davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
LAW WHIPS JEFFRIES
IN THE FIRST ROUND

Big Jim Jeffries. the noted exclamation
heavyweight pugilist lost the first round
e. aslegal battle in the courts of Nevada,
where he was sued for the payment of
$500 on notes held by two Reno sporting
men. who claim they were given by jeff
to cover losses at gambling in a Reno
resort while the pugilist was in Nevada
C;l the occasion of the Hart-Root bout.
The motion of the defendant to have the
case tried in another county was de-
Ised. The plaintiffs claim Jefferies re-
f:ised TO pay either the principal or in
rest on the account.
Ii will be remembered that Jeff on the
occasion referred to in the complaint was
IL Reno for several days prior to and
after the Hart-Root contest and at the
time became interested in a game of
craps. Well. the same thing happened
to Mr. Jeffries that happens to all boobs
he was trimmed to a fare-thee-well, but
proved less of sport than had been
expected and WEIGHED on what he had
borrowed.
was that the big fellow went In the hole
for about $500 that he had with him
and then asked IL he might play with
the money belonging to the house. after
the game it being agreed that he would
settle up. Jef borrowed money in $500
chunks. with the agreement that a FIVE
cent piece set aside should represent each
bunch he asked for.
When the game was over and Jeh
realized that he had run that bill up
TO something like 5000. he immediately
howIed that he had been bunked and
that he would not pay the money.
After a time many of the big fellows
friends tried to make him pay up the
debt and at the time there was talk OF
Jeffries and Sduires meeting in Nevada
ne agreed to do so. 1t is said by his
friends that the wife refused to allow
him to pay 1t, however, and hence the
suit.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

Christmas day. and it was the hottest day
ever felt. 1t was almost impossible to
play, SO warm was the weather.
IAN amusing thing happened in Homo
lulu. We had permission from the King
to play on Sunday, but the mayor said no.
"Then 1t was discovered that the mayor
was bigger man than the king, and that
what he said had more force than did
the orders of the man supposed to be
the real ruler of the country.
Efforts were made to get the mayor
to relent. but he stood firm, and the king
couldn't help himself. The Sunday game
was for that reason called off.
I'VE played in Cairo. Egypt, and en-
joyed the trip immensely.
Jimmie Ryan, who is now manager of
Montgomery. was with us. Jimmie was
with the Chicago club. Billy Earle, who
later played ball In the Southern League
and was well' known in this section, was
another member of the club l was with. "
Brown has had varied experience in
the game and knows 1t from every stage.
While playing base ball no man had a
higher standing both for ability and in
tegrity. He has made a good umpire,
made against him all have been charged
to errors in judgment and to no other
cause. But that is what an umpire must
expect. That is what it seems some peo-
pie think they are on earth for. If a
club loses through lack of hits the umpire
is blamed. and If it loses because the
other fellows hit too often and too hard,
he gets the same sort of condemnation.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
THIRD BASEMAN HAS THE
HARDEST JOB ON THE TEAM

This base Is the hardest position on
the diamond to play.
Why?
Well, not because 1t is, or because
somebody said so' It is because more
errors are made at that position than at
any other on the diamond in proportion
to the number Of chances.
A fine-tooth campaign through the 1907
records of the National. American, South
ern, American association, Western, East
ern and Pacific Coast leagues made last
year discloses that out of every 100 OPP
portunities to handle the ball perfectly
the third baseman misses s. the shorfstop
misses Z, the second baseman misses 5.
the catcher misses slightly more than j
and the first baseman misses only =. The
pitcher was left out of the reckoning be-
cause he does not really figure as a fielder
and the outfielders because. of course.
their positions are cinches compared with
those Of the infielders and the catcher.
Now, 1t seems to stand to reason that
the position where the most errors are
made in proportion to the chances is the
hardest one to play.
1t is fair to suppose that the average
third baseman In the major and Class A
leagues is as good as the average second
baseman. And yet in the leagues named,
which include all those above the B class.
the third basemen made 2.O32 errors last
year out Of 28,O66 chances; while the sec
ond basemen made only 1901 out of 49,
131 chances.
Here are the grand fielding averages
by positions in the major and Class A
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
"GOLFED" HIMSELF OUT OF POLITICAL CAME

