Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-31
WHITE SOX FIGURED
N FIRST BIG SERIES
Old Chicago Team of 1870 Won
the Original Worlds Cham
pionship Pennant.

not = very large percentage OF the tlOu-
| sands of base ball fans who cheered and
pulled for their favorite teams In the
| worlds championship series played in Chi
cago last fall between the White Sox and
Cubs remember the first worlds series
| ever played. says the Chicago Record Her
aid Few of the present-day fans even
know that the deciding game was played
in Chicago. It occurred nearly thirty
years ago, and Tom Foley. the we'll known
| billiard authority of that city. was manager
of the Chicago team which defeated the
Cincinnati Reds for the honors.
From the depths of q musty scrapbook
Mr.. Foley a few days ago unearthed the
following account of the deciding game.
The story was written by an old-time fan
and is likely to revive the memories OF
those who had witnessed the famous series
of 1870. 1t follows:
To witness final worlds championship
game had ever fascination for me. The
first worlds championship, decided between
Cincinnati and Chicago at Chicago in 1870
brought me from my school books up In
Milwaukee-and that was one day that my
professors did not hear me recite. Chicago
was in her mad provincial pride to outStrip
and Guido every other city in the west
which aspired to greatness. Cincinnati at
that time was her commercial rival, but
Cincinnati had one thing she could boast
Chicago had no professional club of any
kind.
The year before, 1869, the Cincinnati Reds
had swept the country, defeating every
club in the United States that wore uni
form-not suffering one single defeat In
that eventful base bali year. True. there
was no league of any kind in those early
days, and to win two out of three games
from any organization that held the pomi-
nal championship was sufficient There
east
the cradle and home of the game-namely.
the Atlantics and Eckfords OF Brooklyn,
Mutuals of New York, Unions of Norris
ania Haymakers of Troy, and LanSingburg
and Athletics of Philadelphia. The Gin
cinnati club, however, conquered them all
in 1862 and to organize a club to defeat
this club the coming year, 1870, Chicago
bent all her energies and genius to accom-
plish.
Tom Foley is Manager.
Tom Foley, the then great billiardist OF
Chicago, was selected to manage and
gather the team together. As the skill
of an architect and builder Is shown in the
appearance OF a magnificent mansion, 80 is
the genius and skill OF the organizer Of a
ball team seen in the makeup Of his club.
IL the material can be had. Foley went
east and gathered the following I,is men TO-
and Clipper Flynn from the renowned Hay
makers Of Lansingburg. N. Y; Hodes,
Wood. Tracy. Pinkham and Duffy Of the
E;ckfords Of Brooklyn, and Myerlie and Ed
Cuthbert of the Athletics of Philadelphia.
This combination OF ball players, known
as the Chicago Whites Of 1870, was one OF
the greatest hustling, bustling, rough rider
lot of batters that ever was collected to-
gether for those early days of professional
base ball. Whenever they started after a
pitcher, as they did A. G. Spaiding In their
first game with the Rockfords in 1870. they
made fifteen runs In one inning, no spit ball
would have headed them off, because l do
not think a pitcher could have got the
saliva out of his tonsils.
The season Of 1870 opened with all eyes
on the work of the Whites of Chicago and
Reds of Cincinnati. and while the Cincin-
natl club was winning games in the east
and Chicago losing some. yet all these
games dwindled into insignifcance beside
that of the great series between the two
great clubs.
Chicago Takes First Game.
Chicago won the first game in Cincinnati,
and the Windy City was wild. To win one
more game would settle all and make
good" the boast of Chicago. Chicago and
Cincinnati were bitter commercial rivals,
as stated before, and when the Windy City
proclaimed at the end of 1869 that they
would organize a team In 1870 to conquer
the Reds, Cincinnati laughed at them. The
final game was played in Chicago on a
hazy September day.
This famous club were the pioneers in
many things connected with hgh-class
professional ball. Team work had its be-
ginning with them. and the club discipline
Of professional ball today owes it's origin
to both the Wrights. George Wright. in
my opinion, never had superior at short
field, unless it was Hugh Jennings. George
introduced the fine points Of infield work
which are in vogue today. A base ball
mania week before this game had taken
possession of the entire population of Chi
cago, and even extended to the towns Of
the entire northwest. So infectious was 1t
that 1t even overleaped the portals Of the
church and pervaded the pulpit. On the
early morn Of the momentous game the
milkman left milk at the wrong houses
and forgot the right ones in his distraction
about the game. In the forenoon bankers
and merchants left their customers stand
ing to discuss the merits Of both the teams
And the customers themselves in their mad
delirium- about the condition Of Pitcher
Pinkham forgot what to buy. This was the
chaotic state of business in Chicago on the
day Of the game.
Park Where Yards Stand.
About 1 o'clock the crowd began to wend
its way toward Dexter Park, located then
where the stockyards stand today There
was no mode of transportation at that
time to the park-except by steam cars and
vehicles. At the gates Of the park the
crowds became so large and dense that the
fast enough to suit the impatient people
who were anxious to get in.
They finally broke down the carriage
gates and the side of the fence that enabled
hundreds to get inside free. 1t reminded a
person of dam giving away with the
water sweeping everything before 1t. A
force of police, however stopped further
intrusion, and the people had to buy their
tickets thereafter
Before the game started it was estimated
there were $4,000 people inside the gates OF
the park A line of carriages way out in
center field added to the brilHancy of the
assemblage. That dense population had one
pulse, and that pulse beat for Chicago.
Before the game ended the banker put him
self upon level with the bootback. and
the views Of a newsbOy who knew some
thing about the game would be listened to
by the staid philosopher before serious
questions Of state.
Fan Kisses Divorced Wife.
In the eighth inning of that game. when
Mart King crossed the home plate with
the run that exceeded the score of the Reds
man was seen to get up from seat go
over and kiss his divorced wife. In the
ninth inning of the game, when big Levi
Myerlie cleared the bases for Chicago. a.
merchant was seen to hug an enemy of his
that he had not spoken to for two years.
and exclaim: "Never mind about that $500:
you can keep iti' These are soma of tbe