The Washington herald., 1918-01-28

today as I ever had. They offered
to wait for me at Honolulu and
Australia. Spalding said: Meet us
In England. and play with us
through England, Scotland, and
Wales" didn't go.
Williamson Another Who Went Bad.
Ed Williamson. our old shortstop,
was a fellow weighing 225 pounds,
and q more active big man you
never saw. He went with them,
and while they were on the ship
crossing the English Channel a
storm arose and the captain thought
the ship would go down.
Williamson tied two life preserv-
ers on himself and one on his wife
and dropped on his knees and
prayed and promised God to be true.
God spoke and the waves were
stiIled.
They came back to the United
States and Ed came back to Chicago
and started a saloon in Dearborn
street. 1 would go through there
giving tickets for the Y. NJ. C. A
meetings. and would talk with him
and he would cry like a baby.
1 would get down and pray for
him, and would talk with him.
When he died they put him on the
table and cut him open and took
out his liver and it was so big It
would not go in a candy bucket.
Kidneys had shriveled until Ihey
were like two stones.
Ed Williamson sat there on the
street corner with me, drunk, twen-
ty-eight years ago when said:
"Good-by, boys, I'm going to Jesus
Christ"
Frank Flint. our old catcher. who
caught for nineteen years, drew
$4,000 a year on an average. He
caught before they had the chest
protectors, masks and gloves.
He caught bare-handed. Every
bone in the ball of his hand was
broken. You never saw such a hand
as Frank had. Every bone in his
face had been broken and his nose
and cheek bones, and the shoulder
and ribs had all been broken. He got
to drinking. his home was broken
up and he went to the dogs.
1 have seen old Frank Flint Sleep
ing on a table in a stale beer joint,
and I've turned my pockets inside
out and said: You're welcome to it,
old pal"
He drank on and on and one day
in winter he staggered out of a stale
beer joint and stood on a corner
and was seized with a Mt Of cough
ing. The blood streamed out of his
nose, mouth. and eyes.
Down the street came a wealthy
woman. She took one look and
said: MY God. is It you, Frank?"
and his wife came up and kissed
him.
She called two policemen and a
cab and started with him 10 her
boarding house. They broke all
speed regulations. She called five
OF the best physicians and they lis
tened to the beating of his heart,
one, two. three, four, five, six, sew.
en-. eight. nine, ten, eleven twelve,
and the doctors said: He will be
dead in about four hours"
She told them to tell him what
they had told her. She said: Frank,
the end is near" and he said: Send
for Bill"
They telephonsd me and I came.
He said:
There's nothing in the life OF
years ago / care for now. 1 can near
the bleachers cheer when I make a
hit that wins the game. But there
Is nothing that can help me out
now; and II the umpires call me out
now won't you say a few words
over me, Bill?"
He struggled as he had years ago
on the diamond when he tried to
reach home, but the Great Umpire
of the universe yelled, You're out"
and waved him to the club house.
and the great gladiator of the dia-
mond was no mere.
He sat on the street corner with
me, drunk, twenty-eight years ago
In Chicago, when 1 snidi "Good-by,
boys, Pm through"
Men of Washington, did they win
the game of life, or did IL