El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-08-17
Baseball of Bygone Days.
Wood Organizes Ball Team
To Beat Cincinnati Stars
Hard Hitting Chicagoans Clean Up Every Thing in
South-As Related By James Wood, Captain
and Manager of White Stockings in 1901 to
Frank G. Menke.
Frank G. Menke.
Il ONEWHERE aIone about Christ.

OAIEWHERB along about Christ
mas in 1859. I noticed an sdver-
- tisement in a New York paper
which read something as follows
Ball players wanted TO form a team
to represent Chicago and TO defeat the
Cincinnati Red Stockings"
During the period of the late SOS
and early 70's there was keen rivalry
between Chicago and Cincinnati in a
commercial way. Chicago wasn't such
a wonderfully large city then ana II
was doing everything possible TO boom
the town. And it was jealous Of Gin
cinnati because OF the great publicity
Cincinnati had gained through the
medium OF its 1859 ball team which
had won SIS out of its . games, the
other resulting in a i to Il tie with
the Union team Of LansinShurg-
And so Chicago decided that II must
have team to beat the Reds Base
ball wasn't PLAYED to any great extent
in the Illinois metropolis prior TO that
time All the crack PLAYERS were IN
the east That is why the ADVERTISE
ment appeared in New York
Organizes the Team
7 answered the ad and in due time
got a reply. Il happened that I was
among the first TO write. The Chicago
people told me they. under advice from
Harry W r1Ent. desired me 10 VI game
a club to beat the Red Stockings in
1870 and D. the expense,
So I started to recruit my team
figured the task would he easy. vet I
found II the most difficult one of my
life Only A few of the many baseball
stars that I approached cared to join
A team that had as its ultimate purpose
the beating Of the Reds in three game
1T can't be done" most OF the play
ars answered me Those Reds are IN
beata BILE and we aren't going to waste
all of next spring and summer practis-
ing FOR it,
Finally after much persuasion. 7
signed up a number of men who we've
real players but only after I had ad-
vanced them money out OF my own
pocket The Chicago people hadn't sent
me any funds Just as soon as some
Of those PLAYERS had sGuandered their
first advance money in drinking or
gambling. they came for more. threat
enine TO jump their contracts il We
didn't come through" Finally. when
my advance totalled beyond $1,000 and
the players kept demanding more.
asked my father 10 20 10 Chicago and
ascertain the financial responsibility
OF the ChicaEoaus.
Father wired back:
GO the limit. Chica Eoans will make
good all your advances"
Team Complete with II Wen
When ] got the message 7 hurried
to Troy N. " with Tom Foley. the
representative OF the ChicagOans. to
get Fisher and Craver who had played
in 1869 with the Troy lawmakers
Both were terrific hitters and 7 needed
them hut 7 knew they would come high.
as salaries went in those DAYS How
ever. we signed M both men. contract
ing Fisher for $500 and Graves for
$4,000. Then my team-11 a1en-was
complete
Team Went south
Early in the spring OF 1870. we ar
ranged the details of our training trip
to New Orleans II was the second
southern trip ever undertaken by ball
club Foley, who was champion
bflliardist and one OF the Chicago
hackers and is still living in Chicago.
accompanied US south
During our first week in the Louisi-
ana town we practised among our
selves. Then We commenced to take on
the teams in New Orleans. ! began by
scheduling the weakest first. working
Up gradually TO the hardest. We de-
feated the weaker teams in New Or
leans-and then we beat the strongest
In each succeeding game my clue ap-
peared stronger both in batting and in
fielding Toward the end Of our sea
son in New Orleans We played an all
star New Orleans nine and won with
ease.
Played n Double New Orleans Team
Then 7 made the proposition that our
regular nine should play a double team
or New Orleans men. giving them Is
players in the field. The game itself
was rather amusing because the New
Orleans captain had so many players
under his command and he didn't know
where to play them all. However. he
put one man behind the plate to assist
the catcher four extras in the outfield.
giving him seven altogether. and the
rest were sprinkled around the infield,
making a total of eight infielders
Pitted against such a collection. we
won almost as easily as we had in
playing nine men. In our final game
in New Orleans ] allowed the rival
team six outs per innings to our three
and once again we won.
Won All Along the Line
We worked our way north gradually
as the teams do today. playing all the
crack southern teams enroute and win