The Starkville news., 1920-06-04


iris Ford believed in preparedness.
He was almost invariably forearmed.
But he wasn't prepared for the trick
played him by criminally negligent
city which harbored water supply
devoted to the propagation of typhoid
bacilli. Otherwise he wouldn't have
thought for one moment of hitching I'D
with two yards and fifteen stone of
human trouble, even though said
trouble did boast phenomenal fast
ball and beautiful control-"control
not OF the man. but of the ball.
Not one o, the other fifteen major
League managers would have under
taken the job of handling Barney Lar.
kin. Two had tried. 1t was Parke of
Pittsburgh who discovered Larkln. For
fully twenty-four hours after Larkin
pitched his first big-league game, shut
ting out Cincinnati. Parke boasted of
his find. Then abruptly he ceased to
boast; and after two weeks, replete
with excitement for the Pirates. the
eccentric performer was given his un-
conditional release When the part-
Ing was over. Parke made this state
ment:
"rve seen some grand port siders
and some bad actors in my day. but
Barney Larkin's got 'em all beat. Curv-
ing ball and crooking his elbow seem
to be born In him. Reminds me of a
fu mono Vrtcbr1op u,hn hnuctnl ho
fight duel and drink bowl of punch
between thrusts. And the more he
drank the harder he fought. So with
Barney. He can pitch shut-out ball
between drinks. The more hard liquor
he puts away the faster his ball and
the better his control Pm not joking
drinking actually improved his pitch
ing. But it didn't have the same eff
feet on other players with our club
there was the devil to pay. No more
Barneys for me-"
Undlsmayed by the judgment of
Parke, the manager of the Cincinnatis
grabbed Larkin, Dragging: "Observe
me-l can handle any player who isn't
actually bughouse."
Balloon observed. 1t wasn't alto
gether what Barney Larkin did, al
though that was "a-plenty." 1t was
what he did to the Cincinnati team.
When they next appeared in the East,
one of the sporting writer's said that
nothing so diSorganized had come out
nf Ohio Sinna (fnyny'ly ElnilU
the load of wild oats" as Barney mad
come to be called. was given his un-
conditional release.
He was now officially designated a
free agent" But where had his free
dom taken him?
There was a sure way to trace Bar
ney Larkin. He loved the spotlight !;
no near statesman or Thespian of the
chorus sought the bright white light
more persistently. Barney was either
IN the newspapers or seeking to break
into print. Most generally he found
the scribes in receptive frame Of
mind. Barney Larkin was to the
sporting writer's what Harry Thaw
was to the sob artsts-good for d col
umn any dull day. And the story,
nine times out of ten, got or to the
wire and Travelled over the country.
Iris Ford sent out an rs. o. s." to
Barney Larkin, the sporting editor of
the North Star acting as transmitter.
The scribe wrote story about Bar
ney, rehearsing his exploits with
horSehide and highball, and winding
up with the query:
HAS anyone seen Barney? Is he
far from the madding crowd of fans,
humping along on the water wagon,
or is he mixing up drinks and pitching
with his old-time abandon and neer-
failing skill? We repeat-bas anyone
seen Barney Larkin?"
Back few the answer: Barney is
in our midst"
1t came from Punxsutawney, state
of Pennsylvania.
The rest was merely the correspond
ence of diplomacy, at which Tris-tram
Carling-ford was lineal descendant
Of Charles Maurice Talleyrand. The
elimination was telegram from
Larkin, sent collect, reading:
"Come on and get me-"
The manager of the Giant-killers
took the first train for Punxsutawney,
which is borough most inconvenient-
ly located northeast of the Smoky city.
He took with him n corpulent roll of
yellow bills. iris Ford knew that he
must buy Larkin's release-not from
the outlaw club, but from the trades
men of PunXsutawney.
Up Center street and down the shady
side, Ford and Barney tramped, maxi
ing more calls than the letter carrier
There were the clothier. the shoe-store
man, the haberdasher. the laundry, the
barber, every bar IN town. and both
hotels to pay, and the express com.