The evening world., 1911-04-01
Thirty Years Ago Jack
Knight Father Was
a Great Pitcher
HarryD Davis Real Discouerer
OF HiiltOps' Crack Player
in Fail OF 1904.
THIRTY years ago old Jim Knigh'

THrRTY years ago old Jim Knight
visa some pitcher. He was the
star OF a team Uncle Ben Shibs.
now owner OF the worlds champion Ath-
letics, owned. and which played only on
Saturdays In those old days when base
ball was really In Its infancy. One day
Jim's arm went back on him and to the
regret OF Shibe the star pitcher had TO
quit the team.
Some day. Ben" said Jim Knight on
parting. "I'll send you q downright
smart bail player
The promise did not look very good.
because there we're no Ii 'ls Knights
floating around the little suburb OF Phil
adelphia which Is now known as North
Philadelphia. Some years later. on oct.
9. 1856. there came into the family Of
Jim knight a boy and he was none
other than John Wesley Knight. who in
later years was TO become one OF the
star inhelders OF the baseball world.
Jack Knight he Is known as to-day. and
the far on the Hilltop place him second
to no man in the American league
Mack Discovered Him.
80 h"V @esA VI A'VN S'h'''S ~ "'
even has scouts at the North Pole look
ing for possible baseball material, got q
line on young Jack Knight. Harry
Davis. whiting away some time between
the nursings OF a sprained leg. stro.led
out to Westchester. a suburb OF the
Quaker City. and his eye caught on TO
Jack knight. When he saw Mack he
recommended that the boy. who was
then Just reaching his eighteenth year.
should be given a trial. Mack sent for
him and Knight fixed his name TO a
contract that his father had promised
would he signed twenty-thrse years be-
fore. Jack knight. sure enough. WAS a
wor' 6 hand for Ben Shibe.
vay, in 1895 Jack went South 70
train with the Athletics. When the sea-
son opened Monte Cross. who vas the
regular shortstop o, the team. was laid
up with a bad hand. Jack Knight was
sent In to work In his place. and 80
well did he do things around the middle
OF the diamond that ever when Cross
rot better there was no room Tor him.
For two months and a half knight
played. His batting average FOR half
OF that period was about 400. Philadel-
phia fans, and there are no more rabid
ones IN the world. began talking and
singing the praises oi the YOUTH Inc
papers were crowded with stun about
the boy. md onto his name was tackled
the "Schoolboy Wonder
Ru. Jacl. had been travelling too fast
10 keep II u? and his batting average
began to dwindlc. And back went Cross
TO his old job. But that year young
Knight played about seventy-eight
games. winding up with n hitting aver
age Of something near the $50 mari
and doing hts share to land the pennant
FOR the Philadelphia club, which club
went down to defeat at the hands % the
Giants in hat memorable worlds series.
Played at Third.
More ana more experience was the hoy
getting. and the next year found him
still with the team, and nj the opening
OF the season az third base. Lave Cross
had been released. n the men who
were slated for tho lob. Arthur
Rrouthcrs and I;ubr Oldring. were too
III TO play. But Jack held up his end
al, right. hut nothing like Jimmy Col
l!us had done for the Boston team. and
-. .HIA, t"nppIa Mack nnt sh. .l.n,n