In no other game known to the sporting
public can a bore make himself so OBJ
noxious as in the Draw Scotch game O.
golf for no other game. it seems. offers
such opportunities and therein possibly
lies the reason why so many buffers
in are to be found on the links.
Most other athletic games have too
much segregating action to allow Of any
PROLONGED conversation between two of
the participants, and as a result the fell
low who can see no one and think no one
but himself has little chance to infiict his
line of conversation on the other players.
In golf, however. there is no escape. The
game does not require any regulated
speed, and the golfer may be pestered
from one end Of the course to the other
by the mutt who wants to explain every
angle of every shot he himself makes,
and imposes his advice on any one who
may be within earshot.
Such an unpopular character can do un-
told harm to a golf club, and there are
many instances extant OF where clubs
have been driven to the verge Of disso-
luton by such unfortunate humans. The
advent of the discovery OF such person.
age in the roster Is the signal for the
commencement of campaign the success
of which means the bores elimination
from the membership.
1t may seem peculiar, but 1t Is true, that
the game tends to develop this habit Of
INJECTING personal exploits upon any one
who can be prevailed upon to listen. As
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

beginning Of his downfall. Mr.. Blank,
while an elderly man. soon became able
to handle the cabs fairly well and the
lingo better. He became so enthusiastic
over the game that he thought Of nothing
and dreamed of nothing but drivers and
cleeks and brassies. He inflicted his en-
thusiasm on his friends and became a
regular buttonhole artist of the fiercest
stripe. No one could escape him, either on
the links or anywhere else. for that mat
ter. and the end of his popularity was in
sight.
People began to murmur at him for neg
Letting his duties as q city Official and
they began to lay 1t to his age. An ink
ling of this reached our friend, so, as he
deemed himself by this time something of
an athlete, he set out on a regular Ed
ward Payson Weston tour. His perform
ance was really remarkable for a man of
his age. but all the good results which
might have been gained from his athletic
feat. were nullified by the, unfortunate
manner in which he boasted Of his deed.
He wound up by being much more un.
popular than ever. The voters turned
away from him. and he was swamped at
the municipal elections In manner which
must have reminded him Of the opponent
whom he had beaten so badly at the pre-
ceding political contest. Thus did Bank
walk. golf and talk himself out of the
Chicago city council. and thereby de-
stroy whatever political ambitions he may
have had. The defeat he suffered has not
worked a cure. for the golf-bore habit.
once grown. Is almost past the curing.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

ninth inning. with two men out, three
men on the bases and himself at bat, II
would mean the loss of the game II he
should fan.
there, was raised on q farm and holds
many superstitions connected with
country life. He cannot be shaken from
his belief that a person who finds a TWEEN
ty-dollar note in the fork of the roads
with the wind north by east. is due to get
some money. Contrariwise. he considers
1t bad luck for a red-headed man to he
kicked by sorrel mule.
Ii cross-eyed batsman breaks Charlie
Streets wrist with foul tip, "Gabby"
refuses to play any more that day. He has
been told by the management that he
carries his superstitions too far. but in
this one thing the "talkative" one is firm
to the point of obst;nacy.
Ollie Pickering, the locals right fielder
says it is an ill omen if he muffs a fly
from a left-handed hitter when the bases
are full. and one run is needed to beat
the Nationals.
If a man with a brown mole on the
back of his neck spikes Bob Ganley in
the face as the latter is stealing second
base. the Nationals captain is miserable
for the rest of the afternoon. He says ii
is one of the uniuckiest things that can
happen to a ball player. and he cites lots
of cases In proof of his contention.
Mcbride. the say-nothing- only-once-in-
awhile shortstop. is firm believer In
the potency of the number 13 as base
ball thrown by the pitcher hits the bats
man in the Jaw it is sure sign of dis
aster
Bill Shipke is very fussy about personal
contact with opposing players. He says
it is bad luck to be even touched by a
man with a dollar-and-a-quarter ball in
his hand if you are running between the
bases
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

