Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-08
WAGNER NEVER YEARNED
FOR EXTRA LONG GREEN
Pirates Frugal Shortstop Passed Up
100000 Side Money During Long
and Honored Career.
SHOTGUN CAPTURED HIM
Reporter for Baseball Publication
Spends Several Days With Honus.
Filtered Water Concern Nearly
Causes Him to Fight.

greatness None of bnScbRlrs side lines
ever appealed to him. He has ignored
dozens of attractive stage offers; ad-
vcrtising concerns have vainly offered
him big sums for the use Of his auto
graph or picture; newspaper syndicates
and magazines have made him the big
gest Kind of inducements to write"
for them, but the famous Dutchman
has natly ignored every proposition
where he may have added many moro
thousands per annum to the $4,000 he
has been getting from Barney Dreyfuss
for the past ten years.
Despite his frugal nature and simple
mode of life Honus never showed any
money mad tendencies and he Will en-
ter his forty second year on February
"a. next; about 100000 short of what
he would have stored away had he
swallowed the hundreds OF muneyed
hai;s cast on; 10 him since he estab-
ishcd his greatness. more thnn fifteen
years ago What he now has in cash,
automobiles and few little properties
in his home town OF CRrnegie repre-
SCENTS his earnings on the ball field,
side" though his face and his name
probably have been in greater demand
than those OF any other man in the
game.
Refused to "Nrite."
Thriftier stars like Mathewson. Cobb,
Soli!rs. NcGraw. Doom. Jennings. DON
In. Tinker. Evers. Chance and q lot Of
others have fat,ened incomes through
HI!Hg stage engagements, writing"
10! newspapers and magazines. lending
;heiT names and l!keresses TO advertis-
Ing schemes and pursuing other diver
gent paths strewn with greenbacks
Bu: not SO with the ageinE Honus. who
for eighteen years, has been the great
est individual earning power of the
National League. His rod and gun.
the Wild woods, streams and country
roads brought too much Joy TO his sim
AZ IN, strl, 49,
in any work on the side in the OF sea-
son.
c9rduroy;s, jeans and homespun suf
wear his blue flannel shirt and a wash vas
polka dot tie around the fashionable
hotels with the ease and grace OF
dollsd UP miii i,Hna're with lots of
spend II, the great exponent Of the
simple life could order ham and eggs
three times day at the WALDORF, AZ;
of any gentleman. There never has
been false move or frill to tho Dutch
, mans makeup and he is the same
care-frce boy in gorgeous environment
as he is when alone in the woods with
his dogs.
Would Plny Untii 1920 \. ID.
The patches OF grey that began show
! ing on those Tcutonic temples some
time ago are whitening. AS short
stop he probably is, through, hut he is
still fast, tricky and good enough TO he
base job next year. Those Oft ear
TONED curved limbs have been backed
eighteen years. but Honus himeslf
thinks they are sound enough to carry
him through 100 or more games Il year
until about 1920.
For ten years syndicate writer's have
tried In vain TO loosen WaGncrS tongue
and make him talk and write" for
publication. liorus never could see it.
lie refused big offers OF cash with the
remark
Il amt no writer and don't pretend
10 be. Reporters are paid for that kind
job go
Flonus stood firm against cash offers
ana guarantees Of big dividends. But
Ii" had a weakness and one writer on
the staff of Il baseball publication knew
it, When this man reached Carnegie
recently for talk the Duichmnn WAS
porter, drew forth a package. AS he
unpackcd ii the eyes OF liOnus glist-
cned Ike those of kid around a
Christmas tree. 1t contained u shotgun
worth about $G5.
Brihcd by "a Gun.
1T is yours" said the reporter. turn
ing IL over To Honus. The buchanan
found his tongue and talked as he had
not talked for years The reporter was
his companion for two or three days
and then departed for home with lot
OF material
The money that Iionus had turned
bought him young arsenal and some
apartment houses. But it is all comes
of knowing your man. and catering to
his iancics. and a shotgun proved the
lucky bait.
That shotgun is about the only thing
that ilonus has made in baseball out
siIc OF what he earned on the diamond.
No less than dozen offers were
made lionus to appear on the stage
In brother act he and LaJoic were
to split $1,000 n week in vaudeville
70 20
on hshinE trip. while the French
man was figuring on splitting the first
weeks pay Fred Clarke once was Of
fercd $500 n week salary with $500 "A
week extra for every week he could
keep iionus on the stage In a little
act where all the TWO had to do was
to engage In an exhibition with a bas-
kcthlii Nothing ever came OF IL.
Spurnd Auto Stock and Cash.
An automobile concern that located
IN the West two years ago offered
Wagner big sum and some stock In
the business for the use OF his name and
pictures ana his cooperation in adj
veriising stunts. lie would not listen
I" him for the past twelve years. but
he has declined them all.
Ne and writing syndicates
a percentage for his articles and he
has scorncd their cash.
AnG then he fell for n shotgun.
rcR FT over wa on waRna o onG R"Ea
aimos, started u riot. They had Of
Tered him good sum OF money for the
use Of his name ia connection with
their bottled water. Failing in this
thcir photographer camped at the ri,
rate bench one day. While Wagner
ana Marty p"roole stood on either sid.
of the drinking stand the hhotoErnph
.r snapped them A week later the
advertisement with tho picture an
nearcd in the street cars. Honus Was
! furious
Tip for the Feds,
| In the face of these things how con
anyone blame the Feds for not trying
TO land the Dutchman? Wagner is moi
paid his $4,000 year by the Pitts.
/. burg Club for his ball playing alone
y big part OF this rcmuncration To- -
; reward for his loyalty TO the National
League when the American was formcd
Eut Ban Johnson might have lnndrI
honnh had lie given him a yhotrun
/ Perhaps the Feds could win Honur
/ over with an auto, II fishing tackle aud
a can OF bait. With 4 man Of Wac
ncrs humor these things have n ursnter
! Teller. " ioche'
Wagner is among tho humblcst OF
men lilo abhors chance acumnintanCe
with well-dressed folk In hia trmvn,s
B ne makes phls Of railroad men cIcvn
,or operators, and quite often he viii
nook up with some poor fellow And
n Ia