Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-17

James Meetkirk was ball player
who lived too soon. Had he been
zone who particularly valued himself
on playing BALI at this time instead
of 10 years ago, he might now be
the leading pitcher of either of the
major leagues instead of playing down
in Little washington in the semfpro
ranks In fact, this Meetkirk played
more than century ago would now
probably be swelled to something like
$50, 000 .......-. ...*.
Baseball is an old institution, but
there is little I'm history to tell just
when it was first played. However,
it was in vogue more than 100 years
ago, as an advertisement, inserted in
the Western Telegraph and Washing.
ton Advertiser of December IL, 1903,
shows. A copy of this advertisement
was handed to Manager Clarke, of the
Pirates, yesterday. 1t is the earliest
authentic record of ball playing in
the old days. In the FAD" the old
style IS" much like the letter "F, 7"
was used. 1t is as follows: ~
Ran away from the Subfcriber on
Saturday night the 4th inf, James
Meetkirk. an apprentice to the Wind
for Chair Making Bufinefs. He is be-
tween eighteen and nineteen years of
age. about five feet nine inches high;
he is much given to profane fwearing,
lying, drinking and gambling and par
tfcularly values himfelf on playing
ball; he is impertinent in his man
ner, has down look-He had on and
took with him one fur hat, round
about jacket of grey colour, four vefts
of different colours, one of, which he
stole from his fellow apprentice, two
new fhirts of country linnen, one pair
of broad tod shoes, one pair Of blue
cotton and one pair of Cafimere pant
aloons. Five dollars reward will be
given upon delivering faid apprentice
to the subfcriber in the town of Wafh-
ington, Pennsylvania, or upon lodging
him in the goal of this country" 81.
When Clark read the lad" he de-
clared that Meetkirk was real ball
player, the like of whom any scout
might be glad to pick up. James was
probably the original spitballer, and
the fact that he could lie and swear
and drink is proof positive that he
was a player of the old school. But
there is some hope that he might
have rounded out into a modern ball
player as James evidentlyshad a love
for fine clothes, for he filched, upon
breaking his contract with the Wind
sor Chair Company, fur hat, four
vests of different colors, probably of
the variety which can be heard COM
ing down the street and two new
shirts. This bush Lacquer, who evil
IDENTITY going out to hunt for a job
in the majors, was some swell dresser.
Had James succeeded in signing up
with some major league club in 1903,
when he was between Is and 10 years
old, he would have been termed a vet
eran 100 years ago. In other words
he would have been % years old and
would have been in the majors ten
years. just long enough to begin to
go back.
Old record books fail to show what
percentage of his games Mcetkirk
won, or what his fielding and batting
averages We're, but if he had as good
an opinion of himself as the advertise
ment indicates, he apparently went
to the big league from the Washing
ton semi-pro team with about as ex-
alted an opinion OF himself as the
present-day recruit holds.
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