Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-23
Pete Browning's Celebrated Hit.

Pete Browning's Celebrated Hit.
When Pete Browning. the husky center
fielder OF the Louisville club. happened
to be feeling good, there was no ball
player then 'or since who could drive the
ball so great a distance as could this
queer genius. He was known as the hard
est hitting man in the world Not, you
understand, on account OF the number of
hits he would make, but on account o.
the terrific manner in which he would
strike the spheroid. and the distance he
would send 1t, after landing on 1t.
Browning was very eccentric in his
talk and in his actions. and his intellect
was of the two by four variety He new
er spoke of himself. but in the third per-
son. and his conversation, which was o.
the brasgadocio order, was always about
base ball and the prowess OF one Mr..
Browning.
a swagger that Waddell would give a
months salary to be able to initiate and
as an indication of the intelligence pos
sessed by the Louisville TROJAN, it is
claimed on good authority that when
Browning was playing in the game he
could never remember which side was
ahead. and very often after the game was
over, he didn't know which side had won,
and what is more he didn't care. SO long
as he had made couple of his "bingles."
Pete always called hit "bingle:" ne
was the originator of the word and it
was his custom to say: "Old Pete. he
sure did git his bingles i'm this day; he
done druv one Of 'em clar through the
couple of carpenters busy right long
fixin up them fences. where he done
druv' the balls through
Browning was purely an Individual play
er, and his boast OF driving the balls
through the center-fieId fence was CORE ct
as he accomplished this remarkable feat
on several occasions, which, o. course.
goes to show how powerful his drives
were.
AT the time that Pete played with the
LOUISVILLE club there was then in exist
enca colOred troop of crack bali PLAY
ers Known as the Cuban Giants and they
were good bali players, too. They used
TO travel from city to city. playing ex-
hlbition games with the different Nation
al League teams
one day in the late fall they drifted
into Louisville and quite crowd of the
local rams went out 10 see the contest
Inc shortstop on the colored cub was
one or those short dark individuals who
are eternally grinning He had all the
motions OF professional cake walker and
MS Srlmaces and the way he turned som
ersaults and ''cd!k- i,ed' I'D and down
tne heid after each good play made by
SO amusing that the large crowd in a..
tendance was cOnvulsed.
1hselitie negro was = ally good short
stop also. and he made some Sensational
plays that wee so loudly applauded
that ii made him somewhat. chesty and in
consequence caused the Louisville men to
get sore on him.
This black snortstop almost drove Pete
Browning TO murder by the manner in
which he had handled e. couple of Pete's
drives. and il n ;,,;,,
the little negro would yell out as he cake
walked up and down the line:
Yah. yah. yah. Marse Pete. yo' GER
tiny am UP gainst de real ting. sab: yo
hyah bout yo' boin' an monst'us batter
Marsc Browning. and ives all wukin de
Gle rabbits foot on yO, sab; an de res
oh yO' genpermens."
And then this little black fellow WOULD
throw back his kinl,y head and laugh
his comrades would join In the merri-
ment.
Browning was mortified beyond express
sion that he. q southern man, and q native
of Louisville, should be unable 20 knock
the ball out of the lot. especially when
playing against a negro club. The other
white players shared in the modification
with the only Pete. and as the game was
altogether too close to be comfortable the
Louisville fellows evolved a plan where
by they could get rvan with the little
negro ShOrtstOp as we'll as to cop Il few
mora runs on the size.
At the end OF the seventh inning Luby
tho Colonels' pitcher. and the nan who
led tho league in batting in 1890. called
he darl.-skirned twirler o. The CUBAN
Giants over to him. and said:
See here. Sarbo. We fellows on the
team are dead sore on Pete Browning
account of. his being so stuck UP Owe his
batting. Now We have bet him 500 that
you can strike him out. and Ii you do we
will give You his $40. But the way, the
sure way. to strike him ont continued
Luby. lis to feed him nothing bat a ball
just about six inches above his shoe tops;
and put little outshoot on it, added the
white pitcher. and he cant lis it In
million years"
The negro pitcher swelled up with pride
on account OF having the confidence of
Luby and the honor of striking out the
terrible Browning, and he eripningly
acceded to Luby's proposition, and ut
once acquainted the comedian shortstop
about the deal that was about to be
pulled off. with the result that the little
black skinned fellow had fit over the
situation.
Now, il there ever was one ball that
Browning could drive a mile. 1t was a
low outshoot about six inches above his
shoe tops. He could hit with all his power
ball like this with his eyes shut. and he
could place 1T with a nicely OF precision
that was marvellous.
So when the negro pitcher steadied
himself and sent in this particular kind
of ball. Pete, who. CT course, knew what
was coming, leaned back, and then. as the
ball came speeding over the plate. he
gathered up all his strength. and catching
that ball OH the end of his bat. he pulled
il around. and away it SHOT down to the
grinning black shortstop with SO great a
speed that il looked like a dwarf pea. and
il fairly burned the air. il was SO hot.
The little cakewalEer didn't have time
enough to get out of the way of the thir-
teen inch gun projectile-like sphereoid. so
h. put his hands up, burt that ball tore
through his hands. landed mp against his
chest then gayly caromed dip against his
chin, causing the negro plSver to turn a