The Washington times., 1906-05-08
Ugly Mix-Up Which Au-
thOrities Must Settle.
NEW YORKER JOLTED IN Jaw
Washington's Hits Not Timely-Falk-
enberg and Patten walloped
in Bunches.
By THOMAS S. RICE.
washingtOn. q; New YORK. =.


NEW YORK. May S.-Clarke Griffith
is not making good thus far this year
with his New York American League
team, and is trying 10 bluff and bulldoze
his way TO victory. or, perhaps, he
hopes to be ruled off the grounds for a
long time and then when he is reproach-
ed for a lack of success, offer his en-
forced absence as an excuse.
These Impressions were created by his
actions yesterday. when he was smashed
in the mouth by Umpire Tim Hurst.
The row occurred in the fifth inning.
Laporte hit a low one 10 Mil, who
threw promptly to first There is not the
slightest doubt that Laporte was safe.
but Hurst called him out Griffith i'm
mediately plunged to the front. as did
divers Of his henchmen- Griffith has
been batting umpires ever since the sea-
son opened, but this time he outdid him
self. He caught hold Of Hurst by the
coat and began pulling and hauling him.
The Washington players who were there
say that he also gave Hurst a number
Of short jolts to the stomach. Likewise.
according to the same authorities he
was performing acrobatic stunts by try
ing to walk straight into the upper air
via HursJs shine.
Jolrs Griffith One
Hurst has lived some forty years and
never won a prize as a long suffering
martyr He showed Griffith back and
ordered him off the grounds. The New
Yorker refused TO go. and the police re-
fused to eject him.
Cooler heads on both teams interfered
and play was about to be resumed when
Griffith unburdened himself of a new
line Of remarks not complimentary to
Hurst In fact. they couldn't go through
the mails Then it happened
With his jaws swapping and the veins
in his neck standing out big, the beIlig-
erent Tim walked straight up to Grif-
fifth and gave him one swift hard. soul
ful smash square in the mouth. Lave
Cross. Jake Stahl. and otner lovers of
peace interfered. and prevented further
damage, although Tim made one or
two more well-meant passes over their
shoulders. The Washington PLAYERS
sOOthed Timothy as best they might and
amid the jeers of the populace the game
was resumed. Griffith never left the
grounds. ,
Least Said the Better.
Concerning the game. the least said.
the better. There were enough hits but
they were not we'll timed, and Falkeu-
berg and Patten we're walloped in bunch
es. Sudhof pitched the last three in
nings and wasn't touched. The field
ing was as weak as the batting was un-
timely. the only bright spots being bril- !
liant stunts by Hickman and Cross II
was a bad day. all around. and it's part
OF the game for such days to come
II VIII be interesting TO note what Ban
Johnson does in the matter of the
Hurst-Griffith mess Griffith's tactics
have infected the rest of his team. and
Kid Elberfeld made himself conspic-
uous IN the early innings by yelling
criticisms to Evans about decisions on
balls and strikes. From the way the !
cat has been hopping Nil would have
been suspended for life If he had vol |
unteered SO many caustic comments
from short
An Ugly Affair.
The entire affair yesterday was bad |
An open assault by both parties, with |
the attendant excitement makes the |
case serious. But there was provoca-
ton on both sides. Hurst's decision |
was raw enough to anger a saint, much |
less the dlsgruntled manager of a los |
because lie was the field umpire and |
was right on the spot.
Griffith might have been excused for |
jawing the arbitrator and waving his |
hands wildly in the air, but this thing |
of grabbing the ump by the neck, |
short jolting him TO the breadbasket, |
ana WdiNllR On MS EDaOS mas Deen |
eschewed by the best society for several |
years 1t is not only bad taste. but |
poor judgment, and our leading towns /
mea deprecate' such proceedings.
Hurst Only Human.
On the other hand. Mr. Hurst being |
human and Irish, could scarcely be |
blamed for handing his rowdy acquaint- |
ance a bunch of sWats. but the slight |
interval between the goings on at first /
and the bin in the kisser by the play |
ers' bench was sufficient as the law has /
II, to allow his passion TO COOL making /
In base ball crime the same difference /
which lies between murder and man.
slaughter Should Johnson. as the su- |
preme baseball court, decide that |
Hursts passion had had time TO cool, /
then he must suffer the extreme baseball /
penalty-tO be fired out OF his Job. and |
may be get another in some other line l
of business.
IL he was still in the heat OF his
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