The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-11

Two of the mile stones in the history
of Topeka from which everything since
has been dated, were the boom and the
Western league baseball team which
hOuriShed at the same time. Topeka
wants no more booms and whether she
wants it or not, viii never have another
ball team equal to the famous Goldsby's
Golden Giants, who represented Topeka
in 1887.
Every spring, and this season is no
exception, old timers whom you would
think never had a. drop of sporting
blood in their veins. will recount the
glorious days when Topeka set the pace
in the western league, was in the van
during the entire season and carried off
the pennant with never a bit OF trouble.
Enough money was sunk during that
one season TO have the best ball team
ever, to have provided Topeka with a
sinking fund that would have kept alive
a fairly good team during all the years
that have elapsed. But the promoters
went in with the expectation of having
Topeka known as the baseball center.
The promoters succeeded and what it
cost no one to this day knows but when
the season was over there was final
assessment and those interested donated
several thousand dollars. But the ardor
was not lessened and after that an
other assessment was made and each
one of the Giants was given a $25 gold
medal.
But the boom was on. everyone was
supposed to be rich and money didn't
count. Not bit of it. Why, one day
there was rather close game with Oma-
Ia and along in the eighth inning when
Topeka needed a few runs there were
two men on bases and Bug Holiday,
Big Bug he was in name and size,
came to the bat. He wasn't a bit like
the celebrated Casey who struck out,
for Holiday sent the ball way over sec
ond base, beyond the center fielder
over the fence and a row of barns and
residences. The last seen of it the ball
was still going westward toward Mar
tins hill. The grand stand went mad
and the bleacherites had hysteria and
when Holiday got around to home be-
hind the other two runs and called
Jack Sneed, who played right field, to
help him pick up the coins that had
been thrown at the home plate as a re-
ward for him when he made the circuit,
there were two hats full. 1t beat the
record made in Denver in one game
when Pat Tebeau knocked a liner over
the fence and picked up s57.65. Just be-
fore that Voss had done the trick and
received $26.25. In those days there were
no such signs as "a pocket knife for
home run It was half hundred any
way.
There was no doubt about it. Topeka
had the greatest ball team since the
days of the famous old Rockford, Ill,
nine when Pap Arson began his career
on the diamond It would not be
stretching matters to say that in its
day Goldsby's Golden Giants was the
greatest team on record, for the G. G.
G-'s went to st. Louis and batted the
St Louis Browns, then the champions
of the American league, all over the lot.
George w. Crane was fan in those
days and he accompanied the players to
St Louis. The message he sent back
after the game was: Conway pitched
a better game than Clarkson of Chi
cago the day before" Topeka took the
game by the score of y to 9. The
Browns made "A base hits and Topeka
Is. johnson made a two base hit and
a three Dagger for Topeka, and Goldsby
raped out for three sacks and Little"
Macullar made a home run. And, by
the way, 4 home run on the old ST.
Louis grounds was a home run It
meant that the ball. as it arose, would
look like balloon ascension. On the
way home the Giants stopped off to
take a fall out of St Joe and won three
games with a total score of Al against
St. Joe's 10 runs.
There was mighty fine list of play
ers in the G.. G. G's. Walter H. Colds
by, son of a Louisiana planter and
man who had played with the St Louis
team, was made captain manager and
given carte blanche to get together the
best team to be had He did 1t and
it was carte blanche and finally refuge
behind the bankruptcy law before some
got through with their assessments and
other expenses brought on by baseball
and the BOOM The batteries were Con-
way and Gunson. Sullivan and Kenyon,
Hafner and Hoover. The pitcher. being
the first named in each Of the pairs,
had his own catcher. Jimmie Conway
could pitch ball from sun up to sun
down and Joe GunSOn could catch him
with only a husking glove. In those
days the catchers didn't wear a feather
bed on their left hand. Tom Sullivan
was the first to show to some gray
haired all wise men that a curved ball
could be thrown and some of his
throws did almost a bow knot before
Jake Kenyon gathered them in. Half
ner and Hoover were good but they
were never the favorites the other bat
teries were.
Peerless" Perry Werden played CEN
ter field until Bug Holiday joined the
aggregation and then he came in to sec
ond and to short. Werden was a Won
der. Stearns played first. Joe Ardner
second and Ralph Johnson third. Lit
tie Macullar was at short and Jack
Sneed, man from Kentucky, was out
in right. He had great way of rum
ming for the ball on a short fly and
when he saw he could not catch to
wait to get it on the first bounce. There
used to be a cry that went up from the
grandstand often during game, 1.-The
balls won't jump on the grass. Jackie"
Sneed could run like a short grass jack
"a bbit with nothing nearer than the
Rocky Mountains for refuge. There are
mighty few base runners today that
could steal the sacks like Sneed. A ball
half way between the pitchers box and
the home plate meant he would make
first every time and if the pitcher bat
ted his eye Sneed went to second in
cloud of dust Holiday was in the CEN
ter garden and Goldsby generally play
ed left It was a great team A brand
of cigars was named for it and a group
photograph of the players was on the
cover of every box. The cigars sold by
the box so that the enthusiasts could
get the photos.
Des Moines played the ST. Joe team.
of the Western league and won by the
score of "A to ;. Then Des Moines came
over to Topeka and the Giants took the