed that they had had enough of
base bali. and, they did not care to put
any more money in the game
half dozen base ball men met at At
lanta several weeks ago and organized
what they styled the Southern League of
Base Ball clubs. Representatives were
present from New Orleans, Mobile, Brm-
ingham, Montgomery and Charleston. The
New Orleans men, headed by Henry Pow
ers, controlled the meeting. The circuit
was not completed, and the meeting ad-
journed with the league in only a half
organized state No Savannah man re-
ceived an invitation to attend the meet
ing. Jake Wells, well known base ball
manager-player, made application for the
savannah franchise, but no action was
taken on it. Wells has since made ar
Engagements with the Richmond club in
the Virginia league, where he was last
season, to continue in its management
A meeting of the league was set for the
early part of this month, but was post
poned, the reason for the postponement
being given as the prevalence of yellow
fever and the strict quarantine existing
many of the league cities.
The moving spirits in the organization
o. the new league are Henry Powers and
lSadore Newman, the latter wealthy
banker of New Orleans. Newman has
hacked the New orleans club for several
seasons. He has also supported Birming-
nam, and is understood to be interested in
mobile. If Savannah has been included in
i we circuit of the southern, it is more than
HNey that Newman proposes to back the
GUN himself, knowing that it is one of the
'esl cities in the league. Huston was Sc
cured by the New Orleans man to manage
He savannah team" is one of the state
hents in the New Orleans story. This
would seem to indicate that a New Or
''os man was at least interested in Sa-
.dAnah's club, and if such is the case,
'Hat man is Banker Newman.
Il savannah is considered by southern base
u.u men 10 be the best city in this section
q % lAo south, with the exception of New
4 dreams. The New Orleans people have
i .,n stated this al league meetings and it
/ los Ike they have appropriated the Sa-
4 ''h"h franchise to themselves and in
n "u TO run the club as an investment