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


liked IL, and one night staggered to
the front and 1 fell into the arms of
Jesus Christ. and said. 81 am sick and
tired of sin, Lord: ] want to so square,
will you please help me-"
I went over on the west side in Chi
cago and ] Joined the Jefferson Park
Presbyterian church. l was keeping
company with a girl named Nellie
Thompson, Her name has been Mrs.
Sunday since the fifth day of Septem
ber 1888. I married Nell and she was
a Presbyterian. that's why I'm a Pres
byterian. If Nell had been Catholic,
I'd have been a Catholic. / was hot on
Nell's trail-that's all! My ma was a
Methodist. but I am Presbyterian.
We had a couple of three days off. |
didn't want the boys to see me because
was afraid of the horse-laugh they
would give me for going square. for IL
appeared in the newspapers all over
the country.
walked down on a "wednesday
morning and / put my key in the
wicket gate and the first fellow TO
greet me was Mike Kelly. Mike had
a heart i'm him as big as a woman. He
came up to me and grabbed re by
the hand and said:
if ever l can help you, here's my m,r,
and old Kell' won't knock. Here she
Is, my boy, I'm proud Of you"
Up came Cap Arson, up came Ed
Williamson. up came every member of
that famous old Chicago team one or
the best teams that ever crawled into
uniforms. take it from me!
We went through the season with
only eleven men and won the champion
ship. We didn't have as many men on
the whole team as they have pitchers
on the average major league team now
adays We only had two pitchers
Clarkson and McCormick-and we'd
alternate them--two pitchers.
And every member of that team came
I'D and gave me the glad hand. There
wasn't a fellow on that team that
knocked me.
Ny. L felt like milestone had roll
ed off my heart!
That afternoon we were playing the
old Detroit team and we were neck and
neck for the championship, and those
games were going to settle it, | was
playing right field Clarkson was
pitching.
oh. we have got some fine pitchers
nowadays-Walter Johnson is a crack
erjack Alexander is a good one. Babe
cellent pitcher. Every club has one or
two good pitchers-but nobody. in my
opinion. has ever qualified as a better
pitcher than Clarkson. He was a crack
erjsck.
L tell you I have seen Them all. and
he is the only one / have ever seen
that could do this. 1 have seen the
spitters and the fadeaways. and I have
seen the speed and the curves, but he
was the only fellow that could ever do
this He was the only pitcher that
could ever pitch a ball that would go
down and then up. With an overland
motion he could make 'er go down and
then up. He used to let it go off the
end of his finger nail He'd get it
like that, and when she went by YOU
good night! The thermometer would
fall two degrees.
Poor John died up in Massachusetts
in an insane asylum. Cigarettes broke
down his health. / have known him
to smoke eight and ten boxes of them
in "A day. L used TO room with John.
The water would be stained with nico-
tine when he'd take a bath.
John was pitching and Mike was
catching and 1 was playing right fisid.
We had them beat in the last half OF
the ninth inning, tnree to two. Charlie
Bennett. the old catcher Charlie went
out hunting and got off the train to get
some lunch and the train started be-
fore they thought it would and Charlie
slipped and fell down and had both his
legs cut off. Charlie lived out in De-
troit. He was converted at a meeting
one night)-well. Charlie was at bat. We
had them beat three to two in the last
half of the ninth inning. Charlie had
three balls and two strikes on him.
Il 49, -ssrI,t l.,1 IL,
to right field.
1 hollered to John: One more and
we've got EN-"
1 can see John as he dug a hole in
the box. Charlie couldn't hit a high
ball, but he could hit one down about
his knees as good as any fellow that
ever walked up to the plate.
John intended to keep the ball high
and in close, but il went low and
heard the bat crack. took a glance
into the air and / saw she was coming
out to me. 1--WE played barehanded IN
those days; we didn't wear mits like
they do now I saw she was coming
toward me and / whirled and went after
it with all the speed I could summon.
You have seen ball player turn AMI
ran [ said something / don't just re-
OF where that ball would light. taking
into account the upper current of air, and
so / whirled and away / went. and the
people overflowed the grandstand and
the bleachers. and they were out on the
playing ground and l saw the ball was
going TO drop over in the crowd and !
said: Get out of the way!" and they
opened up like the Red Sea did for
Moses
I ran as fast as / could. and as I
ran / said something l don't just re-
member, but as near as ] do, it was
like this: "Oh, God. / am in
an awful hole, and if you ever helped
a mortal man in your life help me get
that ball and you haven't got much
time to make up your mind"
Well, a current of air was holding
the ball up somewhat and 1 grabbed
in the air for the ball and it stuck
Up came Tom Johnson. He used to be
mayor of Cleveland. Up came Tom. and
he threw his arms around me and shoveo
me a 500 bill in my hand and said:
Bill, go buy you a suit the best in
town. He said: That catch won me
8 800
/ bought me a suit that cost $50.
| told that tale out in Iowa, and "A
good old Methodist steward came up to
me, and stroking his bird-tail whis-
kers he said William, you didn't take
the 800 or the new suit. did you?"
Lord Heard Prayer
And stilled Tempest
said: you bet your life ! did"
Now wait minute. The Chicago ball