Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-16
Clutch" Crafts Narrative.

Clutch" CRAFTS Narrative.
John Graft. once pitcher with the
| Washington Base Ball Club. and one of
| the speediest men that ever twirled a
| ball over the home plate, is now in bust
ness in the southeastern section of the
/ city, and although retired from base ball
John keeps up his interest in the game.
| AS he Is we'll known to most Of the
older major league players he Is always
a welcome visitor at the hotels where the
out-of-town clubs put up when they are
| in Washington.
| Many of these men the genial Mr.. Graf
has played professional ball with. When
| they get together it is interesting to hear
! the stories they unreel.
Dutch Graft is the man who brought
the once famous Cupid" Childs. the
great Cleveland and ST. Louis shortstop.
to the fore, Childs and John played
| together in the Pennsylvania State
League. Last summer Childs was in
| Washington, and he and Dutch strOlled
| up to the hotel where the Chicago club
! was putting up, where they met George
Davis, who had played ball with both
| men.
| A short while afterward a newspaper
| man on a local paper came in. and the
subject switched to the situation in St.
| Louis. where, at that time, the players
on both clubs were making the most aw-
| full threats as to what they were going
to do to the sporting writer's of that city.
/ Oh dCCOuuL Ol Inc way Tie DOyS Will tue
pen were handling the spike-shoe frater-
| nifty.
| when played on the Shamokin team
in the Pennsylvania State League. the
year they won the championship" began
! Dutch Graft. I'VE had a player on the
club who could never get along with the
reporters, and he was always threatening
| to whip some of them. One morning.
after reading an article in the paper
about himself that did not suit him. he
! xYaE,t md fn ha off 4
| began fight with the sporting editor
''And how did he make out?" quired
Childs.
why, the police just arrived in time to
| prevent murder" said Dutch as he bit
| off the end of fresh cigar.
| Did they take the player to the jail?''
asked George Davis.
! Nav" drawled John. as he struck a
| match, they took him to hospital"
Sammy Strang's Subscriber.
Sammy Strang, the clever utility man
of the New York Nationals, is a news
paper man and, with his father, conducts
! a weekly paper somewhere in the fast
nesses of sunny Tennessee. The people
living in this territory. according to Sam
my, are not overburdened with intelec-
tual knowledge. for they haven't really
| the leisure to acquire learning for max
| ing ..moonshine" whisky and keeping a
| take up a lot of time. Then. most of
| the families have ancient and honor
| able feud to keep up. when they are not
| busy at the above mentioned occupations
| they are real Industrious at finding ways
| and means to pump some slugs of lead
| into their foes, at least that's what is
| said.
| AS all this takes a lot of time .heir
moments spent in educational pursuits
are few and far between. But they all
make it point to take the weekly paper,
and the profits accruing from running a
periodical in that particular region are
not to be shifted at.
| Like all country papers, Sammy'S sheet
publishes lot of patent medicine adj
vertisements. One day last winter. so
| states Strang, an old mountaineer came
| into the office and, as he laid his dollar
| down for a renewal of subscription, he
| turned to Sammy and said:
| THAT sartinly was great paper you
| got out last week. mister
| "Glad you liked it, replied Sammy, as
he began filing in a receipt blank.
| Yes. sir continued the moonshiner.
! them air series you had in about people
gittn' cured of long standin diseases was
the most entartaingest bit of news l ever
read. and their picters showed EN- to be
in fust-class health, too