a general rule those who take to the game
have not been mixed up in any Of the
other sports which form so large part
of the life of the American youth. 1t is
for the most part the more delicate or
effeminate that take to golf. and as the
performances of the players necessarily
are not public enough to be passed upon
by others, It behoOves each individual to
foot his own horn or at least to be filled
with thoughts of his own work alone.
OF course there are thousands of ath-
letes who have done well In other lines
Of athletics who of late years have taken
to golf. and who have as little to say of
their work on the links as they have
about their feats on the diamond or the
gridiron.
Amusing conspiracies have been formed
for the confusion of golf bores by men,
bers of clubs, but the severest snub in
ficted occurred in Chicago not many sea-
sons ago, when the political ambitions Of
certain alderman were completely
squelched owing to the unpopularity he
had talked himself into on the golf links.
Alderman Blank, when elected to the
council of Americas second city, was one
Of the most popular men in his ward, and
he was returned with an immense ma
jority. Everything went we'll with him.
and his name was mentioned by many
among the possible future mayors for he
was making a fine record in his alder
manic capacity and wore his honors with
becoming gracesand modesty.
However. some one inveigled him into
Joining golf club, and that was the real
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

It is doubtful if fifty people who have
sssen Umpire Tom Brown officiating this
sfason in the Southern League have rec
osnized In him the same Tom Brown who
made that famous trip around the world
with the two ball clubs taken on the
CUR by A. G. Spalding twenty years ago;
bat he is the man..
lat the time the trip was planned Brown
Was playing with the Boston club and
Was selected to represent that organiza-
ts,n. There were two complete teams
taken. One of these was the Chicago
cub. which went intact. and the other
~5as made up OF the stars of various clubs
ABOUND the league.
Tom Brown was selected because he
was considered the star of the Boston
tfam.
srhe trip consumed exactly six months.
a:id during that time the men visited
riany places where it would not seem
base ball has ever been heard of. The
t.ur included Japan, Honolulu, Egypt and
Australia.
Brown talks most interestingly of the
tsip. although he has little to say about 1t
Unless questioned. The clubs made Mel
bpurne their headquarters while in Aus
tyalia, and played many games In the
cities and smaller towns near to 1t. The
tip began in October. 1883.
THE weather there he says was
tsrribly hot. We were in Melbourne on
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
SUPERSTITIONS OF THE NATIONALS.
ARE YOU ON?

Jack Warner says that if a sizzler sent
in by Charlie Smith is tipped by the bat
ter and strikes you on the knee-cap. Can
tillon will keep you out of the game for at
least two days.
Unglaub considers it sign of very bad
luck to be put out at first base by the
pitcher. assisted by the entire infield.
Charlie Smith says If a man pitches
eight bad balls in succession. permitting
two batsmen to walk to first. 1t is sign
there will be new pitcher in the box
next inning.
Hughes belief in numerals takes a pc
culiar twist 1t is his idea that il the
automobile which knocks him down on his
way to the game bears the figure 5. either
at beginning or terminal. 1t is a sign that
he will be sore for quite a while.
Edmondson claims that blue eyes have
a distressing influence upon him. He says
when he is called out on strikes by an
umpire having eyes of this color, feeling
of aversion comes over him, which he is
utterly unable to suppress.
If the manufacturers number on a safe
falling from a second-story window on
the head Of Pitcher Burns is odd. he
takes it as sign of misfortune.
Kahoe holds it to be an augury Of good
fielder. particularly if the error results In
bringing in the winning run for the Ma
tionals
Walter Johnson says when a man gets
home on him before he gets the ball start
ed there is second-story man on the
premises
Kelley says when a man is beaten three
times by the same team by a very small
margin, it is time for the manager of
that team to release all his players and
sign up some new ones.
The remaining eight or ten players,
but wouldn't loosen up when asked about
them.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

