The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-29

blow. I saw the ball rise in the air
and knew that II was going clear over
my head.
/ could judge within ten feet of
where the ball would light. I turned
my back to the bali and ran.
The field was crowded with people
and / yelled stand back!" and that
crowd opened like the Red Sea when
Moses stood on the bank. 1 ran on,
and as / ran / made my first prayer;
1t wasn't theological either, / tell you
that. I said, God IL you ever helped
mortal man, help me to get that ball.
/ ran, jumped over the bench and stop
ped.
Thought He could Catch Il.
I thought / was close enough 10
catch it. l looked back and ! saw ii
going over my head. and I jumped
and showed my left hand out and the
ball hit ms stuck. At the rate / was
going the momentum carried me on
and / fell under the feet of a team of
horses. l jumped UP with the ball IN
my hand. Up came John Hill and
Tom Johnson; Tom had been mayor Of
Cleveland, o.
Here is $40, Bill, but you the best
hat in Chicago. That catch won me
$1,000. Tomorrow go and buy your
self the best suit of clothes you can
find in Chicago.
l believe God helped me catch that
ball.
Listen! Mike Kelly was sold to
Boston for $4,000. Mike got half of
the purchase price. He came up to
me and showed me a check for So
900.
John L. Sullivan, the champion
fighter, went around with a subscrip-
tion paper and the boys raised over
$4,000 to buy Mf-e a house.
They gave Mike a deed to the house
and they had $L,5500 left and gave
him a certificate OF deposit for that.
Got Big Salary.
His salary for playing with Boston
was $4,000 a year At the end Of that
season Mike had spent the $4,000 pur-
chase price and the $4,000 he received
as a salary and the $500 they gave
him and had a mortgage on his house.
And then he dided down in PennsyI-
vania they went around with a sub
scription paper to get money enough
to put him in the ground. Mike sat
there on the corner with me twenty
five years ago when / said. II bid you
goodbye"
Williamson was the shortstop. a
fellow weighing 215 pounds, and a
more active man you never saw.
When Spalding took the two clubs
around the world l was the second
man asked to sign the contract. 1
was sliding to second base one day.
/ always slid head first, and I hit a
stone and cut a ligament loose in my
knee.
1 got a doctor and had my leg fixed
up, and he said to me:
William, If you don't go on that
trip I will give you a good leg. I
obeyed and / have al good a leg to-
day as 1 ever had. They offered to
wait for me at Honolulu and at Aus
tralia. Spalding said, Meet us in
England and play with us through
England, Scotland and Wales" / did
not go.
Williamson went with them and
while they were on the ship crossing
the English channel a storm arose
and the captain thought the ship
would go down.
Ed dropped to his knees and prayed
and said:
God, bring this ship safe into a
harbor and l promise to quit drinking
and be a christian"
God abated the storm and the ship
went into the harbor safely. They
came back to the United States and
Ed came back to Chicago and started
a saloon in Dearborn street.
/ would go down and pray for him,
and would talk with him. When he
died and they put him on the table
and cut him open and took out his
liver, it was as big as a candy bucket.
Ed Williamson sat there on the
street corner with me twenty-five
years ago., when l said, Il bid you
goodbye"
John Ward is another who sat on
the street corner with me that day
and John Ward Is now one of the
leading attorneys for the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit Co. Frank Flint, our
old catcher, who caught for nineteen
years, drew $500 a year on an aver
age. He caught before they had chest
protectors and masks and gloves. He
caught bare-handed.
Every bone in the ball of his hand
was broken, you never saw a hand like
Frank had. Every bone in his face
was broken and his nose and cheek
bones, and the shoulder and ribs, had
all been broken. Frank was dis
charged from the Chicago club because
he would drink and nobody else want
ed him.
He used to hang around the saloon
all the time. Many a time / have
found poor old Frank asleep on a
beer table. / turned my pockets wrong
side eut and dumped every cent I
had on the table and said:
frank, o can always look to me
for half Of what 1 have. / haven't as
much now al / had when / was play
ing ball. Then / was drawing $4,000
and $1,000 a year and was offered
$1,000 a month If / would play BALL"
His wife left him and one day he
staggered out of a saloon and was
seized with a paroxysm of coughing.
His wife happened to meet him and
the old love for him returned. She
called a carriage and summoned two
policemen, and they carried Frank 10
her boarding house. She summoned
five physicians, the best physicians
that money could buy, and said:
Men, men, save, save, save Frank"
Mrs. Flint, we can't, we can't"
Frank heard them and he said:
Send for Bill"
! hurried over to the house and as
I stood beside his bed he reached up
his left hand and reached 1t around
my neck and drew me down IN him