Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-09-24
Local Traffic Officer Has
Followed Him From
"Town Lot" Stage.
TO SCHOOL WITH HIM
Once a Right-lIander, d;
Vicious Horse Changed
His Whipping Arm.
BY j. w. PINliSTON.
(Tulsa Traffic OfficcrD


Yes, this business of trying TO un-
tangle delivery wagons from jiteys
and blind men from in front of -four
spccd racers is exciting, but even in
my hours from work | lead "a pretty
exciting life, II watching the best bail
player in the world lead them all cal,
be called exciting.
"You see, I'm baseball fan. or
perhaps better, I'm Iris Speaker
fan, and that's the same for If yoii
talk OF baseball you mean Iris and
If you mention him you mean the
best there is in the national pdstime.
81 have known speaker ever since
he was seven years old, and | have
followed him through the town lot
stage Of Hubbard City, Texas, to the
top of the list. where even Ty CobL
says the old greyhound will sit as
champion Of the year of 1915.
1--WE were boys together Z iris ana
], down in the little town of Hubbard
city. We went To school, played ana
many a time slipped off from the
gang or with the gang and left the
old school miles behind us as W.
sought out the shadiest swimming
hole.
THAT was back in '93 or "a ano
he was the fastest and best ball player
II house afire and it wasn't long until
he wos playing with the second team,
composed ~ boys about II years old.
He was about II years old maybe, not
over that and maybe only .. But he
was a ball player
All Age Teams.
"Nou see, in those towns they had
three teams There was the young
stcrs that could hardly shoulder a
hat. then there was the Second Nine
and then came the First Nine. the
latter was made up of fellows who
could hit . bah in any league these
days They were usually backed by
some prominent fellow in the town.
Many of them had children playing
on the second or third team
well. the same year that iris went
to the Second Nine he vert to the
First Nine, that's how good he waa.
And then he had ar accident which
changed him from a right hand player
to a left handler. one day, when he
rad 'swipcd a horse from "a watering
mole, and was riding il. he was thrown
and his collar bone broken. For a
long time he carried his right arm in
q sling, but he never failed to come
cut TO the lot and watch the fellows
practice, and OF course he began TO
toss the BAH around with his left
hand. Ry the time the splints were
off his shoulder and arm, he was a
right or left hand ball player.
about this time it was discovered
by the other towns around Hubbard
city that he was a pitcher and he
would be signed up to play with them
for "A series of three games, getting
$40 for the series.
"Well at the close of that year he
went up to Altus, and there got a job
as oiler for oil mill. II was while
working there that he had another
accident, one that just about put the
finishing touches to the greatest ball
player that ever lived.
I'm some way his hand got cauenJ
in a belt and was almost crushed.
But the fellows around the mill real
lied that if his hand wasn't doctored,
they would lose as good a ball player
as an oiler and so everything was
done for him that IL country doctor
could do. He got over the acciden,
with n whole hand.
''Ile was about II years old when
Doak Roberts came down to Hubbard
City from Cleburn and told Iris he
would give him t25 to sign a con-
tract Iris thought he was trying to
kid him and told MIN so, but Doak
was so persistent that finally they
went over to iris mother, widow, !
and ask her IL Iris could play with
Cleburn. He signed at $50 and after
playing with Cleburn a part of the
season went to Houston with Roberts. |
His first year there he batted .317 |
with Texas League company.
He was purchased by Boston for