Omaha daily bee., 1916-01-23
HOW MURPHY MADE MILLION
Romance of the Deal by Which He
Bought the Cubs from Jim
Hart and Got Rich.
ONE TRUE TALE OF BASE BALL
ny FRANK q. MENKn.

by FRANK q. MENKE.
NEW YORK. Jan. 22-charIes Webb
Murphy and his associates paid $4,000
for the complete control OF the Chicago
Cubs late In the winter Of 19o5-Oe. and
during the 1906 season the team cleared
si@. 0o0-a net profit of exactly 10000
above the total cost OF the club.
The story OF the Cubs and how Charlie
Murphy ran shorestring into 8. 10000
Is the real romance In base ball.
Jim Hart owned the Cubs when It was
nolsed around that ne wanted to sell.
Murphy at that time was newspaper
man. He had 1900 or 5000 He went
10 Hart. asked for an option on the club,
and then hustled back to Cincinnati.
I've got chance TO buy a ball club
for 100000" Murphy told Charles r.
Taft. owner Of the paper for which Muir
ply worked. Il think that's a bargain
figure. ! am sure money can be made in
the ownership Of the team. WIN YOU 80
IN with me on thiE7"
Taft Finances Deal.
when Taft found that Murphy was will
ing TO risk all his money In the venture.
Taft agreed 10 20 In with Murphy In the
purchase OF the team.
Murphy got 20 per cent OF tho stock.
I -
sohmalstlg, lawyer and friend OF
Taft's got 10 per cent for his services as
attorney In the deal. aud Taft got the
ether 20 per cent. Taft put up most Of
the cash.
When IL came time TO close the deal
Murphy produced the $4,000. but Hart
demanded an extra 10000 as my COM
mission This request floored Murphy
and no argued long and fluently with
Hart against paying the extra $4,000. But
! Hart was obdurate. Murphy finally
went to Taft and explained the situation
TAFT produced the other $4,000.
: with the change In ownership the Cubs
seemed 10 become transformed They
never had been figured a. real bal
: club, yet. In their first year under tbs
Murphy-Taft regime they won the Ma
: tlonal league pennans and grabbed off
: slice OF world series gold.
In 1908 the Cubs. then grown 10 be on
OF the greatest drawing cards in the Ma
2 tionai league. cleared Sis5.0O0 and In TIN
following year-isOs-tho high water mari
! in profits was reached when the team
2 cleared $4,000 for It's owners.
Millfon and Quarter Net Profit.
- The next best mark made by the Cub
was in 1910. when they grabbed off $4,000
as their share In the regular season an
= world series contests. The poorest show
- ing made by the Cubs was In 1915, whe
y tho net profits were estimated at aroun
5000
~ Never once under the Tatt-Murphy r.
y Klme did the Cubs finish loser in
financial way. During the ten years this
TAFT and Murphy controlled the club
1906 TO isl5--the Cubs cleared approx
mately tl.25000o a 1900 per cent retur
on their money. Add 20 this the s5e0.c
paid for the Tast-Murphy holdings
stock by Charles weeghman and you
:. find that the silS.0o investment OF 10
III returned close 20 q. 500 ooo-whieh Is a ia
return-yes, quite fair.
.es The Pirate InfieId.
ds out in Pittsburgh they ask you 10 CO.
an slider the PirExe quartet OF the early pa
* OF this century when you are making r
marks about the greatest infield OF Z
raj time"
ng The 'big four that was transferred
es. 1900 from Louisville to Pittsburgh W
be- made up OF Kitty Bransfield. at frs
a Claude Ritehey, second base; Hon
lry Wagner. a. short and Tommy Leae
guarding the third base.
ey That was an snfield-a wonderful COZ
oAs blnation. II could hit. Il could run
hat had brains. il had pep and II nes
.aa knew peer In the fielding line, The c
sne iniield was a wonder; so was the Athle
'hs quartet before Connie Mack wrecked I
machine. But mono Of them. In fialdi
- skin. surpassed that Bransfield-R iteh,
80 Wagner-Ieach eemhlnation.
80 The four played together until 1904 VII
Bransfield left the Pirates. In 1906 Ritel
40 passed on and 10 Iei2 Tommy Lea
~ moved away from the Smoky City. Jtol
tho Wagner alone remains