The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-04-25
QUICK DECISION
WON BILLY FOR
GODS SERVICE
Leaves Baseball Diamond for
Pulpit When a Salvation
Army Sermon Strikes Re
sponslve Chord In Heart.
never REGRETS STEP

Just WAdl manner OF man is Billy
Sunday?
The fame of his actions on the plat
form, and of the speeches be makes
is well known, but the Sunday that is
found off the stage, and the Sunday
who used to play ball with Pop" An
sons old Chicago team is not so we'll
known.
Sunday is interested in more things
than Religion, with a capital R. In
politics he is Republican. with ten
dency to scratch the ticket, although
he has been a Prohibitionist And he
is interested in commerce. astronomy,
literature, art, sports, and wide cir
Gle of other subjects that give range
to restless mind
Left Orphan Early.
Some of his old friends saw Billy
was not as bad a boy as he might
paint himself, but that he certainly
did not have any real home in his
youth. His father, who was soldier
in the Civil war did not return. and
Billy, who was born while. his father
was in the army, was brought up in
a family where a mother was the only
support
Billy had practically no home, no
clothing, no money. A famous Ne
braska editor wrote of him: HE had
nothing but a big heart and a keen
brain. But he went to the top. He
was scholar who knew his lessons,
an actor in the home talent shows, a
fast worker at whatever he undertook
and gentleman at all times and I'm
der all circumstances. Billy was some
Splinter as a kid He used to give
US youngsters half way across the
block and then beat US"
Mystery in Name.
There is a mystery about his name
Rev. Sunday does not know why his
father wrote back from the Union
army in November, 1862, asking that
the two weeks old boy be named
William Ashley, but Mrs. Mary Ash
ley LATHE of East Chattanooga, Tenn.
believes she knows the origin of the
evangelist's given names
When the evangelist was born his
father was serving as an infantryma1
with the Union forces, at the from.
He received news of the arrival Of
the stork and wrote 10 have the young
ster named William Ashley. Mrs
Ashley LATHE says she believes Billy
was named after her father, who had
given aid to "a sick Union soldier
named Sunday"
Mr. Sunday believes the "sick I'm
ion soldier" of whom the Tennessee
woman writes was his parent, and that
in recognition of aid and comfort Civ
en- him by Mr.. Ashley during his i'll
ness, he chose his benefactor's las
name as one of the given names for
his baby, whom unhappily he never
saw.
Born in 1863 s
1t was on NoY. 49, 1863, SO years
ago that Billy was born at Ames,
Iowa, and prosaically recorded as the
son of William and Mary Jane CORY
Sunday He went to school regularly
in spite of the financial handicaps.
and after graduating from the high
school at Nevada, Iowa, began playing
professional ball.
! BilIy's minor league experience was
/ of short duration, for he was only -
/ years of age when Pop" Arson,
/ searching for new blood for his fam
/ Gus White Stockings" in 1888 per
suaded Billy to join his outfit, and
the most interesting part of Billy's
career began.
! Because of my ability to run when
I | was scared, and steal bases, l was
selected as lead-off man when I play
ed with the Chicago Nationals from
! 1888 until 1882 Sunday has declared.
Il was called "a good waiter and
/ could get on as often as any other
man on the team | wasn't slugger,
nope. nothing like Babe Ruth, for l
didn't have the beef to pole out those
/ long ones, and home run kings were
/ few and far between in those days, but
| | could get base on balls more often
i than my teammates, and ! wasn't
/ just exactly what you could call a
weakling with the stick when the
pitcher got me in hole and made
me swing, or when the bases were
loaded with none or only one down.
Sunday batted 314 one year during
his stay with the Chicago club, rank
ing fourteenth in the list of National
/ League sIuggers, and usually aver
aged $50 with the stick. He had seven
years of baseball, five years with Chi
rago. one year with the Pittsburgh
Pirates, from 'S8 to 80, and was then
i traded to the Philadelphia team
where he played his last baseball in
1889 and 1890.
Sunday was the bane of the exist
ence of catchers, because of his base
stealing ability, and twice during hi 3
big league experience he led the
game AS a result. he was a great
run scorer.
Baseball players in these days were
rough set, splendid athletes, but care
less and taking poor care of them
selves, with little worry for the future.
I Billy was one of them until he became
| converted
II His Conversion.
"One time there was gang OF ball
| players sitting on the curb at the
Il corner of State and Van Buren, streets,
| Chicago. drunk and listening to the
A Salvation Army" said Billy, telling of
his hitting the trail. - @ 5 s1z
II 81 looked at the little card that
held in my hand inviting the holder
7 to the mission down the street. and |
/ rose and said to the gang, Well Good
| by boys, I'm through" a 7ststf
/ They didn't believe me. but.f at
| tended about five or six of the meet