The Alaska citizen., 1916-05-15
JIM T-ORPF's CASE
 IS PECULIAR ONE


 the training camp ot the big town club to try 'cr a place ou thc rrgu. lar team. Folk say the third timr is the charm.
 First Jim went in the blossom period Of 1918 Then he was the exposure of all eyes. meaning no disrespect 10 Jim in calling him cynosure
 Next he travelled to the Lone Star state in the spring of 1914. thi- time not so much of a exposure In fact. he was anything but sure. Back he went again in 1915, the keel of his trouzer}oons now quite innocent of nap. as a result of weary days of skidding along big league bench. and the world did not pause to slip so much as coek-cyed slant as he passed along 10 his train
 Once more he turns his beak sou'sou'wes' and where once the eager mobs trampled his heels Jim now has room to march mic without danger of jostling single soul Where once his shell-like ears-72-centimetr shells throbbel 10 the clamoi of the adntring nut titude, Jim now has so much sl- 1snee tha: he can hear himself think.
 Gone Is the adulaton of that other day. Gone is the hue and cry of public adoration. He pro ceeds to the vanished caravan un- honored and unsung The assist ant secretary eyes him with singu- lar malevolence. as if contemplating a>sienu4 him tn an upper berth. lis the way of the world, Jim: 'tis the way of the world
 You know Jim of course.
 Who was it won the-the--the- er-er-well the watchumacallit over in Sweden that timeo It was Jim. Who was it that was just like this with the king. and all those birds? That was Jim Who was heraldol as the worlds greatest athlete Jim. Who could shed football tackles a doegone sight better than the roof of an apartment house sheds water: Jim. And who was 1t, alas and lackaday, who could not hit a big league curve with a bed slat2
 An, that also was Jim-our Jim James C. Thorpe
 Full many time and oft have we ruminated over the case of Jim, kindly luminations always they have becn but never have We been able to rumnate him into defi nite and permanent connection with that large league curve.
 What is there about that cantank erous twist of the baseball. as it leaves the hand of some slab-sided singer. that baftles man who could nudge a football along 4 gridiron. sideways and perpedicular, from here to breakfast time again5t any upposition2 Ne give it up, O. casionally we have been tempted to give Jim up, too but James i* such grand character and withal so entertaining, that We must stay with him through his third spring training season at least.
 Remove Jim from big league base- ball and you remove one of the most inspiring spectacles that na, ture has ever presented to the na tional game which is the spectacle of James at his matutinal refresh ment, or morning meal. John ] McGraw says that James never or ders steak for breakfast; he orders steaks
 The history of James c. Thorp is familiar 10 all followers of sport, After being acclaimed the world s greatest athlete at the Olympic games in 1912, it was suddenly 
 discovered that Jim had played a bit of professional baseball in 1908 and his amateur standing was kicked right from under him.
 They took away the material evl- dence of his prowess, in the form of trophies but they were never able to take from him the glory of his achievements. They were never able to dim the lustre of the football fame of the Indian, now generally rated as one of the greatest foot ball players of all time.
 Jims baseball playing was done at Wilmington. Fayetteville and Rocky Mount down in North Caro- lima. He was not much of a player even in that company, but when his athletic expose came there was grand rush for him by big league baseball managers, who realized that his fame would make him a great drawing card.
 Glen Warner. then football coach of the Carlisle Indians, is a friend of John J McGraw, and it was War ner who got Thorpe to sign witt