The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-09
LOOKING FOR LOTUS
FOR A CONFERENCE WITH COM
ISKEY AND JOHNSON
IT IS ABOUT BASEBALL

Fate Of Cleveland VIII Likely BE
Decided at Tint Meeting of the
Trfumvirate of Western Baseball
Observation-Disclosures New Man
nGer May Put "a Team In the For
est Cfty-Johnson Talks baseball.
CHICAGO, Feb. S.-Ban Johnson, the
official head of the American league,
whose goings and comings are watched
with more than passing interest by the
worthy magnates of the National league
in these days of toll and turmoil, return
ed from Detroit early in the morning. and
spent the best part of the afternoon in
talking to the ever faithful newspaper
men.
According to Johnson the baseball sit
uation in Detroit Is sadly tangled. Van
Der Beck's club was to have been sold at
public auction by order of the courts,
but at the last moment sufficient pres
sure was brought to bear on the judges
and ten days postponement of the sale
was obtained. II their hopes are realized
Mr.. Johnson and his associates of the
American league will succeed in selling
the Detroit club and placing it upon
firm foundation before the matter is
again brought up in the court. The
new owners Of the club will be well
known business men in Detroit, and Van
Der Beck Will step down and out.
But the final disposition of the Detroit
club was not the only theme of discus
sion in Johnsen's office yesterday As
matter of fact the most sensational and
at the same time significant bit of news
-
can league was couched in single para
graph.
''Comiskey got letter from Tom Lof-
tus the other day. We expect to meet
the man from Dubuque tomorrow. We
will not be in a position to say anything
about the Cleveland end of our circuit
until after we have talked the situation
over with LOTUS"
Although Mr.. Johnson automatically
evaded all attempts to induce him to-
make any detailed statement Of what he
expected from Lotus, it is safe to say
that the Western league people are still
figuring on the original plan of trans
ferring Lotus Grand Rapids team to
Cleveland and that they have not as yet
abandoned all hope of inducing Lotus
to take personal charge of the venture.
In other words, there are many So-called
wise men" in Chicago who insist that
to become the official guide and mentor
of the luckless Rough Riders" and that
when the playing season of 1900 is for
mally opened the man from Dubuque will
be found in the ranks of his old friends
in the big Western circuit. The fact
that Lotus has made an appointment to
meet Johnson and Comiskey gives
slight color of truth to the aforesaid ru>
NOR.
Things are a trifie mixed at Detroit
said Ban Johnson. but I am convinced
that the club in that city will begin the
season in excellent condition. Mr.. Van
Der Beck will in all probability sell the
club to a local syndicate made up of
some of the best men in Detroit, but the
deal may not be consummated before the
end of another week. AS regards
Cleveland | can only say this. Lotus
will be in town tomorrow, and if he
keeps his appointment with Con1iskey the
three of us will indulge in a long talk
over the situation. As a result of that
conference the policy of our league as
regards Cleveland will be definitely de-
cided upon"
President James A. Hart, of the Chi
cago National League club, would neith-
affirm nor deny the report that Lor-
tus would be in Chicago today.
Tom is coming soon' he said. That's
all 1 care to say at present"