Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-11-07
A FAST BALL PLAYER
FiE MAY Or MAY NOT HAVE PLAYED
WITH The ROARERS.

Catch His Own Pitching.
''The fastest base runner ever saw"
| said the fat ex-mascot of the Lightfoot
Lilies in comparing baseball of the
present with that of the old days, was
| little Sammie Salmon of the Lilies. But
| the fastest base runner l ever heard of
| was, or wasn't, as the case may have
been, Steve Speed. who played, or who
| didn't play, L don't know which, with
| the Ringtail Roarers. At any rate,
| whether he ever played with the Roar
| ers or not, he was certainly the fastest
| that ever came over the crosSwayS.
| You don't understand? Well, I'll tell
you all about him.
| Zone afternoon about q month before
! the last game we ever played with the
| Ringtail RoarerS the boys were all sit
| ting round in the postoffice discussing
| our chances for the big contest. Cap
\ tain Singer Burrows, who was tend
| ing postoffice that day. was over in the
corner reading the ball news in Jones
County Courier that had accidentally
| slipped its wrapper before delivery.
Suddenly he clutched the paper tight
ly and sprang to his feet. For heavens
|
from n high source he began to read
breathlessly, that the Roarers have
unearthed n phenomenal base runner
with whose services they feel confident
of wrestling the Jones county laurels
from the erstwhiIe invincible LightfoOt
Lilies. The newcomers name is Steve
Speed. His extraordinary ability was
first discovered while he was in the
box one day last week. He stopped an
easy grOunder and tossed it over TO
first to catch the runner. The ball had
no sooner left his hand than, to his hor
ror, lie discovered that first was uncov
cred. Without n moments hesitation
he made dive for the bag and sue
ceeded in reaching it just in time to
catch the bail that he had thrown but
an instant before, thereby scoring q
put out and an assist unassisted.'
Boys said the Slugger, crumplinG
the paper savagely in his fists. to Lily
park with you. Practice begins at
once. Hustler
"Well, sir, that week we practiced.
In the morning the boys would all go
down to the station and race the trains
as they steamed out of town. After
moons they'd ease up q bit and just i'll
dulge in short sprints paced by the
town trolley car. At night the daily
practice would conclude with n brisk
cross country run around the town
ship. The work began to show. At |
the end of the week we began to have |
some hopes of beating the ROarers aft |
er all. And then came a second copy
of The Courier knocking our hopes |
higher than taxes.
The wonderful baseball feat per- |
formed by Steve Speed the article |
said. which was published exclusively |
by The Jones County Courier, has been |
eclipsed by an even more astonishing |
performance by the same player. We |
have it from the same high source from |
which we obtained our former news
that Speed has now become so prof.
cient in running that he is able to
pitch the ball from the box and by an
incredibly quick start reach the plate
in time to catch the ball behind the
bat The Roarers have released their
catcher Wouldn't that hasten your
pulse? 1t did ours.
'And the next weeks accounts wero
even worse. The Courier got straight
from their own private high source
that this guy Speed was even better
than the week before. He was now so
super at the game that he not only ran
down behind the plate and caught the
balls that he pitched, but in case the
batter knocked 4 fly he darted out in
the field and caught it himself. The
Roarers had, according to The Courier,
released their whole outfield. When
we read that, Bull Thompson wanted to
cancel the game, but the Slugger
wouldn't hear of it. The Lightfoot
Lilies he said, may be made to look
like tarheel thistles. but we won't
wither before we're picked
"When the big game finally did come
1ff, the Roarers certainly had us on the
run. For three innings they piled up
runs almost at will. But then we be-
gan to get wise. Where was this fast
running phenom? Cy Priest was still
IN the pitchers box, and the whole out
field seemed to be in their usual places. |
Perhaps he was sick. The thought |
gave us courage, and we began to pick
Up bit. You all know how we fina1y |
pulled the game out of the fire in the |
asst half of the tenth. That's a mat |
er OF history now. Well, after 1t was
,ver the Slugger went up to Cy Priest.
Say he asked, where's that hot
)ase runner of yours. Cy?
"'You mean Steve Speed? replied
Iy,Nwith a funny look in his eye. oh.
We couldn't pay the salary he demand .
d and had to let him go. The last
,eard OF him he was touring the north {
vest, playing exhibition games to enor- {
nous crowds
Yes. sir; he was the best that ever I
he was. AS said. don't real
Y know. OF course The Courier said
hat they had it from a high source,
'ut then Well, you Know Cy Priest Z
vas over six feet."-New York sun.
Arts Happy Discovery.
"Dauber has hit il at last He's max ! =