The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-03-07

early 70s or to Jim Mccormack in the 1 sos for Cleveland and Chicago f.I doubt if the game ever saw the equal of Ross Barnes as an an-around ball player; he was the king among batsmen, a phenomenal fielder and re- l markab1e base runner.''
 Jim was willing to grow 1enient about the Boston champions of 1875 a team that never lost game that nearest to a loss was an Thinning drawn game with the Philadelphia club.
 q remember how easy the games were for us that year, said the vet eran, stas we worked the hit and run game. We all hit to right field, and, by the way, I hear the Pittsburg club won the honors last season by develop ing right field hitting.''
 MT. O'Rourke claims that he was the first professional to wear the chest club in 1876 and was the inventor of other projections now used by the players.
 MT. O'Rourke was graduated from grets the latest move of the leading g universities in forcing all candidates for the lay course to be graduates of the academic courses.
 s"This means hardship" said he ssfor the poorer classes who have not the means to give their boys a regular college course, and much weaker law yers as the final result. Many of our most eminent legal luminaries became lawyers with little learning in the classics
 MT. O'Rour1ze spoke of his own son who had passed through Yale and be- come lawyer, but had no love for the profession.
 s'The boy is as bright as a dollar" said he, s'but the ball field has greater attractions than the law for Jimmie g
 MRS O'ROURKE DELIGHTED.
 From the office we took 15 minute czf nf d f TTu0 0eyf TOrsi1 where MT. O'Rourke has a fine home on Pembroke street. There I had the pleasure of meeting his very interesting wife and daughter Lillian. Some years ago Miss Lillian was one of the party taken to Washington to see the inauguration as guests of the Boston Globe, with Thomas Downey IT,, in charge The O'Rourlze family consists of parents and children, five girls and one boy, and three little grandsons on the side for good measure.
 How do you feel about Mr. O'Rourke's withdrawing from base ball?'' I asked.
 T am perfectly delighted" was the tried for long time to get Jim to give up baseball and attend strictly to to his law business, and give me lit age the home team to win, for we are all loyal to Bridgeport
 I noticed just two baseball pictures in the set of spacious rooms that was in, club pictures of the New York Giants, champions of 1888 and 1889, with O'Rourke in the groupe.
 I was shown the spot where a ga- rage will be erected soon, as Sir James will have a new automobile for tour ing purposes.
 Next summer,'' he explained, twill be the first summer that I have been out of baseball since starting in back in '72, and I intend to enjoy the sea- son.''
 A very old cricket ball was produced and MT. ORourke said it was the identical one that he used at Kensing- ton in '74, when he won a long distance throwing match from a party of crack baseball and cricket players, throwing the cricket ball 119 yards. I was a witness of the event and strengthened fathers reputation for veracity with the family and neighbors whom Jim had some difficulty in convincing that he once appeared before the English nobility in the act of a long distance thrower.
 O'Rourke has yet to know the taste of liquor or tobacco, but as a milk drinker James was always great. I was told that the whole family took after their celebrated parent in the drink line. As ball player he was noted for the amount of milk that he drank. Often before starting for game he would dispose of two or three glasses, and at time manager liar ry Wright claimed that Jim was slow ed up on account of this delightful habit.