Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-21
TED AND JOHN SULLIVAN
An Unwritten Chapter Of Base Ball
History.
BY TED SULLIVAN.

BY TED SULLIVAN.
There is more tlnwritten humorous base
bali history that lies undisturbed in the
storehouse of forgetfulness than has ever
been published. in the summer of 1893
John l.. Sullivan who was at the zenith
ofshis pugilistic fame, was pitching games
In the cities where his combination was
to show there at night. As manager or
the Browns that year. / made arrange
ments in August for John to pitch in st.
Louis few days after our championship
season closed, whereby we would divide
the st. Louis Browns into two teams. John
to pitch for one of them While John had
the faculty OF, throwing away his money.
prompted by the warm impulse of his big
heart. on the other hand he had a busi
ness head on him in the mode of getting
1t. When / told Johns manager, in Sulu-
vans presence. that l would give him
siGce guarantee for a Sunday afternoon IN
October John quickly broke in and asked:
What is the matter with the privilege CT
a percentage also. Ted?"
My answer was that his manager was
willing to take the guarantee only. wen,
my boy remarked John, II will have TO
overrule my manager this time and insist
on the privilege" H. smiled at the same
time, and said that he never carried any
base ball money out of the city he got IL
in, as he considered a base ball item only
side issue, and money that should be
given away either 10 his needy friends
for charity. As 1t turned out. he got his
privilege of half the gross receipts. and the
sum Melted him $500 instead Of 81 900; and
all he had of that amount next morning
after the game was about 800 as he did
distribute 1t in various ways. When 1
told MIR. Won der Abe of my agreement ne
remarked that l gave more to one man
for appearing in a base ball uniform than
he ever gave to nine. but l retorted by
saying that this one man had the magnetic
power of drawing more than a Thousand
men.
The game was played before an immense
crowd, the general admission being placed
a so cents. The game. of course. brought
the people out in throngs to see Sullivan
in uniform, and magnificent physical spec
linen of manhood he waS-as he appeared
that afternoon in a tight-htting uniform
that belonged TO George McGinnis Of the
Browns. man who was cast in the physl-
Ca mold of Sullivan. John l.. pitched the
first four innings or that game and / the
last five. The game, of course, ended IN
the defeat Of Sullivan's side. The after
n,ath. sequel. of that game at Sports
mems Park was one of the most amusing
incidents of my life.
I had arranged to take an all-star base
ball team to New Orleans day after this
game. which was known as the 81. LOUIS
combination. kilograms that had passed
between me and New Orleans parties rela-
tive to my trip south got the operators
mixed up along the route as to VINO was
who There was John l.. Sulivan's combi-
nation of boxers exhibiting at the St. Louis
Opera House. and there was the st. Louis
combination of ball players. managed by
Ted Sullivan. going to New Orleans.
When our train pulled into Cairo the
next morning we soon found out whom we
were taken for. My team was made up OF
Buck Ewing, Charles Comiskey, Tony Null
lane, George McGinnis. Joe Quest, CFR
Carroll and other stars. AS tie train
stopped at the station at Cairo an i'm
mense cheering was heard. A large crowd
had gathered around the train. and they
were all cheering and calling for John l..
Sullivan. We told them he was rot on the
train, but they would not believe lis. and
said were only shamIning. Finally we
agreed among ourselves to impose on them
by putting McGinnis in the drawing loom
of the sleeper to represent Sullivan. We
then told the crowd to please them that
Sullivan would appear soon and bow to
them A rush was then made for the
sleeper by all the enthusiastic sons of
Dixie, some crowding on the platform and
others peeking through the window. Nc
Ginnis was seated in an armchair in the
smoking room of the sleeper, with two OF
the boys tanning him. McGinnis, with his
broad shoulders, did resemble John L.. and
many voices were heard exclaimipg:
That's him, that's him! know it! 1 saw
him when he fought Paddy Ryan at Mis-
Sssippi City
Cigars and wine were handed into the
sleeper all that day for Sullivan by admir-
ing friends. Every station we passed was
crowded to get peep at John L., and Nc
rear end of the platform. The boys
smoked all kinds of cigars that day, and
they enjoyed the joke along the route clear
up to midnight. We arrived in New Or
leans the next morning, and l suppose up
to this day many people are telling their
children and grandchildren that they saw
the great John L. in 1888, with all his
pugilists around him.