Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-27

if you take the trip you will be cripple
! for life"
took his advice and didn't take the
! trip.
! Edward Williamson, our old shortstop.
| never weighed less than 200 pounds. He
was the most active big man l ever saw
| in my life. He weighed about 240 or
$50 pounds and they were crossing the
! English channel when storm arose
and the captain said: She'll never
make IT, she'll go DOWN"
Everybody had on life preservers, and
! was all ready for anything that might
! happen.
Williamson threw himself on his knees
and said ION. God. l haven't lived right
and If you will spare the ship and my
| life l promise you I'll cut out the booze
and quit gambling and I'll be true to my
wife"
! He had just said this when the Lord
heard his prayer and he stilled the temp
est and the ship went into harbor. He
. came back to Chicago. He started "A
/ saloon on Dearborn street just north
of Madison in q basement. I used to go
| in there giving out tickets inviting men
| to come to the Y. VI. G. A. meetings.
He would take me in his gambling room
and he'd turn the lock and say: Bill,
pray"
with our arms around each other and
! I'd pray. Ed would cry and I would
/ cry, lnd ne would say:
bill, there is no use. You are right;
I l am wrong; but | am too far gone"
He went to Hot Springs, where ne
died. They put him on the operating
/ table They cut him open and took
/ out his liver. tt was so big they
! couldn't get it in candy bucket They
] III La ,ryx
/ eled till they were like two stones.
| They rolled them across the table and
| they fell on the floor like marbles.
He stood on the corner of State and
Van Buren, streets with me, drunk,
! thirty years ago. when L said. 'I bid you
! goodbye. / am through. / am going
/ to Jesus Christ"
Frank Flint was our old catcher. He
/ caught before they ever had masks, be-
/ fore they ever had gloves, before they
: ever had chest protectors, before they
/ ever had these shin guards. Every bone
/ in his face was broken His cheek
/ bones and his nose were broken, and
! his shoulder was broken, where foul
! tips had hit him. He caught for nine
! teen years and his salary was $4,000 a
i year. Chicago released him, and he got
! a little bunch of saloons in Chicago
| where he used to go around and pam
| handle for a handout.
| have gone many night and found
! him in these different joints lying
there asleep, vomit trickling out his
! teeth and the flies swarming around,
! and / have turned my pockets wrong
side out and said:
Prank, / haven't as much money
now as I used to have when l played
baseball, but you can take it all-take
| all you need. As long as / have got a
! cent come around"
His wife left him. She started a
| boarding house out on the south side.
One day in the winter he started out
of a stale beer joint and reached the
corner of Monroe and Dearborn streets
opopsite the First National Bank build
ing that Hetty Green owned, and, lean
ing over the railing, he coughed and
coughed and coughed. The blood
dripped from his nose.
Down the street came woman with
a seal skin coat and diamonds. 1t was
his wife She took one glance at him
and then said, MY God, Frank, 1t is
you!
And she kissed him. They called the
notice summoned a carriage, and sped
up in front of the boarding house. She
summoned five of the best doctors in
Chicago. among them DR.. VI. ;. DAVIS,
the old doctor, family physician. They
felt his pulse. took his temperature,
looked at the whites of his eyes ana
thew counted his heart beats-one, two,
three. four, five, six. seven, eight, nine
fen eleven twelve, and they sald:
',,ome here Mrs Flint He won't hVe
long. Go tell him."
she turned to DR.. Everidge and SAID:
"Dr. Everidge, you tell him.
He said: NO. you are his wife you
tell him
she gritted her teeth and oraced her-
self and walked to the bedside ana
hrusbino the hair from his forehead and
leaning over him she said: Frank the
doctor saws it won't be long until the
umpire calls you out
He looked up and said to her: Bless
l wish you'd send for Bill.
She telephoned for me. Jumpeu Oh
the street car and hurried to his BEDSIDE
When I got in he pulled me down 10 the
bedside and said: Pill, there is nothlns
in my life I used to live that gives me
any comfort now" He SAID; can see
mvself going to the cashiers window and
yettino NV money and hear the grand
stand cheer when / win the game with
q hit" He said: Bill. l can't see the
ball. and 1 am batting nothing but louis
won't you help me-?
He looked up again and saw the pu-
nils of his eyes beginning to dilate. he
said: bill. if l don't reach nome VIII
YOU say a few words over me-?
saw his muscles begin to heaVe ana
il seemed like he was trying to stretch
a three-base hit into home run, ana ne
rounded third with all his strength ana
as he leaped as if to try and make H.
the umpire leaned over the battlements
IF the universe and said: you're out!
Frank Flint sat on the corner OF
state and Van Buren, streets with me-
drunk, thirty-five years ago when / said:
az bid you goodbye, boys, I'm through:
Who won the game of life, they or II
r All w. M W,eh