Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-28
BY PAUL 5RUNER.

A bug-ward melodrama in nine
spasms, entitled THE Call of the
Wild" and featuring Vern Walk"
Hirsch, played TO fair sized matinee
crowd in Jim Hayes Theatre de Base
ball yesterday. The audience did not
burst a single blood vessel in frenGied
applause and encores were as scarce
as poker chips in the par
sonage q, a church. The plot was
rather incoherent, the Davenport cast
forgot its choicest lines, and the fans
departed with a headache and a deep
sense Of loss. Yes, Decatur came, saw.
conquered and rubbed il in by a score
of 8 TO ..
HirsCh had the famous wild man of
Borneo looking like a milk-fed steer
from Oskaloosa. He climbed into the
wicker basket Of the balloon in the
first stanza, cut the ropes. and forgot
TO come down until the last of the
seventh. when Dan OLeary winged
the gas bag with a verbal shot and
dragged the erratic southpaw into the
coop. where block of CONCEALED wat
er was placed on his superheated
dome. Kid Crouch, the cradle roll 70
cruit, went in and pitched the last
two frames. holding the chesty Deca-
turtles runless.
VERY WOODY.
At some time or other during the
course of his checkered career Hirsch
must have been wised up 10 that old
one intimating that 1T is more bless
cd TO give than to receive The tall
boy was nothing short Of prodigal in
his distribution of passes and had
Monte Brewster and our old friend
Santa Claus backed into the "also-ran"
squad. In his seven innings of pre-
sminence. Vern slipped the visitors
ten separate and distinct bases on
balls. count 'em-l0. He also was
combed for seven bingles, one of them
an extra baser.
Opposed 10 the Davenporter was
certain Mister Kaiser. Said X had
nothing but his glove. but got away
lucky. and managed TO hold the home
boys to five swats. The entire SoX
squad seemed to be OF color a trifie.
but then the best OF them have their
q
We hesitate for a reply. 1t was a fair
game up until the sixth and seventh
stanzas. but in those hectic periods il
was one long wall OF anguish. 4 base
on balls. two boots and a single gave
the gray suits a pair in No. 6. In the
next cage. two singles. a bungle and
two walks netted two more.
DECATUR HEAVY.
The Sox grabbed one in the second
and another in the seventh but that
was all.
Decatur took one in the second in
ming After Flanagan had died an
ignominious death on a puny roller
10 Hirsch. Blake drove one down the
left field foul line for two sacks. Dug
gan sent him around with a clean one
to the center garden, and grabbed sec
ond on the throw TO the plate. OBrien
died on a roller TO Hirsch. Kaiser
got a walk but was nailed at second on
Scherers bump to Koepping.
In the awful sixth Blake waited out
four bad ones and ambled TO first. but
was forced on Duggan's tap TO Hirsch.
OBrien hit 70 Reed. who bunSled, Civ
ing both men 4 life. Kaiser singled,
filing the bases. Scherer tapped TO
Reed. who was playing in close, and
Duggan was nailed at the plate. Scher.
er took a lead of first and Coleman
threw to Koepping. O'Brien made d
break for the plate. and the Elginite 5
heave was wild, allowing the Irishman
TO score. Kaiser and Scherer both ad.
vancing a base on the play. German
was walked. filling the bases. Lynch
hit to Koepping who again miscuN1
allowing Kaiser TO score. Biltz ended
the agony with q rainbow TO center.
MORE OF THE SAME.
There was more misery in the next
stan=a. Flanagan picked out a nice
one and clouted IL 10 center field
Blake hit another TO the same place
sending his teammate TO the third ST.
ton. He then stole second. Duggar
famed. O'Brien lift to Bromwich, who
heaved wild to the plate in an effort
70 cut down Flanagan, who scored
Kaiser hit to Reed and was safe on
q helder's choice, Blake being run