The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-08-16
UMPIRE IN PERIL
FROM THE FANS
Huston, Who Works For Butte
Enragss Crowd.
HAS A NARROW ESCAPE
PROTEST MADE TO LUCAs-sALT
LAKE LOSES GAME.

balL Lake-Whtch the saints 1OrDld-
and misbehaves as he did yesterday. he
IS likely to sustain physical damage.
He had a close call after the game, and
Il may be regarded as certain that if
he had opened his head TO any of those
who surrounded him after the game he
would have stopped many a punch A
mob Of probably over 100 men and boys
escorted him from the field to the cars,
calling him about everything imagin-
able. and apparently striving to goad
him into committing an overt act which
would have been the signal for rough
housing him. AS many Of the mob as
could secure seats in the car Huston
boarded accompanied him uptown, con-
tinuing the reviling until he reached
the portals Of his hotel, but he kept his
head shut. Huston was accompanied
by a couple Of husky Butte players,
and there were also two police officers
on the car, who would have tried to
protect him from violence-perhaps.
The ooppers also saw the game and did
not feel any extraordinary amount Of
love for the umpire.
Calling Huston incompetent is giving
him the best Of 1t. Baseball ceases to
be a game with umpiring such as he
perpetrates, and people who go to the
field expecting to see a game Of ball
are disappointed The umpire alone
stands between a good, tight game Of
ball and a hollow mockery, and when
the umpiring is so fierce as Illusions
work It IS the mockery, not the game,
people see. His work here has been
markedly one-sided. Whenever Salt
Lake has got the best of a decision it
has been on some play which meant
nothing, while Butte has been given the
best Of the plate decision every time
every time. II is an outrage and the
Salt Lake patrons of the game are not
going to stand it much longer.
Yesterday Huston was worse than
ever. His work fairly reeked, and he
succeeded in turning a good game Of
ball into bowling hippodrome. No
team can win close game OF ball with
an umpire working against them at
every turn, and Huston saw that Salt
Lake got the worst Of every decision
that meant anything.
Tale Of the Robbery.
Until Huston got to going the game
was a great fight, with a tie score OF
three up. Salt Lake hit out two runs
I'm the second and landed another in
the third, when Bowling dropped Han
ley's fly. An error and misjudged
Erounder by Davis. one by Shea and a
hit by Bandelin got Butte two runs in
the second. and hits by ShaffeF and
Wilmot brought Laroeque home in the
fifth.
It was in the sixth that Huston began
10 operate 50 plainly that every man.
woman and child in the crowd could see
his work. There had been some little
fine touches earlier, but In the sixth he
broke out so strong that every one
was next" With two men on bases
and one out. DOnanue scOoped up a
ground ball and tossed it to Weed, who
was on the second sack ten feet ahead
of the man. II was a force out If ever
there was one, but Huston gave the
Butte runner a life, and nothing but a
magnificent throw from deep left by
Flannery on succeeding hit prevented
runner coming in. This runner
would probably have been called safe
II Shea had not run about ten feet UP
the line to meet him with the ball and
lifted the Butte man clean off his feet
as he tagged him.
The prize bundle Of all came in the
next inning. McHale came tearing In
from third Shea had the ball and
was waiting on the plate. McHale did
not attempt TO slide-which precluded
the possibility Of his touching the
plate with his hand as he went by
and failed TO touch the rubber by six
safe. Dropping everything else from
consideration for the moment, It Is
absolutely impossible to defend the
course OF an umpire who remains
standing like craven image behind
the pitchers slab when there is a run
ner coming in from third base Huston
did not move from his tracks to give
this decision. An umpire who behaves
like this leaves only two explanations
or his curse possible. and they are
both against him. Either he is unfit
for his job or he does not desire to see
the play. That's for you. Mr.. Huston
Protest Made to Lucas.
II Huston umpires another game fr
Salt Lake Il viii be over the protest
OF Manager Reynolds and every fan in
the town. The case was taken up with
President Lucas last night IF Presi-
dent Lucas wants to see the game sue
coed in Salt Lakeland there can be
no question but that he does-he will
take prompt action in the case OF
Huston. The patrons Of the game can
not. IN all fairness. be expected to 90
against This sort Of a proposition. They
demand as a simple matter of right
that the home team be given show
that Il be given what It honestly earns
Every team in this league-with the
possible exception Of Butte-has an in
terest 20 serve in getting rid Of an UNI
piro like this one. And il is reasona Bile
10 suppose that the Butte boys find a
victory In which the umpire figures so
largely somewhat unpalatable 1T is
too raw to taste good.
IL is not claimed that this odOrifer-
Gus decision at the plate gave Butte
the game. but there can be no denial
Of the fact that Il helped materially
With McHale called Out-as he should
have been-there would have been only
one more man to put out to retire the
side, and Butte would have been but
two runs ahead instead OF four. which
would have given Salt Lake a show
Aside from the bad spot in the second
the game was great contest and was
anybodys until Huston unmasked his
batteries. He made what was a palpa-
bic attempt to take the edge off his
overplayed game in the eighth inning
after 1t was too late TO do anything
There were two men out when Weed
hit safe. Cook followed with little
tap to Bandelin. who threw the soldier
out q mile. hut Huston called him safe.
This was a case where salt Lake stood
little show Of gaining anything by the
poor decision.
The Anal game Of the series viii be
played this afternoon at $3.50. II there
Is any possible way to keep him of
the grounds Huston VIII not be the UNI
pire It viii require word from Lucas
to prevent his acting. as the rules, un-
fortunately. give him the best of the
situation in the absence of instructions
from the league president, but the best
move Huston can make TO square him
self with the salt Lake fans is TO feign
sickness and keep away from the game.
Il Tlnr1CaIfn