The times., 1898-01-08
| TOM 1uCkER's RELEASE
Report That He Could Have
Bought His Manumission.
PRICE WAS AN EVEN $500
Barnie Refused to Sign the Ioqna-
cfous First Baseman aud the Pre-
decessor of Doyle May Find Em-
bloyment in Minor League-Tn ne
Time Expired January 5.
dispatch from New York saws,

4 A dispatch from New York SAYS:
/ The Brooklyn baseball club received
| chance to secure the release of Tom
Tucker, the noted first baseman of the
Washington club, for $500 cash today,
and did not take it. Messrs. Ebbets
and Barnie gave as a reason that they
| believed LaChance would fill the bin
this season, and the patrons of the
| game at Brooklyn wanted to see him
retained on account of his popularity.
i Some time ago attention was called
to the fact that the Washington club
was contemplating a deal whereby
| Tucker would be traded or farmed to
| the Kansas City club and it was
| strange why such a firSt-class ball
/ player should be allowed to leave the
League. Shortly after that Tucker re-
| ceiyed a letter from j. e. Wagner, of
| the Washington club which stated
| that he could buy his release for $500,
| and the offer would stand until jan
uary 8.
Tucker promptly wrote to friends in
| this city. asking them to see If either
| the New York or Brooklyn club would
purchase his release at these figures-
President Freedman, of the New York
club, declined to take Tucker. The lat
ter's friends then communicated with
the Brooklyn club. They felt confident
that Tucker would be signed.
Last Monday Ebbets was advised of
the chance and seemed faVorably i'm
pressed with 1t. He said he could do
nothing, however until he had con-
suited Manager Barnie, who was out
of town at the time. The latter's atti-
tude toward Tucker was thought TO be
an obstacle to the deal, because in 1890,
Tucker deserted Barnie's Baltimore
team to go to the Boston
When Barnie was charged with the
case in point on Thursday he said he
had nothing against Tucker and would
like to have him on the Brooklyn
team. He declared then that Tucker
would be an improvement over La
Chance.
AS Tucker was still on the reserve
list of the Washington club. on
Wednesday, which was the last day of
grace given to him by Wagner, Tuck
er was advised by his friends to accept
the terms for his release and send on
the money. after first coming here to
find what the Brooklyn club would do
Accordingly Tucker came here today
and while here he received forwarded
dispatch from Holyoke, which had
been sent to him by ]. E. Wagner, to
the effect that Tucker could get an ab-
solute release and be free TO sign any
where the moment Wagner received
$500 in cash.
Ebbets and Barnie were seen AT
Brooklyn this afternoon by Tucker;
Ebbets said that he and Barnie had
considered the matter and had ueciaeu
that it was better to keep La Chance.
Rarnie's attention was called TO the
statement of Thursday that he would
rather have Tucker than La Chance,
but he got out of the predicament by
saving that Ebbets was the one VINO
did Then Ebbets said in the presence
of Tucker:
we appreciate fuckers worth. and
if he could play shortstop we would
sign him at once But we have come
to the conclusion that La Chance is
too popular here and too good hitter
to release.
II was pointed out to the Brooklyn
officials that Tucker, in the official
averages. had exceeded La Chances
figures in batting. fielding and base
RUNNING for the past two years, ana
that he is a livelier player IN every
sense of the word than La Chance.
Tucker offered to forfeit $500 at the end |
of the next season if he did not hit |
better than 800 which was his average |
last year, but that was of no aVail: |
The Brooklyn men were u unit and |
tucker left for his home tonight. pretty |
we'll convinced that the league clup> |
are Understanding his worth.
If he concludes TO buy his release |
from Wagner he will probably receive |
a number of offers from other league |
clubs as all are under the impression |
that he has been ''farmed" TO Kansas |
City