The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-12
HARRY wELDoN,s CONDITION..
The Baseball Writer Still in a Most
Hopeless Way.

i g general way his physicians think he has
improved some, but he is not able to
| walk alone can utter only. a few words
1ndisttnctly,f and is constantly under the
| WatchIul eye of his nurse. His appetite
TTdll1l. every one who has ever known
harry Weldon knows that has ALWAYS
been goods normal, and he Is able to
rest well at night.s
Dr. Dudley COPYRIGHT, Mr. Weldon's
physician, is of the opinion that his pa
tent will never entirely recover the use
OF his right side, and Mr.. Weldons fam
ny fear 1t Is only hope against hope
MT Weldon himself is very impatient
about hts condition. He wants to get
back to work again, and of course is en-
couraged In every thought that eventually
he will get well. When the Inter-Ocean
correspondent called at his home the
paralytic was unable to talk, but he held
up three fingers of his left hand, accom-
panied by significant look, which the
nurse interpreted as meaning that he ex-
pected to get well in three months But
he Is as helpless as a child, being unable
10 dress himself or feed himself. 1t Is
impossible. for him to communicate with
mis- family or friends except by signs.
lie Is unable even to use his left hand
for writing his wants or answering cues
tons put to him verbally
When the weather permits, accompa-
MED by his nurse, he takes long drives
in the open air. He IS always helped to
and from his carriage by friends. Once
or twice week he attempts to walk
With the aid Of cane and the fences
square, but it is always a great effort
for him, for he can take only q step or
two without resting, and the process IS
necessarily a slow one. During his long
illness he has not fallen away much in
weight. His weight is over 800 pounds
although he is scarcely over feet 4 or
8 inches.
Although Mr.. Weldon's tongue IS para
lyzed. and he is unable to artculate, he
still retains his interest in everything
pertaining to the sporting world. The
daily papers come to him regularly, and
whenever able he reads them himself; If
unable, his friends read them to him. He
has thus kept himself posted on all the
events in the world of baseball pugilism
and horses. and were he able to resume
his duties on his papers, he could take
back with him a fund OF intelligent in
formation bearing on his work that
would be up to date in every particular.
When some particularly interesting horse
race or prize fight is read to him his
countenance will light up with enthu-
siasm that lacks expression only because
Of mute tongue and a paralyzed body.
Harry Weldon. He was born there about
forty-f1Ve years ago and Is a part of the
history of the town. They know him as
friend, as neighbor, and as a gener-
ous-hearted man. and they love him for
1t. That is the reason everything posi-
bic within human power is being done
for the stricken journalist He Is the
son of Christopher and Mary Weldon, who
sent him to the public schools of that
quiet little town But he wasn't given
much to books and never was graduated
from the schools. He assisted his father,
a wholesale grocer. for a number of his
boyhood years. but finally drifted into
newspaper work on the Circleville Union,
which was then owned by Samuel Mar
held, now Of Knoxville, Tenn
:. When Allen o. Meyers was made man
aging editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer
In 1881 Myers did not forget his old. friend
back in Circleville. He gave Weldon a
job as a reporter on the EnQuirers local
staff. Harry's first assignments were to
report the proceedings of municipal!
bodies, afterward taking the board Of
education, and finally the board Of public
affairs.
:. But Weldon had always been a baseball
crank and he was not satisfied with the
routine Of the municipal offices. He had
played on the crack team at his home
town and was well posted on all points Of
the game. So, when o. p. Caylor, the
famous baseball man. who has since died,
quit the Enquirer for service on the New
YORK Herald, Weldon applied for the po-
siuon OF sporting editor of the Enquirer
writing baseball and knew even less of
other sports, so John r. Mclean, the
proprietor of the Enquirer, had many
misgiyings of Weldon's ability to do the
work in a manner that would retain the
Enqulrer's reputation as a medium for
sporting men. But Weldon was nervy,
and although not brilliant writer. he
was a plodder, and finally Mclean put
him on the work. He has the happy abil-
ity of filling space with interesting read
ing matter and as his forte is baseball.
his column of this class of news was
soon being widely read and copied Wei.
don worked hard and was soon up on all
the sports, all of his knowledge f pugil-
ism being gained since he Joined the En-
qulrer staff. How well he has succeeded
and justified McBean's confidence Is at
tested In the many offers he has had to
leave the service of that paper week
before he was stricken he had a flatter.ng
offer from the New York world, but he
would not take It,
Although the feeling of the sportina
fraternity all over-the country has been
aroused to pity and sympathy over his
case and steps have been taken to raise
a testimonial purse, Mr.. Weldon can hard
ly be said to be in financial want. About
a year ago he bought at sheriff's sale
farm In Deercreek township. Pickaway
county, which he still owns. 1t cost him
less than $1,000.
In 1885 he II arried Miss Fannie Rodg-
ers, of Circleville. She died a year later
Of typhoid fever. leaving little daughter
who is with his friends in Circleville Mr.
Weldon's present illness is thought to be
directly due to his overindulgence in eat
ing, as he was known as the champion
gourmand of Cincinnati. As a baseball
authority he ranks with Chadwick Null
ford, Sheridan, Foster and others