Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-08

roadsd out OF orFa1lzsd baseball for throw
ts to 20 o''tigs The limit. in tucson. Art., they
appear as casual strangers. 80 d, -
gagged az catcher. and Lynch alias. eli
Bates, as pitcher for the local i teans ,Issr
perform wonderfully on their hrst appear
ance.
one night, shortly after the Eagles re-
turned home. "Oiiy Tom" Blake, gam
bier reported to be worth we'll into hve
figures. received a call from George
White. George spared very cleverly Tor
an opening, found II, and unfolded a
plan which caused Oily Tom to set out
some very aged liquor and open a box OF
cigars. Then he listened intently for 20
! minutes. noddlng from time to time.
1T is the softest thing you ever saw,
urged White They'll give any kind of
! odds you want to name, because this
/ pitcher hasn't lost game, and never
even had to pitch his best against these
clubs. To make II all the better, these
Eagles can't hit Moreno with bed slat.
That MeXlcans a mighty good pitcher.
And IL we don't get any runs off him it'll
be the easiest thing in the world to slough
tho game to Blsbee. Say something hap
pens to this Bates and he gives a couple
of bases on balls and 1 cut in with Wild
heave over a basemans head-there goes
your old ball game, eh7 Why, it's as safe
as a Government bond. The amount Of
money they're betting now you ought to
be able to clean UP eight or ten thou
sand"
Yes" said Blake thoughtfully, but
what security do 1 get for my money!
How do / know that you amt going to
cross me instead of everybody else in
town."
white flshed out roll OF bills.
Put that in with what you bet" he
said That's Bates money and mine
five hundred. Think we'd double-cross
our own bets?"
This conference took place on a Monday
night On Saturday the Bisbee Grizzlies
were coming over to play their last en-
gagement They were not overconfident;
Bates had beaten Moreno three times,
and struck out so many of the Bisbee
players that it was becoming habit with
him.
With Bates in the box Tucson sports
would stand a tap without the least
hesitation.
Pretty soft" was Oily Toms mental
comment. Now, to get the money
down" 1t would never do for Blake to
appear in the transaction, but man from
Bisbee might do the work. Blake wrote
letter. and sat down to wait developments.
He knew the man to whom the letter was
written too we'll for that mans peace of
mind and he felt sure that his friend
Mayhem would not fail him.
on Thursday q man registered at the
best hotel In Tucson and scrawled Bis
bee" after his name
IT understand" said this Individual,
that there's some money here that says
you've got ball club in Tucson"
"Al the two to one you want!" said the
clerk. There's man right over there
by the cigar stand who was Just saying
he'd like to get bet"
And then, quite by accident, of course,
Tom Blake drifted over to the desk in
time to hear the Bisbee man say that
Moreno's arm was better than ever. Tom
stated his opinion that Moreno was "yel-
lower'n a canary bird" and, of course,
the man from Bisbee offered to bet that
he wasn't, and the hotel clerk held the
first wager.
That was the opening gun of the cam
paign, and Oily Tom was under cover.
Tucson received this Bisbee booster with
open arms, whereupon he flashed roll
of bills as thick as a mans wrist, and
announced his intention of going broke II
Pete Moreno was not the greatest pitcher
in the Southwest. Tucson was willing to
accommodate him, and he did q land
office business for two days. and no bet
was too large for him and none too small.
All he wanted was two to one, and he
got IT, and his only stipulation was that
the money should go on the game in
which Moreno pitched
On Saturday. as a sort of grace before
meat, Lew Kelly managed to beat the
Grizzlies by a score of to 5, Smoke"
Snyder working In the box for the visit
ors This left the Sundays battle between
Bates and Moreno, as every one knew 1t
would be, and there was another rush of
Tucson money which the Blsbee men
covered at the usual rate of one for two.
She's working fne," said Tom Blake to
White, who called upon the gambler at
his rooms In the hotel. We've got about |
thrty-eight hundred bet against seventy |
six hundred, and we'll get another thou |
sand on tonight sure. Your money was |
bet the first thing. Pat Delaney got most |
OF 1t. But. see here II this is worked too |
raw, there may be trouble. These people |
would just naturally lynch you II they |
should get onto anything"
Leave II to u.s." said White easily. |
There won't be anything that doesn't |
look natural. You know this club won't |
hit that MeXican's curve ball. | can hit |
1t and Bates can hit 1t, but we're going |
to miss 1t tomorrow Bates is going TO
hold EN- down TO goose eggs for six or
seven innings. and then well shoot a
couple of runs in without anybody know
ing how II was done. Don't you worry
old horse. You grab all the money you
can get, and we'll deliver. You SEQ that
we get our so per cent. OF the cleanup;
that's ALL"
'All right" said Blake. "If you're sat
isfed, am. But you remember and don't
bo too raw with this thing. I've seen
men hung in this country for less"
Sunday dawned clear and cool, under a
sky dappled with tiny feecy clouds. The
sporting population OF Tucson managed
TO exist until noon when II snatched a
hasty lunch, and the exodus to the ball
park began. The lone ticket seller, work.
Ing with both hands, surveyed a waiting
line, and remarked 10 himself that It was
going TO be big day, IL not the big day,
Of the season
White and Bates met outside the shack
which served as a dressing room for the
players. 1t was characteristic of Whites
caution that he had seldom, II ever. been
seen In the company OF the redheaded
pitcher.
Remember now" was the catcher's
warning I'VE can't make this thing
ook bad. It's got to be done artistically
This Is the country where they string YOU
lp to a telegraph pole, you know Maybe
I would be good thing TO walk a couple
II men and let Culpepper or Bateman hit
I a mile. They'll hit hard enough II
you'll groove 'em for 'em. And shut 'em
'ut the first part OF the game. Don't pull
I until the seventh anyway Savyy?''
Jake" said the pitcher admiringly,
you've got great head for business.