The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-25

Why that was as clean strike as
ever split the plate protested the Bull
holding the ball where he had caught it.
The umpire drew a powerful magni-
flying glass from his pocket and focused
It on the ground just outside of the home
plate.
"'Come here he said to the Bull. AS
perhaps you are aware the draft created
by the passage of a swiftly pitched ball
slightly distuTbs the earth directly be-
meath 1t. When the diamond is as dry
as II is today the disturbance is quite
marked Look through the magnifying
glass moment Do you see that groove
where the dust has been blown aside?
Well that's the course the last ball took,
and it 5 just an inch and a half wide
of the outside corner of the plate. Are
YOU satisfied
But the climax came in the Lilies half
Of the ninth, with the score to s in
favor of the ROarers, two out. Bull
Thompson on third. and one of the Foote
twins at the bat I say one of the FOote
wins; Just which one It would have been
impossible to say.
5asted the Ball.
Right Foote and Left Foote. you see
they held down right and left fields
sDectiVeIy for the IilieS-Were mates if
ever two feet were mates
Both of them were all to the good as
outfielders, but while Right Foote was
holy terror at the bat Left Foote couldn't
h; We hit a bunch of toy balloons If you'd
held them right IN front of him.
For that reason Captain Slugger Bur-
rows always put their names pretty far
apart on the batting list, so that neither
of them ever came to the bat while the
other was on base. In this way 1t was
possible to have Right Foote bat for both
of them and on account of the brothers
extraordinary resemblance the opposing
team could never spot the change
Therefore. in the ninth inning, al
though it was Left Foote'S turn at bat,
a good many of us had sneaking impress
II hof z "
toed the plate.
.,When a moment later he basted the
ball over the center field fence, coming
in behind Bull Thompson with what we
thought was the winning run, we had no
doubt as to his identity.
THE Lily rOoters cheering like Bed
lom on election night, swarmed out on
sCy Priest rushed up to the umpire,
gesticulating wildly.
- That was the wrong Foote; ne was
protesting THAT was Right Foote- He
batted out of turn. Left Foote'S the right
a. order" commanded the umpire. mo-
tioning back the crowd with him hand
..He trotted out to left field and ex-
amined the ground with his magnifying
glass Then he came in to the players
Eeuch where the Foote twins we're sit
ting and seized one of them by the leg
"The Roarers VIM"
% Let's see the bottom Of your shoe he
said / have learned by the footprints
in left field that the man who has been
PLAYING there has a broken cleat on his
right shoe Ha As expected. Your
cleat is not broken. Therefore you must
be Right FoUte.'
.. well, what If I amp snarled Right
Focte 'Tain't me that made that last
hit Twas me brother Lefty. Hey
there What are you dOing?'
Before FOote could prevent him the
umpire had whipped out a hunting knife
and sIashed a long strip off the sole Of
his shoe.
e Wen soon see whether your brother
made that run or not he said
''He walked over and loosed the blood
hound that he had chained to the grand
stand at the beginning Of the game
Leading him to the plate, he rubbed
the leather he had just cut from Right
Foote'S shoe across the bTutes nose.
| After him, FidO after him.
After moments hesitation the beast
nose TO the ground set off like a flash
for first He rounded second and third
without a Waver and came tearing down
towards home as if 81 different kinds of
Eliza were pacing him over the ice course
in Uncle Toms Cabin
g AS expected. the umpire calmly an
neunced Right FOote out for batting
out of turn. The Roarers win
Before the spectators could recover
from their establishment the stranger and
his dog had sifted quietly out through
the gate And that was the last we ever
saw of-sav, i don't care what you say,
that must have been Sherlock Holmes"