The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-27
Where they play Saturday:
lola at Topeka.
Pittsburg at Leavenworth.
Joplin at Fort Scott.
Springfield at Sedalia.

I
The action of Lewis Armstrong in
leaving Topeka in the lurch and going
! to Fort Scott is one of the things
which spoils the sport of baseball.
Armstrong was paid 1925 a month to
catch and captain the team, a salary
/ which is only duplicated in few in
! stances over the league. He was fined
| at Leavenworth in the second game of
/ the year. That was paid by the To-
/ peka association. Armstrong was
! paid every consideration that can be
given a gentleman. The association
gave him its confidence in matters re-
lating to the team. His salary was
paid him on the road as It was to
the rest of the players on May Is, a
thing which no other club in the
league does. The newspapers in the
city treated him with the kindHest
notices, overlooked his errors, and
boosted his good qualities. In the
face of all these things, he went off
to Fort Scott and according to the re-
ports from that place, stated he needs
no release and could go ahead and
play or manage the team, and agreed
to take that job for the Giants. Be
fore leaving Topeka, Armstrong made
it a special point to assure the Topeka
management that he would return for
the first lola game. Neither did he
turn up or let anyone hear from him.
Right there is where the worst part
of it comes in. Il didn't think Arm
!
a thing was the comment made free
ly by the fans. But then no one is
hurt worse than Armstrong. There
are other catcherS. This team or the
/ league won't break up because of his
action. Such acts hurt no one more
than the person who does them, and
the damage which Armstrong heaps
upon himself is infinitely greater than
| the mere passing trouble which he
/ causes in the club from which he
went away under promise to return.
| Vanderbilt. Gray and Welday of
Joplin, known as the .'Bin'' brother,
are becoming separated. Unless Big
Mike" gets his eye back, the other two
will have to seek a new companion.
! Springfield has a new pitcher. He
| is labeled Mr.. Pickrel. the Willow
| Springs establishment"
The erasure of Jake Bene's name
from the circuit carries away peculiar
| figure. Bene came from st. Louis,
/ brought with him bunch OF trolley-
/ leaguers picked from off the corner lots
| and elsewhere, say the denIzenS OF Fort
Scott, and wanted to win the pennant
He was a badly mistaken man. he
! found the league too fast for ms
/ kids to even get a lOok-in. Fort Scott
! knocked, and knocked him and Horna-
: day hard. Bene then told his constitu-
/ ency, if the term will go, that he would
remove his team to Chanute where the
/ team would be supported. That was a
4 pretty hard slam at Chanute. But the
Hornadayites just swung their hammers
all the harder until it was up to the
owners of the club to make a change.
Il So they dickered for Armstrong of To-
! pelxa and it seems as if the catcher has
/ been landed. Armstrong will make
them a good team 1t was stated that
he went to Oklahoma last night to Sc
i cure players. When asked as to what
/ would become of Bene, the answer
came from Fort Scott: He will go
/ back to St. Louis" That answer is
/ Bene's obituary. Back to St. Louis, =
and the woods.
Bankhead, of lola, and Lee Gramley.
of Sedalia. play almost exactly alike on
second base. But there is one thing to
say for Banks" He doesn't even be-
gin to be as noisy as Lee.
! There is a man by the name of Ran
/ dolph playing with Joplin. 1t is stated