Innumerable instances are on record,
both in America and England, Of exceed
ingly cheap colts afterward winning for
tunes for their chance owners. One of
the most notable cases recently was that
of the American steeplechaser Rubio.
which won the Liverpool Grand National
last March. After arriving in England
with lot of yearlings he was sold for
$75 and driven to trap for a while.
Stories of Derby winners having been
sold as youngsters for exceedingly small
sums are fairly numerous, and without
going too far back into the recesses of
the past at least two instances can be
cited of animals destined ultimately to
win the "blue ribbon Of the turf which
as yearlings no one thought good enough
to buy. Voltigeur was one of these and
the other was Thormanby.
Voltigeur was bred by Robert Stephen
son in 1847 and as yearling was sent
up to be sold at the Doncaster sales. a
reserve price of $1,7JO being placed on
him. Not a man was found to bid that
much for him, consequently he was with
drawn.
In all probability he would have re-
manned unsold had not Williamson, rel
alive by marriage of Lord Zetland, seen
MIN ana, having taken a FANCY TO MIN,
finally persuaded his lordship to buy him.
Voltigeur Wins Derby.
His judgment was triumphantly vindi-
Gated. for not only did Voltiguer win the
Derby and st. Leger, but he succeeded in
establishing a line Of thoroughbreds
which is at present dominant on the Eng
lish turf and likely to remain so for some
time to come.
Thormanby. too. was sent up to be dis
posed of at DoncaSter and, like Voltiguer,
did not reach nominal reserve. Desir-
Gus of getting rid of him, however, Plum
mer. his breeder. requested his famous
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
O'CONNOR HAS AMUSING EXPERIENCE
With Charles (Si1ver) King His Battery Mate, Jack
Cleans Up at Carthage, Mo-, in a Game
Against St. Louis Team.

while the old gag of going up into the
big league to get a crack. battery to 60
into a strange town and work for a team
not worked as much as it used to be-
said Jack O'Connor, the veteran catcher
of the Browns, the other day. ''still. 1t IL
done once in a while these days. A fellow
takes pretty big chance when he does
1t. unless he knows all about the situa-
ton. I had an experience once that
taught me a lesson.
1T was perhaps fortunate for me that
1t was early in my career. In 1885 Silver
King and I were the battery for the St
Joseph, Mo-, team. under Pat Tebeau. A
gentleman from Carthage, Mo-, came up
to st. Joe and wanted us to go to Carthage
under assumed names, and pitch a game
against st. Louis team that had been
coming to that town and winning the
games and the money. I told him that ii
1t was st. Louis team the players
would know me and that it would not
work.
''He finally offered us 800 apiece and all
get round-trip tickets and deposit them
with the money with a well known restau-
rant keeper. He did so and the next morn
Ing we went to Carthage. We got into
cab at the station and went to the hotel.
He would not let us go out of the place
until time for the game, as he had lot
Of money up and had lieutenants making
bets with the st. Louis club followers.
well, in the afternoon King and put
on the uniforms he furnished US at the
hotel and quietly mingled in with the
team that was to play behind us, not one
of them being aware Of our identity. As
soon as we appeared upon the field and
had started to work I espied st. Louis
player named Gallick among the opposi-
ton. I knew that he would identify me-
In those days they used to call me Skin
n.y. L was prepared for this salutation.
and. sur, enough 1t came. Gallick finally
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

question about the hardest position ought
| to be settled by these figures. You can't
dodge the fact that the hardest position is
the one where the most errors are made.
These figures run very regular through
all the leagues. Here are the leading
averages by leagues and by positions:
sI First bas ss. .ss2; National ;ss!:
Cation. .oss: Eastern .s7i: Pacihe Coast. $50.
Second base-American. .9o4: National. $50:
wssern 4 t:c A%e Tnst Asss
seahsrn sl7; western s sis: American american Ass::
Southern. .ae5: western. .9ie: American Asso.
Catchers- american. 800: National, org:
Southern. :914: Western. .961: American Asso-
citation, .967: Eastern. .959; Pacific Coast. SS5.
That each position is about propor-
tionately hard to play and that it 10
played about as well in proportion by one
league as by another is shown by the
averages given here.
Take the first basemen. The fielding
average for all in the American league
was .9s2 1t was identically the same
In the southern and likewise in the Ameri-
can association.
At second base the same averages were
made by the second basemen of the South
ern. American Association and National
leagues and the best and the worst were
separated by only .00S.
The regularity that these figures display
and the fact that they all tend to prove
that third base is the hardest position to
play, with shortstop a very close second,
would seem to settle the argument
Why the third baseman's position is the
hardest is not difficult to understand He
Is closer to home plate and has to take
batted balls coming faster than any other
man. II he fields the ball perfectly he
generally has further to throw to first
than any other player. He is also the
man who gets the most puzzling hunts to
handle and who has to help out in many
intricate and dificult team plays.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
FAMOUS THOROUGHBREDS AND DERBY
WINNERS THAT WERE BOUGHT FOR SONG

