Evening journal., 1914-01-27
llI9SsI INC TIiE CAeER
Kelchner Ranks High Among
ihe Big Men in Baseball

Among the many baseball men who
attended the meeting of the Tri-State
League at the Windsor Hotel in Phil
adelphia, last week no one attracted
more attention than Charlie Kolch-
ner, of Lebanon. Kelchner, is known
in baseball circles from coast to
coast and was constantly surrounded
by a crowd Of players and others in
terested in the national sport. For
many years Kelchner has been ply
sical director at Albright College and
for the past several years has also
found time TO act as scout for the
ST. Louis American League Club. He
has been closely identified with the
game for the past Is or 20 years and
few men in the country know per-
sonally as many baseball players and
magnates as Charlie Kelchner. He is
not only an authority on the game hut
is deserving Of equal credit with many
baseball men holding higher posi-
tions in the world OF baseball for
making II the cleanest professional
sport on earth.
Many fans of this city probably do
not know that Kelchner was one Of
the or ginators of the Tri-state
Lebanon team when that city was in
the circuit and gave Lebanon the best
baseball IL ever had He had on his
team such men as Eddie Zimmerman.
third base; Mauch, shortstop; the
two McDonalds; Eddie Pleiss. a star
outfclder; Stetcher q pitcher who
afterwards was member of the
Louisville American Association
Club and but for his fondness for
fire water would have made one Of
the great right handlers of all time.
and the well known catcher Alex
Sweeney
kelchner's team was always a great
attraction at South Side Park not
only on account of the fact that he
always had a fast aggregation. but
because of his own pleasing cerson-
atty Some years ago he was an out
fielder of some ability himself. but at
the time of the Lebanon club he had
given up active playing, but as man
ager always appeared in uniform and
coached his team. II was his coach
ing that made him a favorite with
thousands Of fans throughout the
TIT State circuit His stunts and
original sayings while coaching at
third base never failed to make the
game more enjoyable for the spec
tators and helped win him many a
game. He was the sort of coachcr,
| however, who is respected by oppln-
ents as we'll as his own men. No
one ever heard Charlie Kelchner
utter an oath on the ball field or
make a personal remark to a player.
| He has always disapproved of that
method OF coaching and never was
known to purposely hurt the feelings
of a player.
Kelchner is a we'll educated man.
speaking several languages, but his
love for the national game has been
so great that he has given more time
( TO baseball than anything else He
has always been recognized as a
/ valuable man to the Tri-State League.
and the officials of that organization
including former President Charles
! f. Carpenter. have often had oc-
! casion to seek the advice Of the
| genial Charlie. Many of the play
ers who have made records in the
1ri-State since IL was organized owe
hN"NA VI NANAA eANNNoo W thlo grew
sportsman
Few men in the country have de-
veioped so many players who have
since made good in the major leagues
as kelchner He is an unusually
keen judge of the worth of a base
ball player. and has tipped many a
manager off, as TO the whereabouts
of future star. who at the time was
practically unknown. His recognized
judgment of coming baseball PLAYERS
is what induced the St. Louis Ameri-
can League owners to seek him as a
scout and, as in all other positions
connected with baseball. he has made
good
The German physical director is
we'll known and respected among the
prominent sporting writer's of the
country and is always good for a story
worth printing every time he meets a
scribe OF the hundreds of baseball
players that he has had dealings with
not one as far as is known was ever
heard to say that Charlie Kelchner
failed TO give him square deal This
is equally true of club owners whom
he has done business with and IL Is
this reputation for square dealing and
the fact that his word Is known 10 be
as good as his bond, that makes