The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-10-11
PHENOMENAL RISE
Of NACK'S HURLER
PLAYED in Infeld Until Two
Years Ago-Blankenship
Started Him.

bfalnerQ, MIMI, Oct. II
Bush. the phenomenal pitcher of the
about 10 years old and like Bender,
the great Chippewa Indian pitcher.
vas born in Brainerd. Bush is the
soh of Mr.. and Mrs. John w. Bush
n went to school in Brainerd. He
did his first ball playing when his ia
ther was on the road, Bush, ST., being
. passenger conductor on the Minne-
sofa & International railway.
In the family, all boys. are Charles.
now 26. Eddie. aged %. Leslie, -,
Richard. IS, and the baby, Leonard,
Brainerd nine and at first was used in
the field and on third base. Nc one
knew. he had much talent for pitching
until n day when Brainerd was
playing at st. Cloud in 1911 an i'm
ported pitcher went poorly for Brain
erd and the manager bounced the
fake pitcher and as a last resource
put Bush on the mound. The boy
astounded the st. Cloud batters. for
he held them runless and hitless the
balance OF the game. When Brainerd
His brother. Charles, played second
base and when he continued to muff
balls, Leslie shut off any more throws
in that direction, shrugged his shoul-
ders, took no more chances on fielders
and won the game by his pitching
alone.
Bl~ankenship Heard of Him.
When the 1912 was about to
start, the Brainerd team manager
considered the plan of paying Bush
800 a month to play for Brainerd.
talked up h young pitcher out west
n someone got Cliff Blankenship to
lake him for a tryout.
Bush came to me-" said Blanken-
ship later. "as green a pitcher as you
ever saw. Why, he didn't know how
to stand in the. box" But Cliff knew
good material in the rough Inc he
said then that Bush was a conner and
had az much speed n stuff as did
Walter johnson when he was picked
up in Idaho. With Blankenship
ed and the natural ability in the boy
asserted itself. The season closed
with Bush doing his share toward
winning the pennant. In the Union
association, composed of Missoula,
Salt Lake. Great Falls. Ogden. Butte
and Helena, Bush was in 81 games
n is credited with 33 putouts. 1O2
assists, II errors and q percentage Of
1924.
INSdSuS iS1SuS 8ulOc LOT 1910
shows q curious instance in Bush's
history, he being one Of a group OF
the Missoula team photographed and
n of the Philadelphia Athletics
1912 team The boy had wonderful
speed and 1t was Missoula that chris
tened him Bullet Joe'' Bush and
designated him a speed merchant Of
h first class. Then Connie Mack's
scout found him and Blankenship said
he was certain the boy would make
good in higher company.
A Native OF Brainerd,
The Bush family has lived in Brain
erd the last twenty years. The father
has been a brakeman. later freight
conductor and then passenger con-
ductor in the employ Of the Mime
sofa & International railway. He is
of strong athletic build, but las never
played baseball. Frequently Bush
pater would catch for Leslie in the
backyard until his fingers were put
out of commission by I.eslie's smoke
ball. Richard. a younger brother. is
quite a spitball pitcher.
Also . Musician.
Leslie a studied the violin and 10
a fairly good musician. AS a tenor
singer he has often held engagements
at local moving picture shows. When
the Missoula Offer was made, his "a.
ther objected to the boys going, but