Evening star., 1918-04-09
Denies CUMMINGS
HAD CURVED BALL
Catcher Jewell Adds Interest
ing Chapter to Old Base
Ball Controversy.

Though two weeks have passed since
Aiphonse c. Martin of the old Mutuals
made the statement here that ]. Nc
Sweeney Of the Mutuals OF 1855 was the
first pitcher to curve base ball nobody
has come forward with any refutation.
1t therefore seems to be taken for
granted that NcSweeney really did per-
form the feat first in a game under
rules.
The curve ball controversy has found
an echo in Wisconsin. A. ]. Schinner,
sporting editor of the Evening wiscon-
sin of Milwaukee. some time ago repro
duced the query as to the origin of the
curve ball, in which a correspondent
declared that Candy Cummings of the
Brooklyn Stars had turned the trick
first and that Cummings had got the
idea from Creighton of the Excelsiors.
Now comes Herbert S. Jewell, who
caught Cummings, with the statement
that Cummings probably never even
saw Creighton. Jewell writes from his
home in Milwaukee as follows:
IN a recent edition of your paper un-
der the heading Cummings Caught
Curved Ball Idea From Creighton of the
Excelsiors' is an excerpt from the New
following paragraph: Would it not be
good plan to get some information
from the still living members OF both
the Excelsiors and the Stars?
For many years I caught Cummings,
and certainly ought to know something
about the facts. The Creighton refer
red to was the greatest pitcher OF ms
day beyond any question, and IT was
between the Atlantics and the Excel
siors in Brooklyn, which Is past MS
tory. Creighton was also a fine cricket
player. and it was through TINS game
that he came to his death. which oc-
Cured many years before the Excel
siors left their old ground at the foot
of Court street for the Capitoline.
! "The statement by the party VINO
prefers to be unnamed that he was In
formed by Cummings that he got the
idea from Creighton certainly Is un-
believable by the writer. Cummings
must have been a very small boy at the
time Of Creighton's death. and In my
opinion Creighton himself was unable
to curve a ball, and 1t is not likely he
| could at any time have given Cummings
an idea on that point, even II the Kid
had any acquaintance with him, which
I seriously doubt.
Creighton Did Not Curve.
"As a member of the Excelsior club
| for years and acquainted with many OF
Leggett, Ed Russell, George F1anley,
Harry Polhemus and others. I never
heard any one suggest or state that
Creighton produced a curved ball In his
pitching. The matter certainly would
have come up at some time. because
Arthur Cummings came into the Junior
Excelsiors, which the club at that time
| fostered, and naturally with Cummings
I constantly before their eyes II Creigh-
ton had at any time developed curved
| hall IL Won1d have heen RnOken of bY
some of these members who played
with him. 1t is q sure thing he would
have been unable to give any one any
idea about the curved ball unless he
himself could have produced 1t.
George Flanley, friend OF Creigh-
tons, and myself were quite intimate
| for many years, and he never men,
| toned the fact. which he certainly
would have done had Creighton any
| idea that he had produced curved
| ball. My own belief is that the curved
ball was due largely to the way Cum
mings held the sphere. grip he came
ed of sore finger. and 1t was this
finger which was the principal ager.
| in producing the curve.
Caught Cummings at Start.
when Cummings first came into the
Excelstors as Junior player Daniel
Chauncey of Brooklyn caught for him:
L
was playing right field with the senior
nine. I afterward went to the Stars
with Cummings and others, and most
of the catching / did for him was
while we were both members Of that
organization. Subsequently, when de-
cided to stop playing, I went back to
the Excelsiors and am at the present
time a life member, 1t having been
chartered as a social club q year or
two after professionalism came into
vogue.
'The statement that one player, Phe-
Ian, pitched semi-professional ball and
was able to produce an in and out un-
derhand curve possibly may be true,
though Iahave my doubts about 1t. At
any rate. playing on the Capitoline
grounds regularly myself. I have no
knowledge of any such player. II such
a party subsequent to my dropping out
OF base ball did play of course would
know nothing about 1t.
'The point I wish to make is that
Cummings could not have possibly had
any such information as the writer of
that letter pretends. because 1t was alb
soiutely impossible for him to have re-
ceived any ideas from Creighton, Tor
the reason that they did not play ball
at the same time, and the further point
is that none of those playing with
Cummings for years received any such
Information from Cummings himself.
This is my answer to The Suns
question. HERBERT S. JEWELL.
"5s1 Marshall street. Milwaukee. wis,