Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-05-23
THE TALE OF BENNY KAUFF
Menke Relates Inside" Story on the
Romance Of Benny's Jump
to the Giants.
BUT FED CONTRACT HOLDS GOOD
nY FnANK q. MENKn.


ny FRANK q. MENKE.
NEW YORK, May 22.-The inside
story OF how Benny I6auf was induced
to jump to the Giants. Ms II comes TO
us. reads something like n tale Of fic-
ton.
Kauf was wanted by the Giants last
fall. McGraw made him some kind OF an
offer. but Kaufrs contract with the
Indianapolis Feds was OF an iTon-clad
nature. SO McGraw was Off Of Kauff
However. when Kauff was sold to the
BROOKLYN Feds by the indianapolis Feds
around the latter part OF March. this
year. McGraw saw a chance 20 act. lie
| figured that Kauffs old contract wouldn't
hold in view OF the fact that he had
( been sold TO another club. and he de-
cided 10 try 10 land KBuff before he
signed a new iron-ciad contract.
Kauff went TO Browns Wells. a Mis-
sissippi summer resort. There Is nothing
IN the Browns Wells neighborhood. but
few log cabins. mostly inhabited by
negroes.
Dick Kinsella, scout for the Giants. ac-
cording 20 the story We get, hustled to
Browns Wells and got job on planta-
ton near the Browns Wells hotel, where
Kauff was stopping. Kinsella didn't dare
20 put up at tho same hotel because he
was known 10 Manager Lee Magee, Bust
ness Manager Dick Carroll and others
OF the Brokfeds There wasn't much OF
chance for him to stop In Hazelhurst.
nearby town. as there are only two
hotels there, and Carroll knew every
body who. fingered there. Furthermore,
IIaselhurst was ten miles from the
scene OF operations.
Reports 90 McGraw.
| kinselia is said 10 have reported all tho
d0ihka Of Kauft TO McGraw and McGraw
and jack Hendricks. manager Of the In
dienapollp club IN the American afsocia-
don, kept wiring Kauff under assumed
names. Mcoraw's kilograms TO Kauff.
tits said. were signed Father" while
Hendricks were signed Uncle" Kauff.
we are told. got frequent kilograms while
az Browns Wells, Most o. them read
along these lines;
Mother wishes TO see her boy. Come
at once" Father
Everything forgiven. Come" Uncle.
Those kilograms about Mother want
ing 10 80 her boy were TO tip off Kauff
1
The ''everythiug forgiven telegram
was 20 ZIP Kauff that IL he jumped tho
National Commission probably would let
him play organized base ball
Hendricks wanted Kauff 10 so back 10
the Giants. lie owned Kauef before the
kid jumped 70 the Feds and was promised
a nice bunch Of money II KAuff went TO
the Giants.
Kaaff BewiIdered.
EiDsella. IN tho meantime. was bluffing
At farm work and devoting most OF
his time arranging secret conferences with
Kauff and coaxing him TO make the
lump. lSinsella's pleadings and those
code kilograms, II IL said. flabbergasted
Kauff. lie didn't know what TO do.
Matters were progressing very nicely
IN favor OF the Giants when Kinsalla
was forced to quit his Job as farmer and
sent along 70 head off Pitcher Poll"
Perritt who was on his way to Join the
Pittsburgh, Federals AZ Augusta. Kim
seIla was successful in that mission. He
headed off Perritt and landed his sigma
ture 10 Giant contract. but In the mean
time Dick Carroll got Kauff In a corner
ana asked him why he didn't want to
sign. Kauff hemmOd and hawed and
finally said he wanted more money than
the old Indianapolis contract called for.
How much do you wantr' asked Car
roll,
sIKnr fer Three Years.
six thousand q year and a three-year
contrast"
Accepted" said Carroll. and Kautf
signed up at that figure.
A while later Kauff got In touch with
Kinsello and MeGraw. He told them that
he had signed up at t6oOo. and. Il Il said.
they told him he was foolish to do Il.
YOU'RE worth moro than that" Kauff
was told.
well. how much would you fellows
pay met" asked Kauff
Wen give you 1900 a year for three
, years and 4 1900 bonus" Is said 10 have
, been the offer made to Kauff That
would have made his salary over sen a
year.
We'll. can't I sign nowf'' asked KAuff.
what sort OF contract have you
gotr' he was asked.
kRuff told them. and at length the al
\ legged difficulty he had with Robert b.
. Ward. president Of the Brookfeds, over
! tho contract The Giant people thought
that owing 10 Kaufrs trouble. or alleged
trouble, over the Brookfed contract that
he was not legally under contract TO thai
/ club. and q deal was framed whereby
. Kauff signed a Giant contract and made
his famous. but futile, Jump.
IIAE lIMRnlS NOW, THINKS