Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-12
BASE BALL.
OLD LEAGUES l
 SHARP TRICK.
Suit for Pitcher Matthew son to be Pressed-.Two
 Thousand Dollars In-
 v0Ived..BaSe Ball News

New York, Feb. 12.-Suit has been brought in the supreme court of Kings county, which, when 1t comes on for trial, promises developments and sen- satlonal features that cannot fail to interest all followers of the national game. It is charged that in order to retain the services of Christy Mat thewson, the famous pitcher. and at the same time to escape payment of a substantial bonus for the same, the New York baseball club, with the aid of the Cincinnati club, did little bit of juggling which fully merits the name of sharp practice. !.
 In the action pending the Norfork baseball club of Virginia sues the New York baseball club to recover $2,OOO. The facts of the case, as cited in the bill of complaint, are as follows:
 Pitcher Matthewson was under con- tract to the Norfolk club in 1899 and 1900. This club was member of the Virginia State League, and this league was party in the national agreement. By the terms of the national agree ment any club in the national league might draft any player of minor league at the end of the season by
 
 Tn July, 1900, the Norfolk club real ized that Matthewson was too good for a. minor league, and made an agreement with the New York club under which they released him to the New York club, with the understand ing that Mathewson was to play the remainder of the season with the Gi- ants, but his salary was to be paid by the Norfolk club.
 If at the end of the season Mathew sons work had proved such that the New York club wanted to keep him on for the next year, then the New York club was to pay the Norfolk club $2,- such a success that the New York club did want to retain his services for the following year, but it is alleged that it did not want to pay the necessary $2,OO0 according to agreement.
 It is claimed by the plaintiffs to the action that the New York club, there fore notified the Norfolk club that it did not want the famous pitcher, and the very next day the Cincinnati club drafted him. and sent check for $100 to the Norfolk club. The day after this, the complainant states, the Gin cinnati club traded Mathewson to the New York club fin exchange for Rusie, who had refused to come to the organ ixation having it's headquarters in this city. It is set forth that the trading of Rusie for Matnewson was a trans parent giveaway, as Rusie was dead-un alongside of Christy Mathew son. r
 The Norfolk club contends that this was smart practise. and pure bluff to beat them out of $500. They do not propose to stand for what they char acterize as a shabby trick, a. they have brought suit through @yer John M Ward, of the firm of Ward Ss Martin, PIT Broadway, to recover the $2OOO alleged to be due them.
 MT Ward said yesterday that the Norfolk club had made repeated eff forts to secure a settlement of their claim from the New York club, and had also brought the matter before the board of arbitration, without avail. They had, therefore. been forced to take the matter to the courts.
 Cornelius J. Sullivan, of the firm of Nicoll, Anable & Lindsay, of 31 Mas sau street, is counsel for the New York club. He declined to talk yester- day further than to say that the action would be vigorously defended. He said that he had talked over the mat ter with John T. Brush, president of the New York baseball club. who was in the city yesterday, and was staying at the Hotel Victoria. MT Brush could not be found last night, either at the Victoria or at his office in the St James building.