The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-19
HE LIKES CHICKS
Walter johnson Comes to Kan
sas to See About Hens.
Next to Making Money They
Interest Him Most.
KNEW NO BASEBALL
Passes Boys Playing Catch and
Wonders What 1t Is.
Never Saw Big Leagues Until
He Went East.
KNEW NO BASEBALL

Washington May 19.-"The game of
baseball will live forever remarked
Walter Johnson, OF Coffeyville, KAN
premier of the big league pitchers, who
has Just rejoined his team after visit
to Kansas, in an interview with the
State Journal correspondent.
Too much money is being spent to
see the games, he says, and too much
money is being spent in the erection
of magnificent baseball parks, in salar-
les for players, in the purchase OF
clubs, to have the game die out. BE
sides there are 10000 professionals IN
the game, 100000 nonprofessionals' and
another 100000 amateurs.
Walter Johnson was 15 years old be-
fore he realized that there was such a
thing as baseball. Then, as high
school lad he was called upon one day
after school to pitch a game. he dldn
know the first thing about 1t, as ne
confesses, but he happened to have a
good arm, and his boy playmates dis
covered that he had in him the max
ings'' of a first-class pitcher.
Didn't Know What Game Was.
"Many a time when I lived on the
farm" Johnson said, 81 passed places
where kids were playing baseball, ana
never knew what they were DONG
knew nothing at all about the game
and here's a funny thing too" he ad-
life until I came east, and even now
can count on my fingers the league
games have seen other than those OF
my own team" ,
This did, indeed. seem a queer ad-
mission, coming from the man VINO
made Coffeyville famous, though ne
modestly disclaims this tribute, and
saws that Coffeyville's sole claim to dis
tinction lies in the fact that 1t was the
scene Of the Dalton gangs outlawry.
Iof n r6f M9rv Car
den, and even Eva Tanguay have had
their moments of stage fright.
what does 1t seem like" he was
asked, ito stand up and face Wnole
grandstand full of people on orlgnt,
sunny day, and have them all READY
and willing to jump all over you II you
happen to miscalculate the trajectory
of a missile propelled at velocity OF
275 feet per second, with an atmosphere
pressure 20 ..ona
fright" Pitcher johnson admitted, out
I never got excited enough to forget
that there's a ball game going on.
And what do you think this star
pitcher of the Senators Is interesIeo
in: Money, of course, first OF ALL next
to that, his chickens.
Chickens Els Hobby.
YES chickens! a man who would
ride all the way from Atlanta TO Cor
feyville, Kan, just to see that set
ting of white orpington eggs was pro-
perly placed beneath the rlgnt men
1ponef Certainly be fond of chickens. He
wo11ld rather go out to that farm IN
Kansas and watch the roosters-out
there where people go 10 PED carry anu
get I'D early than to loaf around New
york or Palm Beach or even go 70
paris and spend the winter. This man
who has proven the unconstitutionality
of fhe force of gravity, who can take
a little ball of rubber and yarn, cover
ed with select horsehide, stitched IN the
figure eight, and do wonderful things
with it has no longing LOT the Guy II
Is hack to the roosters for MIN.
walter Johnson is an out-of-doors
man of the sort that Kansas and the
west breeds. He has always peen
hard worker and he likes 1t. He is
what might be termed an open air
crank. He has a large body, a pair
Of twinlxling gray eyes. curly blonde
hair, and a boyish laugh.
johnson Is Winner.
One would imagine that he is one
who would take the lemons the world
hand him, and start up a lemonade
stand. He knows little about the Valqe
of money and he never invests he
buries it as fast as it comes IN ana IL
is rapidly accommodating in nice little
pile in a Kansas bank ana some Oh
these days when that little pie gets
so hig that he can't see over the top
of if there's going to be another $50
acres added to the 100 he already pos
sesses. and there's going to be another
wheat baron riding around the pra1rles
of Kansas in a big go horse power au-
tomobile. %
old now, and $1,000 a year is something
of a sum Of money for young man 10
get for pitching baseball rev months
out of a year.