Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-08-31

the baseball law as It then existed the
club could not have enforced it's con-
| tract. and his independence was plain
ly exhibited in the act of his refusing
this year to accept a money testimon-
| ial at the hands of his baseball
| friends. he preferring to depend upon
his existing physical powers for his
maintenance rather than upon the
proffered financial aid.
'In some respects Arson resembles
a rough diamond, his brusque manner
| and impulsive temper needing the
keen polish of the refining wheel of
the conventional amenities of life to
make his inherent worth shine forth
| in its full brilliancy.. Arson, too, re-
minds one somewhat of that old west
ern pioneer. Davy Crockett, inasmuch
as his practical motto is When you
know you're right, go ahead This
latter trait was shown conspicuously
In the year of the players revolt. in
| 1890, when almost alone as minority
man he stood by the National league
| in it's greatest hour of need in opposi
his confreres in the league ranks. in
these prominent characteristics, we
say, Arson stands as the most unique
player in the annals Of the profess
sional fraternity"
That was the verdict which
whether deserved it or not-was
more satisfactory to the old lover OF
the game at Marshalltown than would
nave been the news that his self-willed
son had been made member of the
presidents cabinet
Now, although l don't suppose the
public cares whole lot about what /
have been doing since l retired from
baseball, I'd like to say, for my own
comfort that SO far haven't been OBJ
l1ged to join the bread line. In one of
the early chapters Of this story l
confessed that had soft spot in my
heart for the game of billiards.
might have said that since the days of
my early boyhood l have sort of d.
vided MY attention between baseball
and billiards, always, of course. giving
the preference to the former After
l left the diamond 1 very naturally
turned to billiards, and eventually
adopted it as business
The game Of billiards has undergone
many and frequent changes since be-
gan playing baseball for living. When
l think of that old table in the Arson
house at Marshalltown 1t makes me
wish l could get possession of it; 1t
would be splendid start for a mu-
scum. The four-ball game and the old
fashioned pocket table are things of
the past, but even in those days it was
a good game. 1t is also fact that
some of the famous ballplayers have
been experts with the cue Frank c.
Ives, who won the title of Young Ma
poleon of Billiards" played ball with
professional team long before he
made his reputation at billiards.
The first expert of note ever met
over billiard table was Eugene Kim
ball. who, in 1871, was member of
the Forest City Baseball club of Cleve-
land, o., and who at that time had a
good reputation both as a ballplayer
and as knight of the cue 1t was
while was playing with the Philadel-
phia Athletics that l made my public
debut as billiardist James Lentz, a
New Jersey professional, who had
cleaned out everything in his line in
the land sandfies and mosquitoes,
took me on for match, 300 points
up, at the old three-bal style of bill,
lizards, for stakes of $100 side, and
beat him by score OF 300 to 252.
l admit that my victory gave me
pretty good opinion of my ability as
billiard player, but 1t didn't interfere
with my devotion to baseball. To show
you that it didn't make me waver in
my allegiance to the game of games
will state that it was not until more
than ten years afterward that l ap-
peared again before the public as
billiard player. Frank Parker, ex-
champion of the old four-ball game,
believed that he knew the 14-inch balk
line game well enough to down me
easily. and to show him that did not
share his belief / made match with
him for stakes of $3.50 side. The
match was played at Central Music
hail. Chicago, and l surprised Parker
and his friends-and perhaps some of
my own-by winning the match by
score OF 500 to 366. averaging in the
neighborhood of five.
But when 1t comes to the final show
down the thing that gives me the
most unqualified satisfaction Is my
batting and fielding record for the 20
years of my active connection with
the Chicago club. Let me present it
with my f.aal bow:
Per cent Per cent
Years. Games. base hits. fielding
1910. o. .3B $50
lclo........ oO .34l .6Z6
| lS77....................67 1875 1858