Evening star., 1898-10-14
HE WAS A WONDER.
RerthrOnS. the Famous Catcher, Visit.
ing Old WasilingtOn Friends.

Mr.. n. w. Berthrony of Boston is visit
| ing relatives and friends in Washington
| by whom he has been cordially welcomed.
| Mr. Berthrong, who for many years has
| been in the customs service, has been ap-
| pointed collector of the port of Manzanilo,
| Cuba, and will sail from New York next
| Wednesday for Santiago. where he will re-
| ceive his Instructions from Gen Wood and
| thence go direct to his new post of duty.
| Although Mr. Berthrong has been in the
gOvernm mt service ever since he left Wa h
ington, he has found time TO make d name
| for himself in the artistic world. He has
| met with great success as portrait paint
| er, and has made a specially of campaign
portraits During the last presidential
| campaign he painted six hundred portraits
! of Mckinley, each ten feet long, VIII ch We're
sent broadcast over the country.
Mr.. Berthrong will be remembered best
| by Washngtonans as the greatest base
| ball catcher of the country in the days
when the national game was in its infancy
and the National Club of Washington Were
| champions. He was the only man who
could successfully receive the cannOn-bal
| delivery of the famous Billy Williams and
| this, be 1t remembered was before the days
! of masks and gloves. Hundreds of Wash
| ington base ball cranks will recall with a
feeling of local pride his phenomenal work
| on the bases and behind the bat on the old
White Lot.
He still holds the record for running the
circuit of bases and one day three years
ago, when Hamilton and Bannon were dis
cussing their relative speed on the Boston
| grounds, Berthrong calmly informed them
| that neither could run, and added that if
| he had pair of light shoes he would
prove it to them. They laughed and jeered
| at him. and while acknowledging that he
certainly could run once on time remind
ed him that he had been has BEEN for
many years. Berthrong determined to
| make his boast good. although he was
| fifty years of age, and when he failed to find
pair of shoes in the club room that would
| mt him, he went across the street and
bought pair of rabbers. He put them on
and challenged the seoffers. They eagerly
accepted. for they regarded the task as an
| easy one, and ahe fseet-footed old-timer,
much to their discomfort. defeated them
handly. tiT4e
Berthrongs hands show many marks of
gloTeless battles1 behind the bat, and his
| fingers are almost as fknobbed and twisted
| as Doug Allisons ars.f and it is surprising
that he is SO sEllfuIowith his brush. But
his hands are Just a85deft as of yore and
| he has kent himself in fine physical condi-
| ton all these years. Of .-s4, ..,.
! He Is considerably below the medium
| height, but his frame Is firmly knit, and in
| creasing years haveotnot added surplus
weight He Is SO erect and his gait is so
! springy that one can well believe his state
| ment that he feels asoyoung and active as
| he did twenty years ago. He is still inter-
! ested in base ball, and makes it a point to
see a league game at least once week
| during the season in Boston. Indeed, his
| love for the game is 80 strong that every
| now and then he es1ons an old uniform and
plays on amateur teams. Il find can play
| a pretty good game still' he said to a
| Star reporter, land / have boy" he add
| ed it tone of prids, "who Is a good one
| tell you" '5-s-
| Mr.. Berthrong is a brother of Mrs John
| Joy E6son, and he has a younger brother
| who is skilled draughtsman in the In
| terror DeDartmenf