The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-17

Did you ever see a baseball diamond
as big as a half-miIe track? Did you
ever see one that had steel backstop
and a steel fence around the outfieId.
and SO far away you could Just see the
Tops OF the postsY And did you ever see
base bags as big as feather beds fas-
tened to railroad ties sunk in the ground
With log chains? Well, that was the ban
ground Of the Singielooker community
that me and Pinch Hobbs went out tn
the morning after we were kfdnaped off
the train by Slingemin and carried over
the desert, and Pinch had promised tem
we'd teach 'er1 curve pitchin'.
we We're kin o sorry we'd come or.
fdther' sorry that the big one-eyed guy
mad stolen US. for the immensely of this
Dall-playin' plant made US feel mighty
small We saw some balls Iayin' round
and picked EN- up. They were made of
Steel sure enough, just as the deIega-
ton OF one-eyed giants of the night he
FORE had said, and were about as big
as a croquet ball and smooth as steel
can be polished.
Bum chance O. eurvin' them things, -
OF course he disagreed with me.
That's Pinch. He said it'd be easy 10
curve 'em.
But II we were anxious to see the steel
Daseballs, how do you think II COM
pared with our anxiety 10 see the "a
NOUS Fourwingers, the giant rivals OF
these here Singlelookers, who had four
arms2 We could hardly wait till thew
showed up. And it was while we were
lookln' for them that a one-eyed giant
We hadnt seen the night bofre, all
grounds.
He was bigger than the general run O.
them giants, and he was CARVING 4. bat
Of blued steel with a bicycle-taped grin
Ihat looked ike the topmast of a man
O'-War-
I'm swottzy," says he. with a cheer
full grin.
So this was the Stockholders heavy
hitter we'd heard so much about.
m Swottzy, an I'm sore" saws he.
/ m the best batter they got; I make
me most hits, bat in the most runs. an
save games for 'em right along, and yet
get no credit for it. That big guy can
only bat they keep sayin', and make
me 80 way out IN right field, when I'd
ought TO be in the box, pitehin'."
We seen right away that here was
one Of those big NUTS than can do one
thing bat-and yet they're ALWAYS
Wantin' TO butt in and do sometbin' they
can't do.
In few minutes Slingemin came out
Tor his lesson in cuTvin' the ball. He
was the regular pitcher, with an arm
ike piano leg and speed like Jightniu'.
Why, his ketcher ketched the steel balls
IN glove with steel palm, and tie
noise was terrific. The baITd heat I'D.
and you bad to be careful they didn't
burn you
I guess this'd hold the AIfalfas for 4
minute" says Pinch, as we looked on.
Yes, this has even got the Arkansaw
All-Star league beat" says /
Slingemin ketched onto the curve
principle very quick, but we were only
able to teach him a plain out-Curve that
day. He practiced that very hard, and
soon got it down pretty fine.
About o'clock the FourWingers
pranced IN. and, sure enough, each man
had four arms and sixteen fingers and
four thumbs. They weren't quite as big
as the SInglelOOkers, but appeared to be
spryer. Anyhow, We seen that they had
the One-eyed people beat if the curve
didn't fool 'em.
The FOUrWingers went to bat first
and Slingemin sent Up a lci!ypop slow
one The brand-new steel ball they'd
just taken out of a red box and stamped
Warranted to last nine full innings"
just glistened in the sun, and the big
FOUTwinger, standing there with his
two bats-One in each pair of hands,
TO the plate. Then, swish. he lets out
at IL with a drive thatd knock down an
elephant, an the ball curves off the end
Of his bat as neat IS Il pin and Ieavin'
very 'prised-lOOkin' gent lOOkin
first at the bat and then at The ball and
Their at the ketcher. He'd been so su'-
prised he forgot to hit at it twice
The next ball Slingemin started right
at him. He ducked down and the ball
curved right over the plat. And it was
that ball that caused all the trouble
for the FOUrWingeTs in the audience saw
the curve and set up a yell.
"WitcheTy!" they sqUealed. THE ball
is bewitched."
You've seen a crowd of regular United
States people prance out onto tho dia-
mOnd to kick when they thought they
were gettin' the worst of ii, and that's
bad enough, but il isn't a marker to the
crowd Of fOur-armed giants that rushed
cut TO debate thai CurVe-EaII PROPOSE
ton. They were all over the field, fifty
fights OH all at once, the foUr-armed
Fourwingers film up the SinglelOokers'
eyes and not findin' enough 10 go round,
ytartin' in on their mouth Them Four
wingers are great as fighterS-theTs's