The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-05-14
Hon1e-Run Haggerty
Had TO Break Jail
Locked Up. But Liner From His Trusty Bat
Put Guard Out of Business, and
the Rest Was Easy.

We were nearin' the end of an excitin
season iii the Corndroppers' League. The
AIfalfas only needed to break even with
the Haygilles in the closing four-game
series of the season, played at Hayville,
10 win the pennant. II we lost three OF
the four it would be tie. and four
straight loses was the only way you
could figure on the Hayvilles having
chance. TIE bettin' was that we'd win
four straight victories. so you can see
what a cinch il seemed But the morning
o the first game o the series this adj
vertisement appeared in the Alfalfa Cit
lzen:
Five hundred dollars reward for news
OF the whereabouts of Pinch Hobbs.
Reggie Van Rensselaer,, Lamp Hymes.
and ..Home-run Haggerty. of the Al
falfa Club
And then followed Ions description
o what We looked like an where We
was last seen.
Four Stars.
You can readily imagine where any
ball nine would land that you took
talent like them four out of-two crack
erjack pitchers. the two best in the
league. the top-notcher shortstop, an
me. Why, no wonder Josh Hapgood
threw up his hands an offered $500 for
US. Il meant the loss O the pennant an
all the bets he'd been maxim all sum
mer. an. all the glory an everything, l
tell you, there was dqin's in Alfalfa
when that paper came out
And in the meantime. where was we.
Well. We had left Alfalfa for Hayville
the night before. goin down SOS We
could have some early mornin' practice,
The rest o the feIlers was IL the smok-
en- but we went in the last coach, where
there wasn't anybody, an started a little
game o. cards; an the time passed so
quick an Reggie melted d hundred aces
se often that nobody knowed nuthin'
till five or six guys in blue uniforms
Come in an blocked both doors to the
car.
Driven to Jail. ss.z1
eAh, got 'em red-handed,' says one
big guy. And then, despite our kickin',
ar afore we really realized what was
up. they had us, bag an Luggage. an
had us off the train; an then we were
hustled into a coach, rid a long ways
over the rcughest road ever laid out o
. doors an then led into a buiIdin' an
cflueked into-what dye think? a jail!
Yes, into JAIL an that amt all
They was EyetalIians an. Injuns an
Nl&ktd SLCoSSIO IA b4iSlL jan
an, il smelled like burnin' glue fac
tory. We were made TO give our name:
ga where we We're born an brought up
an. when we said we were ball players
We were laughed at.
You know how TO work on people
sympathies," says one. ''Teliin' en-
you're ball players. We got your ped
dygree straight I'm Tim McGinnis, how
ever. an into jail you go till the great
AIfaifa-Hayville series is over
No Bluff Would Go.
what in" Pinch started in Il
exposIuiate. but the guy cut him off
You needn't to make any bum grand
stand plays or work the surprised an
innocent gag" says he. I'VE know yol
for a bunch of ST. Loo crooks hired II
come out here an kidnap our star Hay
vile bali players. Tim McGinnis put III
wise. You may git away with then
kind o. jobs where you hail from. Blu
yol can't get EN- by this bunch o wick
ie-ups."
With that he slammed a durn big iron
gate an left us in durance vile, so Rel
zaid. I don't jest know about the dur
once part. but it was vile.
We rightly judged that there woul'
re ructions In Hayville the next morn
ing when Josh Hapgood discovered tn
loss o. his players. We likewise judge
that unless we made a very stroni
break, OF. got word outside or son1ethin
the chances for our stayiu right wher
we was for the next four days was moth
in less than prime An lastly we fig
gered that If anybody in that hull bunc
o common criminals would be watche
any closer than We was TO preevnt tina
same Dustin out, why, we couldn't Ia
our eyes onto him-nor never would.
Could Not Sleep.
That was Sunday night. At o CLOG
we were chased into durn little cell
an; locked In. The cells were worse
outside. didn't sleep any. / reckone
that II ! lay down On the bed there L
probably be kidnapped again. L sat II
an, smoked ali night. a couple o. time
1 heard Reg an Lamp thrashin' Toun
an eussin'-at the kidnapers, possibly
an then l was gIadder than ever tina
l didn't sleep.
We were let out al breakfast into II
big room round which the cells face
an told we could go into the yard al
exercise. We had black coffee al
crackers an bean soup for breakfas
an waters an puray o green peas al
dernmytass for dinner. an yelier spl
pea bullyong an sody biscuit eode