Evening journal., 1901-07-29
HOW TOWNSEND
LEARNED TO TWILL
First Knocked Apples Oh
Tree on a Farm Near
Townsend

From q Philadelphia paper cpmes
the following account Of how Jack"
Townsend. OF Townsend. Delaware,
first learned his mysterious curves
that have puzzled many coed batters:
Just a little trample back over a
few OF the aeeting years and one can
see far down in the village OF Towns
end, Delaware, an apple orchard laden
with the half-ripened fruit. Beneath
the spreading branches OF one a litter
|Of tow-headed kids are having glee-
full time. utterly obliyi0us OF the trials
and triumphs of the boys to come. A
herd of cattle was grazing peacefully
near by, for in those days beef was not
worth thirty cents a pound, and no
|hustling sieuth OF a butcher was hank-
ering around. A litter OF pigs wandered
around the orchard and grunt.d in real
delight every time a green apple fell
to the ground.
Johnny" said one of the. young
sters, lets see you curve that apple
and pick that big one in the top OF the
tres You can't do 1t, now! ee! eel
eel"
Well" replied JohDnX, little milf
fed at the other kids taunt, Il kin do
It Just as easy as that old hog KIN COB
bic it up when it falls"
You can't" "a.
Il kin"
We'll, il you kin do it, let's see you
do It."
And Johnny. unable to withstand the
taunts of the little tow-heads, planted
his bare feet firmly in the sod, went
through the evolutions Of a real base
ball pitcher, such as he had seen the
pictures of in the big dailies, and the
next moment the apple sped. It per-
formed a beautiful arc. struck the big
apple Ia the top OF the tree fair on the
nose. and down she came AS Johnny
had remarked, the old hog grabbed It
up before it had hare touched the
ground, while the little one sQuealed
tearfully at the mothers amazing sell
hshness Again and again johnny
curved apples and every time more
apples dropped, to the delight Of 'his
tow-headed comrades and the evident
satisfaction Of the old hog. -. ".
Later Johnny got possession of a
baseball, which he curved equally well,
and finally found his way on the local
team. Still later he .obtsined a posi-
ton on the Chester Pa, team, and
none in amateur lines was mere eff
fectiye than he. Thursday that same
Johnny made his debut as a profess
sional pitcher on the great Philadel-
phia National League Club, and though
that old hog and her piglets have long
since been ground into sausage and
the COWS granulated for bologna
stuffing, how glad they would have
been for the privilege Of Witnessing
the, success that attended Johnnys
first professional effort. The erstwhiie
Itow-hesded kids had not been ground
into sausage or granulated into boil
loena stuffinghowsver. for trolley cars
do not run through Townsend. Del.
and they witnessed J0hnny's profes-
lsionsl debut from the grandstand with
much eclat It is written that you
SHOULD mot look upon the wine when
III is red; likewise fond mammeg say
i"fouch not the apples when they ere
green; but mad II not been Tor the
green apples that Johnny Townsend
curved to the treetop in the happy
DAYS Of yore. Boston might have wal
Hoped the Phillies to the dust-side of
the pike Thursday afternoon
Manager Shettsline "discOvered'
fFowneend when he pitched for Ches-
ter and defeated the Phillies in post
season game last year. and deciding
that he would be a good thing to have
labout the premises. Immediately sign
Ted him. He has not been In a regular
4 SatioDel League contest because he
showed a fsud spcy 70 wildpess aud
-.,.