Evening star., 1907-11-17

Few of the readers Of The Star may
remember that back in 1894 IA number
of National Base Ball League magnates
undertook to interest the American pub
lie in professional foot ball. run in the
same measur and style as base ball.
This move on their part was due to the
fact that in that year the people were
awakening to the excitement OF the game,
and the base ball magnates thought the
time ripe to take up the sport and make
ii comm ercial success.
The Wagner brothers Of Philadelphia
We're then the owners Of the Washington
club and they fell into the project heavily,
for, being from Philadelphia, where pro-
fessional foot ball fiourishes, they were
confident they could make a success of it.
They cor: allied the best of the players
around Philadelphia and brought them
down here to Washington for practice, it
being stipulated that the game to
be the English game, known to the pub
lie as association or soccer foot ball
This game is radically different from
the American college game, and is really
one of the most scientific contests that is
played on an open field as Well-trained
with as much accuracy expert bill
lard player controls the ball on the green
table. simply by the use of arms, head
chest and shoulders. and there is no eX-
treme roughness in the game.
Washington. Baltimore, New York, Bos-
ton, Philadelphia and Pittsburg entered
the list, all of them, with the exception
of Baltimore, giving out the candidates
for the teams. and the papers Of the sew
eral cities exploiting the individual play
ers as the best ever" and each as usual
predicting what it would do to the other
teams.
Ted SulIivan's Coup.
Ned Hanlon was manager of the Balti-
mores in 1894. He was down and out
when it came to selecting a foot bali out
fit for while Hughey Jennings. "Muggsy"
McGraw. Bill Brodie. Joe Kelley and
Henny Reitz were star base ballers, they
We're nit at foot ball and the wiley
Hanlon did not know what to do. Into
this breach walked the versatile Ted
Sullivan, who proposed that an English
team be imported to fill the void.
Harry Won der Horst, the owner of the
Baltimore club, jumped At the idea. and
II a twinklng Ted Sullivan was speeding
to England in search of a team to come
over and represent Baltimore. Luck ran
his way from the moment he arrived in
England, for he was able to secure the
best players in the country. The Man
chesters were 50 regarded. but on the
day of Suilivan's arrival the Blackburn
Harriers defeated them and the Man
chesters were charged with throwing the
game for Speculation purposes The
managers of this team laid them off with
out pay. Sullivan thereupon induced the
players to come to America, where he
guaranteed them each FIVE pounds week
and a roundtrip ticket, a bait that was
quickly swallowed, and the entire team
was secretly taken aboard the fast going
Teutonic ard made New York in reco:d
time, and three days afterward opened
up at Washington against the Wagner
all-Star team. 1t was called. 1t was
like a revelation to see that crowd of
Englishmen make monkeys out of that
Schuylkll river set, for from the mo-
nent the ball was put in play the Bal
tmores'' did not allow it once TO get o,it
of their possession, and they won the
game 80 10 o. which is the worst beating
that can be administered under associa-
ton foot ball.
Government Takes Action.
The matte of the Englishmen coming
to America was kept a profound secret
until the morning of the game, and then