The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1915-12-15
HORACE FOGEL TELLS
HOW TAFT. AIDED HIM
TO PURCHASE PHILLIES


How Horace S. Foge1 came to buy
the Philadelphia, Nationals and the
part he had in placing Tom Lynch Of
New Britain at the head of the Ma
tionaI league is told in an interesting
fashion by the former president of the
Phi11ies. in a recent article for a Phil
ade1phia newspaper. He says;
1.-THE annual meeting of the Ma
tiona1 league in December, 1903, was
a stormy session; it was turbulent
even for a National league meeting.
Tt will be remembered Hermann and
Dreyfuss had it all arranged to elect
John Heyd1er president That would
1t means quite an advantage to your
team in race if you own the presi-
dent and. are the boss.
CAS- the interests then behind the
Pittsburgh club owned the Boston
club and Dreyfuss had secured a
pledge of the philadelphia clubs vote
from Senator Wolf for HeydleT it was
an open secret that the latter was GER
tain of four votes-Cincinnati Pitts
burg, Boston and Philadelphia
'"The other side was counting on
four votes for John M. Ward-CIli-
cago, st. Louis Brooklyn and New
York, Brush, Ebbets and Murphy had
brought Ward out as a. candidate and
Robinson had not only announced
that he favored Ward in preferences
! to Heydler, but actually promised
Ebbets and Murphy at a conference
between them in Cleveland to vote for
him.
esThere was therefore joy in the
Ward camp when they learned / had
| secured an option on the Phillies, and
| if I could put the deal through
would be with them in opposing the
detection of any man for president WI
was owned or could be controlled by
a club owner or any set OF club
/ owners"
.sWith Brush I had arranged to get
| the money to pay for my ene-halt
ownership of the club and through
Fred Crolius, the old. college star. -1ef
his chum, Bud Gillespie, a Yale man
son of a. millionaire steel man OF
! Pittsburgh. then a subway contractor
| in New York, and who afterWard' be
came the husband of Christie Mc-k
i Donald, the actress, and his friends TO
put up the cash for the other half.
'sWe had a meeting in Crolius' Of
! fee in iIadeIphia-several meetings,
in fact-and at the last moment Gil
| lespie let it be known to me that ne
wanted to be president Of the club
asked him what, he knew about base
ball, and what prestige as an OUT
sider-a nonresident of Philadelphia
he expected to bring to the Philies, r
placed at the head of the club.
GILLESPIE could not combat that ar
gument, and it took me just about
one minutes time to tell him he was
out of the deal. Now had only about
seven days of my 3O-day option left
and was in trouble. Senator WOLF
had notified me the option would not
be renewed.
Murphy, like Brush, had offered to
help me soon as he learned about nay
option. When I declared Gillespie out
put in a full day trying, but with
out success to interest PhiIadelphians.
in the other half interest of the club
Then, with only six days of the op-
ton left, 1 had to think and act quick
ly. I wired Murphy in Chicago
Thomas, his secretary, replied that
Murphy was in Memphis attending
ton! I telegraphed him at Memphis.
He answered L should come to Chi
cago at once and he would leave
Memphis on the first train out to meet
me at his office.
! st left that night. The next night
left now. Murphy had Taft on the
phone before o'clock the next morn
Ing. Taft told me to come to Cincin-
natl. We left at noon, and were at
Taft's house shortly after 8 o'clock In
the evening.
by midnight we had talked it all
over and reached an agreement, even
as to some of the details. Taft was
to furnish all the money, so neednst
get any help for myself from Brush,
We had another conference in tbs
morning. Sunday morning it was
then we drove out to the golf links,
and, after luncheon, I took the Metro
politan Flyer at p. M, arrived at
North Philadelphia station at the
next morning, and was at Senator
VOLTS Office by 10 O'Clock. armed with
the goods to exercise my option"