The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-09-15
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watched the pltCner, Catcner ana man
ager making up their signals before a
game and frequently knew before play
started every signal that was to be
used.
At first the signals we're given by
the confederate, who stood in club
house window. and passed the signals
by the positions of his arms against
the sides of the window. One arm
was for fast balls, the other for
curves, and the code included many
positions of the man. The opponents
knowing their signals were being
tipped off," grew suspicious and
Murphy. learning of their suspicious
and fearing detection, changed bis
plan and gave the signals by raising
or lowering an awning on the club
house. If the awning was raised a
few inches and held there, fast ball
was to be pitched and If IL was raised
and dropped quickly a curve had been
signaled for. Not content with the
success at home the club took Murphy
on the road, and he worked from win
lows overlooking the park, oft n
hiring rooms in order to carry on the
unsportsmanlike practice.
Murphy's awning worked well. until
II was discovered by sharp eyes on
.he bench and then Murphy and his
associates invented something entire.
ly new in baseball They put electric
wires underground, connecting the
clubhouse with the coacher's box at
third base and buried in the ground
small wooden box containing a
"bUzzer." A certain noisy, obstreper.
o"s rlaver was stationed at third base
with one foot directly over the box
containing the "buzzer" and as the
signal sounded he could feel the tap
ping under his foot whereupon he
called code word warning the bat
ter what the pitcher was going to
pitch or what the opposing manager
had ordered from the bench.
Not regular player on the Phila-
delphia team batted under 800 per
cent. while the "buzzer" was in op-
GRAFTON, and several of their pitchers
and catchers were among the leading
batters Of the National league. OPP
posing teams knew that, in some way,
the Philadelphians were getting the
signals, but how they could not dis
cover until one day the Cincinnati
club was playing on the Philadelphia
grounds. Every man on the Cincin-
natl team was watching to see where
the signals were coming from and
thew that Nil 90
near third base no matter how he
moved, always kept one foot in the
same position.
In the middle Of the game, one Of
the Cincinnati team wandering appar
emily aimlessly toward third base,
made a sudden rush, pushed the
guilty Philadelphia out of the coach.
ers' box and dug up the device which
was winning games for Philadelphia.
The discovery created big sensation
in baseball and aroused a vigorous
protest against such unsportsmanlike
methods. But instead of stopping, the
Philadelphia club moved the buzzer
to their bench, and continued using
1t until stopped by league action.
Not satisfied with having that much
advantage on the home grounds, the
man who planned the thing followed
his team around the country, renting
windows overlooking the grounds in
each city and wig-wagging signals to
the batters He was caught at Brook.
lyn by some OF the Brooklyn players,
and trounced, and after that the
method Of spying gradually was aban.
doned.
Pittsburg, however, tried the same
thing a year later, using an ingenious
device; semaphore arrangement
fastened to the center field fence
which was raised at right angles for
fast ball and straight up for a curve.
The arrangement was not in use for
a week before the keen eyes of the
opponents discovered 1t and began
changing signals so rapidly the spies
could not follow them. After II
batters had been hit by pitched balls
in four days and some of them hurt
because they expected one curve when
another was being pitched the scheme
was abandoned
So the most interesting part of the
game; the brain work, the generalship
of baseball is hidden under those
coops behind first and third base
where the masters of baseball use
fingers, eyes, head, feet hands, cap,
strange phrases and senseless words,
all of which are in the code, to direct
their wonderful puppets. The public
never gets chance to find out what
is behind all the running ar1 throw.
ing and batting unless some one ellis
and then 1t is impossible to tell ven
the half.
One knows that when he sees
Chance raise his cap, double steal is
to be attempted, that II he raises -four
fingers, the batter is to be given q
base on balls. One knows when Nc
Graw changes places with the mar
next to him on the bench he is order
ing his players to hit and run. One
knows that when a Chicago coacheI
uses the given name OF the base run
ner the given name Is part of thai