El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-12
Huston Tells His Baseball Career
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McGraw Helped Him To Buy Yanks

Baseball was born in sinew and bone
Neither trOpic heat nor troplc rain could
drive thoughts Of the old game from
my head.
Cuba took to baseball after the war
The natives went to it like Wildfire al
ter the soldiers had pOpularized il. They
developed some really high class talent
This was fine substitute for the real
article, / can tell you. But still I pinned
for the resOundmg bats OF Hans Wag-
uer, Larry Jajoie, Sam Crawford and
national hero sluggers of the type.
Friends Went Into Game.
MY interest in the major leagues was
famed by the fact that while ] was
isolated from my friends at home many
of them engaged in the promotion of or
ganized baseball. August Herman, Ban
Johnson, John +. Bruce. Charles Z. Taft
and Charles Webb Murphy (all but Mr..
Taft charter members of the Free sit
ters) we're but a few Of many old time
associates whose connection with the
game further endeared IL TO me. As
soon as my business affairs permitted
Of holidaying I arranged to spend sew
eral months Of every summer back
among the home folk"
These summer visits, the captain de-
clares shaped his future career as a big
league magnate.
MY first worlds series experience
said the captain, was in 1909 That's
VIC INV AAE AANaAEE UEdA AAuhA AAN gEAAT
ningss Tigers. Course / was a National
Lacquer then and had bet little on
the old sentiment Remember how
tough that series was2 / got a real run
for my money, you may know, and dis
covered the means of spending q vaca-
ton which was a vacation"
How He Came 10 BUY Eanks.
But how came it, the captain was
asked, that, being such a National
league enthusiast YOU ever permitted
yourself TO buy into the American
Lacquer
'McGraw is the answer to that" was
the reply. He advised the colonel and
myself through all our negotiations for
the Yankees, which We're complicated
enough to furnish the baseball writers
material for a whole winter. McGraw
7 have found TO be the best posted man
in baseball on the playing, business and
diplomatic end.
IN the summer Of 1914, while I was
knocking about with the Giants in Gin
cinnati ] learned that the Chicago Ma
tional league club was for sale. Joe
Garretson. an old schoolmate of mine,
who is in charge Of the Cincinnati
Times Star. G. j. Tafts newspaper,
gave the information. I consulted with
McGraw and he promised to go into the
deal with me. The matter had gone
so far as to have a purchase price mu
tually agreed upon when John discov-
cred that he could not honorably Sc
cure his release from his New York
contract l had no thought Of taking
the Cubs unless McGraw was free TO
join me in the enterprise.
Boost for Ban johnson.
some time later after the worlds
series Of 1914, William Fleischmann
heard through August Hermann that
the Yankees were for sale. He told
McGraw. Mac phoned me and arranged
through Fleischmann a meeting with
Col Rupert at the Claridge hotel. The
colonel. like myself was not particu-
larly keen on the project. He thought.
like myself that # might be a good
Investment at a suitable price. ! was
somewhat treasured by a visit to John
+. Bruce in Cincinnati Ban Johnson
came late in November TO begin the
long negotiations which ended in our
purchase. / have never regretted my
association with Mr.. Johnson. He is
honest and fearless a man with whom
any one may well be proud TO associate
either in or out Of business"