The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-12
HICKEY LEAGUE
is DISAPPOINTED
Association Thought Lennon
Would Transfer
Saints.


ball Clubs has held its annual meeting
and adjourned, and st. Paul still holds
a franchise in the Hickey league.
Whether it will continue to hold this
franchise for the 1903 season of base
ball now depends entirely upon the
conclusion that President Lennon will
arrive at after he has made a thor
oLgh and final inspection of the local
situation.
If Lennon decides to hold his club
in st. Paul the local fanatics will new
er appreciate their narrow escape from
being shut off from the world Of pro-
fessional baseball.
II the team is transferred many or
them will admit for the first time that
this transfer talk was not a cold bluff
of the association designed to assist
the local club owner in securing a
down town ball park.
The fanatics make a grave mistake
when they believe that the other mag
mates of the association never thought
seriously of this proposed transfer
Havenor, Tebeau, Hickey and Bryce
worked hard at that Chicago meeting
to win Lemons consent to the re-
moval of the Saints and were chagrin-
started for home with the st. Paul
franchise still in his possession.
Winning Offers Made.
The magnates were disappointed, for
they not only wanted to be able to
claim Chicago as a town in their cir
cult, but had made arrangements and
prepared offers that they felt the ST.
Paul club owner could not afford to
turn down.
AT the Monday meeting of the as
ISOLATION the advocates of the transfer
had all their wires laid. They believed
Lemons declaration to hold his team
in st. Paul, if necessary with the as
SiStance of the courts, to be a bluff on
the part of the st. Paul club owner
and proceeded to CALL
Lennon was informed that the as
ISOLATION had two men who were will
ing to purchase all or q, part of the ST.
Paul clubs stock. These men would
take the team off Lemons hands and
transfer it TO Chicago, or they would
pay a good price for one-third of the
stock and provide a park for the team
in Chicago.
The magnates felt that Lennon
would refuse to leave st. Paul without
baseball and were prepared, or thought
they were, to answer this argument.
They suggested the plan of transfer
ing the Milwaukee Western league
team to st. Paul and giving the con-
troll of this team to Lennon. To win
the consent Of the Western league to
this switch they offered to consolidate
the American and Western Kansas
City teams and give the Western
league men One-half interest in the
consolidated teana The Western was
to pick another town and the two
leagues were to have separate circuits.
Right here is where Burns, of Col
10
Saints. Burns failed to answer the
telegram asking the consent of the
Western league to proposed revision
of the circuits. The telegram that
never came figures in this story of the
attempts to capture the st. Paul fran
chise as it saved Lennon from declar-
ing himself deaf to all propositions. ST.
Paul does not want Western league
ball, and the local magnate without
doubt realized this when the associa-
ton proposed it's plan.
Lennon Is Cautious.
Tuesday the directors of the asso-
citation played their last card. In the
afternoon Lennon was introduced
to Robert E. Burke, the man who
stands ready to take a, one-third inter-
est in the St. Paul team, transfer it
to Chicago, provide grounds and make
money for all concerned.
afternoon. The St. Paul club owner
was assured that the new backing
was simply waiting for the word Mr..
Burke has secured an option of the
Congress street grounds, is willing to
guarantee that the authorities will not
interfere with either Sunday or week
day ball, is ready to put up a ball
park, and to pay $500 for a third
interest in the club.
The directors of the league knew
that all this was to be offered the ST
Paul man.. They were disappointed
when he refused to do anything but
take the proposition under considera-
ton for forty eight hours.
Lemons refusal to give Burke q d.
rect answer is a good sign. It means
that the St Paul magnate is still
anxious to hold to his declaration that
the Saints will not be transferred. He
cannot help but realize that the offer
is one that will never be received again
but he has gone on record and does
not care to go back on his word. He
has declared that he will not be con-
nected with a ball team in any other
city than st. Paul and he does not care
to retire from the game.
President Lennon and Manager Mike
Kelley returned from the Chicago meet
ing yesterday. The club owner i'm
mediately held a conference with his
attorney and later consulted with sew
eral we'll known business and club men
who are baseball enthusiasts. Hav-
Ing promised Mr.. Burke that he would
attempt to secure the opinion of the
st. Paul baseball public regarding the
proposed transfer, Mr.. Lennon refused
to discuss his probable decision in the
matter before he has given the Chica-
go man his answer.