wears ago, was an exceptionally fortu-
nate purchase by John Porter. the trainer.
He bought the colt out of the Hampton
Court lot of yearlings in 1883 for the very
reasonable price Of $2,12O SIR Kooer'
Jardine taking a half interest In him.
AS two-year-old he was seen only
once in public, and he won his race with
the greatest ease. The year following ne
won the Esher stakes In canter. after
which he was sold to Sir James Miller
stakes If he won the Derby. 1t was. in
deed, a profitable deal for Porter and Sir
Robert.
Another instance OF Porter's shrewd-
ness as a horse dealer was his purchase
of the great horse Isonomy for the baga-
telle figure, comparatively speaking. OF
81. 500. The real owner was Fred Gret-
ton.
Isonomy Unpromising Youngster.
Isonomy gave no real promise OF his
worth as a two-year-old. his only VIC
tory being nursery stake in the latter
part of the season. AS two-year-old he
was not seen in public until the Cam
bridgeshire, which he won easily by two
lengths, and incidentally earned no less
than 500, 900 in bets for his owner.
Had he been in the classic races he
would in all probability have cleaned the
board.
At four years old he won the gold cup
at Ascot, and the Goodwood and Brighton
cups, and crowned these feats py liter
ally running away with the Great Ebor
handicap. carrying the crushing weight
of 1856 pounds.
The following year Isonomy proved him.
self a better horse than ever. not only
winning the Ascot gold cup again, but
also the Manchester cup. with the al
most impossible burden, one would think.
of 1873 pounds.
It has been calculated that altogether
Isonomy won for his owner upward OF
100000 in stakes and bets, which FOR
profit.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

I recognized me and called out. Hello.
Skinnyv I ignored the matter and kept
on practicing. After he had called me two
or three times he came over and re-
marked:
YOU'RE pulled up a whole lot, amt
you, SO that you won't recognize your
friends. and it is nobody but Skinny"
| O'Connor.
'Sh-h. Keep quiet was my word OF
caution. Don't give us away, but IL
any friends of yours who can keep his
mouth shut. put him next to the scheme.
Just hedge
What your talking about?" said Gal
lick. You've got no team behind you.
Well win easily
Don't need any team. King will win
the game alone and strike out twenty
| men,. was my rejoinder.
els that Silver King with you? Well.
I'll hedge and keep quiet about it. except
| to a couple of friends
'Gallick kept his word. and by changing
his two friends came out good winners.
King won the game by himself. as he
struck out eighteen men. and those he
could not strike out popped up flies and
went out. In the meantime we could not
do anything with the St. Louis battery.
| but managed to win out on a hit that
King made by a to score. As soon
as the game was over King pulled for
the hotel and wanted me to follow, but I
did not.
Il was interested in seeing the bets
handed over to the winners. It was q
sight The ST. Louis bunch lost a lot Of
money. as they had bet on themselves.
while the natives had also backed the
team pretty we'll. The man who secured
us at st. Joseph cleared $1,000 on the
game. When I got to the hotel King had
left town and / followed the following
morning. When 1 arrived King told me
was chump to have remained there as
III the crowd had found out that we were
| ringers there would have been a cutting
bee. the same as took place at the finale
of an expedition of a similar kind he had
taken the year before"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23

game correctly. play for play. and at
the end read the account correctly from
your book. A man should be able TO
read the score just the same as the fans
read his account the next morning.
One of the reasons that there is not
more uniform scoring is from the fact
that there is not uniform scoring sys-
tenn. Every man has his own idea of
how to score a play and how a play
should be scored. In my travels around
the circuit this also applies to all the
boys who travel with ball clubs) / have
discovered many young fellows who have
just graduated from school and who in
some way. certainly not from the fact
Of knowing the angles of base ball. have
been selected to score the games. They
have an idea of how to do it. but any
more lets them out Ask half of them
how so and so went out and how so and
so scored and they cannot tell you. Can