The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-29
Pels Pluck Victory From Jaus Of Defeat

 Editors Note: Here is the second chapter of a series of articles concern ing Connie Mack. The entire story is based on an interview with the remark able leader of the Athletics. It is story which reveals many inside incidents and theories of Connie Mack, which heretofore have never been given to the public by the Sphinx of Baseball" The next chapter will appear in this column tomorrow.)
 The baseball career of Connie Mack had it's beginning in the far-gone days of 1878 in the little town of East Brook field, Mass, where Connie was born in 1862. It was there, under conditions thai were rather difficult, that Mack, whose real name is Cornelius McGillicuddy learned to play the game which he glorified in his later years.
 My home was in one of the small suburbs of East Brookfield," relates Connie. Our neighborhood knew but few boys of my age and when we tried to form a ball club in the late 70's it was no easy task. Our squad consisted frequently of only seven boys, and to make up our team we had to import some of the boys from the town itself
 From a team composed of young sters. crude in baseball, that club of ours developed rapidly in baseball abil- ity and through the seasons of 1881 and 1882 we played-and defeated-some of the best amateur teams in our sec ton.
 'Tn 1883 an amateur league was formed which embraced some of the best clubs in central Massachusetts. All games were played on Saturday aft eroons. We gained membership in the circuit. And when the season was over the championship was ours. Since those days l have been connected with a number of pennant winners and some worlds champions. But the joy that was mine when our team hammered it's way to the top in that amateur cir cult eclipsed all that has come to me since then.
 50 great became the confidence of the townsfolk in the ability of our lit- tie team that delegation went to Worcester and arranged for an exhi- bition game to be played between our club and the Worcester aggregation, which just then was a member of the National league. That was in the lat ter part of 1883. Worcester insisted upon a certain guarantee. We were not playing in any enclosed field and could not charge admission for the game, but just the same Worcester was promised it's financial demands.
 "A big crowd turned out for the game which was perhaps the gala event in East Brookfield's history. The whole town and thousands of persons from the surrounding sections turned out to see the clash between the home town boys and the famous major league stars. The hat was passed around through the crowd and the generous donations from all of the spectators not only enabled us to pay Worcester its guarantee, but left little surplus for our club for use in the purchase of balls, bats and equipment.
 So successful was this venture that We decided upon an even more daring one. And that was to bring the Chicago Colts to East Brookfield and attemp. to dole out beating to the club which at that time was the most famous and perhaps one of the most powerful ag- gregations in the game.
 So when the Colts played in Provi- dence a delegation went there and re- quested that the team stop over in East Brookfield for an exhibition. Anson ac- cepted-but he asked for a guarantee cOnSlueraDly larger than that which had been given to Worcester. But it didn't stop the East Brookfield folks and they consented to the price They agreed among themselves to make up out of their own pockets the difference between the collection from the specta- tors and the sum of money that had to be paid to the Chicago team.
 The crowd that saw the game be- tween our little amateur club and the Chicago Colts was larger by far than that which had witnessed the game