The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-07-17

aid, who came from Louisville and
played his first and only game against
Tarboro last week. 1t is said that
he did not play ball fast enough to re-
tain his place on our team and that
he made a very costly error in the
TarborO game and this caused his re-
lease.
Touching Fitzgerald'a release and
the circumstances of it the Durham
Herald of Sunday says:
There has been some adverse crit
icism in regard to the manner in which
this man was given his walking pa
pers. 1t is said that he came here on
q ticket that was sent him by the as
ISOLATION and when he was fired, after
playing but one game, he was not
given Il ticket back home and he has
left here in a pretty bad condition.
Yesterday he told of his circumstan-
ces and a purse was raised for him,
amounting to $500, and this morning
he will leave for home If he does not
play ball it is nothing but right and
proper that he could not be allowed
to retain a place on the team that
hopes to get the championship, but
many think that the ASSOCIATION
should have purchased him ticket
back home and not have thrown him
out in the world, among strangers
and no way to get home without ho-
boing or calling upon charity to get
to his home"
Umpire Wade, of Durham, sends the
News and Observer communication
in reply to the interview of Capt.
Bacon, of the Tarboro team, published
Sunday morning. In his letter Mr..
Wade denies that it rained too hard
to play ball during the game in Dur
ham on Thursday and adds:
THAT Mr.. Bacon and his team want
ed it to rain before the fifth inning
is evident from the fact that they de-
layed the game in every way possible
until five innings had been played.
The crowd was SO incensed at their
action that they guyed them unmer-
cifully from the bleechers and grand
stand. Several times | had to urge
the Tarboro team to play ball and
take out my watch on them when
they purposely delayed the game, to
force them to play. The rain was
heaviest in the last half of the fifth
inning, and / assert that at no time
was it raining too hard to play ball.
In this / am substantiated by the
crowd present. The field was in good
condition during the whole game. At
no time was there any water on the
field. Tarboro did ask for the game
to be called before the fifth inning
and / refused to call it. Mr.. Bacon
says: AT the end of the sixth in
ming, Durham still ahead, offered to
have the game called, and the umpire
readily consented as he would at that
stage have declared it Durham's game
This is simply untrue. Durham did
consent that the game be called, and /
decided that the game should be play
ed out, as / thought that at no time
was it raining too hard to play ball"
Replying to Capt. Bacon's criticism
of him as an umpire, Mr.. Wade says
that he has umpired only three games,
the second game with Wilmington,
in Durham, which Wilmington won,
and in which there was no kicking on
his decisions. except by Mr.. Summers
gill. of the Wilmington team; and the
two Tarboro games in Durham.
Touching the statement that the
Raleigh team was robbed of a game
in Durham, he says:
Il did not umpire the Raleigh games
at all, and | haven't even seen the
| Raleigh team play game during this
season. L did call the Tarboro game
before the last half of the ninth in
ming had been played. 1t was too dark
for the ball to be seen, and the Tar
boro men themselves were kicking on
account of darkness. Such facetious
questions as when does the moon rise
in Durham" were repeatedly heard
from the Tarboro players bench. |
am not the man to say why the game
was a farce, but the Durham people
are unanimous in placing the respon-
sbility upon the Tarboro team