Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-07-14
"HARK! FROM THE TOMB, A DOLE
Full SOUND"


hear the wall of woe coming down the
Arkansaw valley from the delapidated
wigwams of the Pawnees, since the
glorious 4th of July, 1899. Here is
the way Tom Leftwich, of the Eagle
Optic bemoans his fate:
THE GREAT BEND BLOWOUT.
"The- Fourth of July celebration at
Great Bend cost this town and county
fully two, thousand dollars. 1t was a
foolish thing to do, but this was about
the amount of the contribution our peo-
pie made to rival towns blowout 1t
is said that fully one-half of the crowd
at the Bend on the Fourth was made
up of Larned and Pawnee county peo-
s pie. With the paltry sum of $4,000
they bribed our band to play for them,
and thereby drew enough people from
Larned and Pawnee county to spend
over twenty times that much money
with them and make their celebration a
success. They gave the Larned base
ball club SIoo 90 to come down there
and play ball, and "put up job on
them whereby they won $I75.oo or
5000. 90 from the Larned boys on the
SaHIC IL WAS Sudp IOI 1IGdt DSuu,
a regular 'puddin;' but it indicates
that there are larger crop of chumps
in Larned than can be found running
loose anywhere this side of Bedlam.
There are people in Larned who will
feel ''sore" at the band for years to
come, as it was principally through
their desertion of the towns best in
terests that Larned presented the ap-
pearance of an abandoned grave yard
on July 4, 18Q9."
1t is unfortunate for the few people
who cannot get away from that "aban-
.doned graveyard" that they have in
their midst such discontented ghost
of former decencY as the Eagle-Optic,
2 to stalk about and bewail their fate
and make them feel more miserable
still.
But seriously, Tom, you ought to
have come down with the rest of your
people and enjoyed yourself on the
4th. You could then have given a bet
ter and more truthful report of the
event providing you had focked with
the band boys and the other Larned
people who behaved themselves and
really enjoyed the day. Your opinion
of the ball game was doubtless formed
after an interview with few half
so obnoxious during the first few innings
of the game that our people saw the
necessity of teaching them a lesson by
covering all the bets they made. Had
you been present and known the cir
cumstances surrounding the game you
would not have been so little as to cry
"put up job" The Larned team knew
they were playing for $40 if they lost,
and $40 if they won. If the Larned
ball players bet money on their win
ming the game they did it with their
eyes wide open, for they knew they
were not going up against the raw kids
they defeated on the Larned diamond; /;
aud they also knew, or should have
Known, that their pitcher was not
a slayer not last more than half
dozen times in the box. We admire a
good rooter but despise bellyacher.
. Great Bend laid out to give the
grandest celebration in the west half of
. the state-and she gave it. She planned
to draw to her borders amusement low.
ers from all over. and to entertain
them-and she did.
1t makes no difference to Great
Bend that the poor, grouchy, jealous
Eagle Optic does not like her popular
ity.
In strong contrast to the Eagle Optic
"wail of woe" note the following very
sensible comment by the other Larned
paper, the Tilier and Toiler:
The crowd which went from here to
celebrate the Fourth in Great Bend
made up large per cent of the crowd
IN that town, most of Barton county
being in the harvest field, the late rain
not having extended far enough east to
give the rural population of that county
an excuse to quit work. Thompson's s
famous Military Band furnished
the music for the day and was about
the biggest attraction there. Larned' S
strongest ball nine met their Waterloo
at the hands of Great Bends crack
nine by the disgraceful score of 16 to 4
The Larned nine was made up as fol-
q lows: Mart Bennyworth captain. Ralph
Pontius catcher, Cooper of Stafford
pitcher. Chet Shady, Frank Brown
Bob Friend. AL Richardson. George
Adams and Monte Reed, and was under
he rpanaCamRnf nf MILF I
They played good ball until the begin
ming of the eighth inning, when the
score stood to in favor of Larned
Al: