The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-08-11
CALLAHAN ONE
WHO CANE BACK
After Six Year LayOff Ouifl;IdGT
Puts Up Great Game.
PLAYS BALL FOR FUN OF IT.
Worth a Fortune, Is an Actor and
Politician In Chicago, but Loves
Baseball Quit Job as Plumbers
Helper to Break Into Pastime.

While carrying a bathtub on the back
of his neck and drawing $3.50 a week
for the same Jimmy Callahan sat down
on the curbstone in the outskirts of
Fitchburg. Mass, one hot afternoon.
and his youthful brow began to wrin-
kle with thought waves.
Across the street he saw cluster of
ball players climbing into q bus. A
newspaper near at hand informed the
young plumbers apprentice that those
fellows were getting $50 a month for
busting baseball in the eye and then
had the rest of the day off. For half
hour Jimmy grappled with this prob
lem and then, with q sigh, picked up
his bathtub and moved on By the
time he had arrived at his destination
young Callahan, who in those days
was called "Nixy," threw down the
bathtub and threw up his job.
AS result of that desperate move
on the part of Jimmy, though still a
plumber at heart, he is today the own
er Of ball park in Chicago, is polit-
| ANoA ASetNCA VI 6iVhb 40 eAA
actor-a good one at that-during the
off months, has a stocking full of gold
laid away In the safe, is back with the
White Sox after q six years absence
and is one of the leading hitters of the
American league. With all that he is
one Of the most popular ball players
that ever blistered an umpire.
| ot, to
derful thing" explained Callahan re-
Gently. Il never abused myself by
drinking or excessive smoking, and
while l was out Of the big league
was playing ball once every week with
the semipro teams around Chicago.
When 1 started In this year l didn't
have to take off weight"
Callahan is simply born ball player
and can't get away from it. For years
he was a star pitcher, and when his
arm began to grow weak he proved
his versatility by going to the outfield
and becoming a star there. After six
years absence he Is today hitting $3.50.
Jimmy Callahan has a very keen
sense of humor, which accounts for his
success as a monologist. He delights
| to tell of the day when he packed up
his things in Fitchburg and started
for Philadelphia to become q big
league pitcher. That was in 1894, sew
enteen years ago last June After
throwing up his job Of carrying bath
tubs Callahan played regularly with a
team at Fitchburg and was known far
and wide as a coming pitcher. Finally
! Arthur Irwin, who was managing the
Philadelphia club, heard Of the young
ster and offered him a Job.
The first thing Jimmy did before
starting was to send on his photo
graph to Philadelphia, thinking the
whole town would be interested. He
then packed his belongtngs-one shirt,
two pairs of socks, two collars and a
baseball giove-into a little blue kies-
ter. Get that "hesterT Well, q kies-
ter is composed of two papier mache
sides, something like an old fashioned
telescope. The clothes are put in be-
tween them, and then leather strap
binds them together.
This blue kiester was the pride of
Callahan's heart, and with buoyant
spirits he got off the train in Philadel-
phia. By some strange mishap there
was no crowd at the depot to meet the
new pitcher, and Jimmy was keenly
disappointed. He couldn't understand
it any more than he could the fact
that his picture had not appeared in
any of the newspapers. This he blamed
on the mails
Nursing his disappointment as bes,
he could and shouldering his kiester
Jimmy went to the hotel and regis.
tered, which was quite an important
formality. After finishing his sigma
ture with a flourish he turned the reg
lister around so that the clerk could SET
it plainly. Callahan then swelled out
his chest and waited for the shock tC
the poor clerk Again there was pans
Of disappointment. The young man hat
never heard Of him. and to add insult
to injury the clerk looked him squarely
In the eye and said, 'It will be So ir
advance, as you have no baggage"
This was another blow to Jimmy al
well as hts kiester, but he paid his las
three bucks, took the room, and sale
nothing. after gazing around at thu
other players neat suit cases begaI
to get ashamed of my kiester.
'Out Of $25 advance money which
the manager gave me paid the mait
dollar to take that kiester and burr
It up. With $40 of my funds I paiC
the first installment on diamond stud
and then was a big Lacquer"
Jimmy forgot to say that he first ap
peared in a $3.50 blue serge suit jus
or the dummy, which blew out Of
shape in the first big wind, and HI
couldn't get 1t on again.
In due time Callahan got his frs
trial. and he plowed through tn
league from the start.
The only reason for Callahan quit
ting the game SIX years ago was tha
he wanted to make money. Now tina
he has made it he says he wants to re
main on the diamond until they Gu