Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-09-27

ANN VI MNNtNs
1 ran on. and az I ran / made prayer;
q wasn't theological. either. | tell you
that. said, God. n you ever helped
mortal man. help me to set that ball,
and You haven't very much time TO mako
up Your mind, either"
ran and Jumped over the bench and
stopped.
I thought I was close enough to catch
g. | looked back and saw II going over
my head and Jumped and showed out
my left hand and the ball hit e and
stuck
At the rate / was going the momentum
carried me on and l fell under the feet
OF a team OF horses. jumped up with
tho ball In my hand, Tn came Tom
johnson. Tom used 10 be mayor OF Cleve-
land He's dead now,
Here il $40, hin Buy yourself the
best hat In Chicago. That catch won me
$500 Tomorrow go and buy yourself
the best suit OF clothes you can ind IN
Chicago"
An old Methodist minister said to mo
few years ago; why. William. you
didn't take the $40, did your said; You
bet your life did"
Kelley Died Poor Despite Money.
Listen. Mike Kelley was sold to Bos-
ton for $4,000. Mike got half OF the pur-
chase price He came up TO me and
showed me a check for 5000. John l..
sullivan, tho champion fighter. went
around with "A subscription paper and
the boys raised over $1,000 to buy Mike
a house.
They gave Mike a deed to the house
and they had 1850 left and gave him
certificate OF deposit for that.
His salary for playing with Boston was
A10O a year At the end of that season
Mike had spent tho 5000 purchase price
and the f4700 he received as salary and
the $3.50 they gave him and had a mort
gage on the house.
And when he died in Pennsylvania they
went around with a subscription to get
money enough to put him In tho ground,
and each club, twelve in ALL In two
leagues, gave a month a year to his
widow.
Mike sat there on the corner with me
twenty-eight years ago. when 1 said:
"Good-by boys, I'm going to Jesus
Christ"
A. g. spaldlng signed UP team TO
20 around the world. | was the second
he asked to sign contract, and Captain
Arson was the first l was sliding TO
second base one day. / always slid head
first. and hit stone and cut Igament
loose In my knee.
l got doctor and had my les fixed.
He said:
william. II you don't so on that trip
1 will give YOU a good leg.
I obeyed him and have as good a leg
today as I ever had. They offered 10
walt for me at Honolulu and Australia,
spalding said: Meet us in England and
play with US through England, scotland
and Wales" didn't 20.
Williamson Also Went to bad.
Edward Williamson, our old shortstop,
was a fellow weighing 225 pounds and. a
more active big man you never saw. He
went with them, and while they were
on the ship crossing the English channel
q storm arose and the captain thought
the ship would go down
Williamson tied two life preservers on
himself and one on his wife and dropped
on his knees and prayed and promised
God TO be true. God spoke and the
waves were stilled.
They came back 10 the United States
and Ed came back TO Chicago and
started a saloon in Dearborn street. l
would go through there giving tickets for
the Young Mems Christian association
meetings. and would talk with him and
he would cry like a baby,
would get down and pray for him
and would talk with him. When he died
they put him on the table and cut him
open and took out his liver, and II was
30 big It would not go In a candy bucket.
Kidneys had shriveled till they were like
two stones.
Ed Williamson sat there on the street
corner with me, drunk twenty-eight
years ago when l said: Goodbye, boys,
I'm going to Jesus Christ"
Frank Flint, our old catcher who
caught for nineteen years, drew 800
year on an average. He caught before
they had chest protectors, masks and
gloves.
He caught bare-handed. Every bono In
the ball Of his hand was broken. You
never saw such n hand as Frank had.
Every bone In his face was broken. and
his nose and cheek bones, and the shoul-
der and RIBS had all been broken. He
got 20 drinking, his homo was broken up
and he went to the dogs.
I've seen old Frank Flint sleeping on
a table In stale beer Joint, and I've
turned my pockets inside out and said:
You're welcome TO II. old pal
He drank on and on ana ono day in
winter he staggered out OF a stale beer
Joint and stood on a corner, and was
seized with Fit of coughing. The blood
streamed out Of his nose, mouth and eyes
Down the street came wealthy woman
She took one look and said: My God. IL
Il you, Frank?" and his wife came up
and kissed him.
She called two policemen and a cab and
started with him to her boarding house
They broke all speed regulations. She
called five Of the best physicians and
they listened 20 the beating OF his heart.
one. two. three. four. five, six, seven.
eight, nine. ten. eleven, twelve, and tho
doctors said: He will be dead I'm about
four hours"
She told them 10 tell him what they had
told her. She said: Frank. the end Is
near" and no said, Send for Bill "
They telephoned me and came. lie
said:
There's nothing IN tho life OF years
ago I care for now. can hear the
bleachers cheer when 1 make q hit that
wins the game. But there is nothing that
con batp ma now. and n the umDire