Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-06-19
FINISH HAS ARRIVED.
Rock Island Ball Players Are
Paid Off and Re.
leased.
IELD OUT UNTIL THE LAST.

Local Management Gives Up Only When
All Hopes of Holding the League To-
gether Vanish-Home Association In
Splendid Condition Finsncially-where
the Boys Are Going-winners to the End.
It's all over. The Western Baseball
association has passed away. 1t had
been ailing for weeks. and might have
struggled through the attack but for
the early abandonment of the case by
one j. Stanley Browne. The obse-
quies of the Rock Island and Bloom
ington teams were conducted yester-
day afternoon at the park out on
Twelfth street. There was n large at
tendance of sorrowing fans. BY re-
quest of the management flowers were
omitted. At the termination of the
services Scorer Otto Herkert inscribed
in large letters in the tally book, ''The
End-1S99.
The Rock Island players were held
until last night by the management
with the hope that Cedar Rapids would
reconsider her determination not to
enter a 4-club league. The message
that was awaited failing to come,
Rockford having taken to the timber,
the Illinois-lndiana league having gone
up and there being no prospect of get
ting berth in the Western league, it
was considered too expensive a luxury
to hold the boys together, so they were
paid in full and released, receiving the
thanks of the association and the city
for the eXcellent'record they had made
for themselves and their club, and
their uniform gentlemanly conduct
while in the employ of the associa-
ton. The boys all expressed them
selves as highly pleased with the
treatment that had been accorded
them, and the feeling of regret Nat
their departure was mutual.
Players Scattered.
The majority of the boys have
places in sight. Charles Doom goes
with St. Paul, Elmer Stricklett with
Kansas City, Harry Bay with Lincoln,
Ill. independently, Tim O'Rourke
with Youngstown, Ohio. Artie Ball
has an offer from Louisville which he
is considering, but will first pay
visit to his folks in Chicago. Capt.
Billy Botenus will remain in Rock
Island for awhile. Joe Wright is GO
ing for visit to his parents
in Oshkosh, Wis. Jack Hart has
gone to Duluth. George Reid has
signed with the st. Louis Sport
ing News club. Doc Brott has re-
turned to his home at Waterloo,
Iowa. Elwood Eyler has gone to
Kansas City. He is looking for an
engagement. Manager Harry Sage
will return to his old position at the
arsenal.
One consolation, the Rock Island
association quits the game better
fixed financially than has been the
case heretofore. Aside from paying
the players in full, an old indebted
ness of $500 will be wiped out, and
there will be few dollars in the
treasury which will serve as a nest
egg on which to build next season,
when the town will be careful not to
Join hands with such a bunch of quit |
tiers as she got into this summer.
The team has made n remarkable |
record. 1t was n credit to Rock ISL |
and, and had the league continued
would undoubtedly have had just as
lead. as it had at the |
collapse, at the end of the schedule |
season. The boys were playing phe-
ball.
Game to the Finish.
And they were game to the last,
winning in both the exhibitions played |
with Bloomington Saturday and Sun
day. The people, too, were enthu-
siastic to the finish, almost filling the /
park yesterday, despite the fact that
the contest was merely an exhibition. |
Elwood Eyler was on the slab for |
Rock Island and pitched very well.
Cy Young performed the crooked |
work for the visitors. 1t was an easv |
victory for the home team The |
score:
Rock Island. BLOOnfnJtOn
r. H p A r X H p A. T.
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