Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-30
LONELY IDOL OF THE TICKLE FANS

great player makes him neglect all cour-
tesy. do not quite know. The fact re-
mains. however. that the desire to tai :
shop Is SO strong In the stranger as to
ton we should at least consider 1t wretched
taste. You would scarcely ask Kipling to
recite that Rag and Bone and a Hank
Of Hair" thing upon being introduced to
you demand OF President Roosevelt to state
just how he opened peace negotiations be-
tween Japan and Russia. But base ball
'fan"-bless your soul-has no hesitancy
about breaking in upon ones privacy to
ask the most impudent questions. 49,.
In coming north this spring with the
Highlanders, Jack Chesbro was writing q
letter in the teams private car. A man.
who turned out to be of some prominence
in the legal profession In Washington. In
Quired Of me which OF the company was
Chesbro. 1 pointed him out and watched
developments. Chesbro. In addition to be-
ing arch skeptic from the professionally
standpoint, is New Englander and very
conservative. He makes few friends and
has little to say on any topic except farm
Ing. l may say here that every ball player
has hobby to divert his thoughts from
the one important aim in life-his success
on the diamond. 'Bill" Bradley of Cleve-
land trains gold fish. and Dave" Fultz of
New York studies Blackstone; Well. this
lawyer person slapped CHESHIRE on the
shoulder, extended palm and sat down on
the arm OF the seat.
80 you are the great Chesbro.' he be-
NV wh, R pssh YORK;
member that? Say who was that little
fellow that played second base? Wasnt
be corker? l expected to see his face In
the papers. To my mind. he was quicker
than Gilbert, or any Of these fellows. Well.
Jack. you are pitching great ball. l had
a party of friends out in my automobile
to see you that game when you beat Wash
ington eleven to nothing. and told them
haf I nj trh
say. you ought to get rid of that
man on - base All you fellows need
to win the pennant Is 81 And so on,
Chesbro listened for some time and then
called the porter.
George he said 'how'd this guy break
in? I thought that we had private carr
With that he continued his directions to
Mrs. Chesbro as to the best way of manag-
ing a magnolia plant-he had shipped one
of those exotics to her fran Atlanta.
Later in the dining car l overheard the
same lawyer telling friend that the New
York baA team was on the train and how
Jack Chesbro (''you know that fellow that
pitches the spit ball') came up and spo &c
to him.
well" he said they're a tough lot.
these ball players! Have no education. you
know. l used to catch good game in col
lege myself-had that finger broken-and
the boys wanted me to become a profess
sional. But of course, a man would not
Again on the 1895 spring trip we were
playing week in New Orleans and struck
a couple of rainy days. We put up at a
hotel where it cost Clarke Griffith $1,000
week. which gives some idea of the expense
of taking a ball team south. 1t a dole
full period. Even in bright weather ball
players are a loss where to spend their
leisure time The ten commandments Of
their creed direct that. at all times and at
any time one must keep away from stran-
gers. But with d clear sky one may at
least walk about and see the town. Ma
rooned as we were in the hotel. and being
compelled. on account of b mai Birth
convention to sleep ten in a room, even the
amusement of sightseeing denied.
Thus it was that Dave Fultz sought
piano on which he drummed chords and
finally touched off that impressive melody,
Lead, Kindly Light" Fultz is of relig-
ious turn of mind-and so is Billy Sunday,
now rising evangelist, but once brilliant
outfielder. Some ball players are blasphe-
nous; others the quintessence of Puritan
ism-they say nothing worse than Sugar"
al some horrible injustice of the umpire!
Futz is a man of education. a graduate of
Brown University. and has been admitted
to the bar. In all his base ball experience
he has never forgotten his moral ideals. L
wish to state therefore, that Mr.. Fultz was
absorbed in playing and singing Lead