South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-06-15
Pennsylvania Lad Is Star Catcher
On Ball Team Despite Loss of Leg
Stan" Kutchumba Refuses to
Let Mine Accident Mar
His Playing.
BY WILLIAM b. LOTUS.
International News service stan
COFrfa1pOu1puf
correspondent

WILKFS-BAREE, Pa. June IA
Never cry over spilled milk is the
old Irish saying and there Is one
young mine worker-a victim Of
that risky underground work in the
hard coal feids-who today believes
in that adage
Every dark cloud has a silver lin
ing" he smninsly tells. and every
body who has watched one-legged
Stanley Kutchumba play baseball
declares Stanley is right.
stan as he is known to his pals,
is a junior at the Plains High
school, and just now is rated as one
OF the best catchers in the Upper
Luzerne County Baseball league. l.
has been a long time since the
fame and glory OF P1alns--a hamlet
outside Of this city-has been spread
upon the sport pages of metropoli
tan papers. n fact. old timers who
know say Ed C"Duck'D Walsh. a
native. was the first TO spread broad
cast the fame OF this little mining
town
Follows Fathers Footsteps.
Like every son Of a miner, STAN
ley followed his dads footsteps into
the darkest chambers Of the under
ground workings. For months this
little lad abored-patching behind a
pair Of balky muleS one day a trip
OF mine cars rolled down the branch
and Stanley was pinned by the1rain
against the wall OF the main tunnel
! Amputation of his limb was the only
means of saving his life. The MEM
! Der was severed. For days he how
ed~between life and death, but the
spark Of life soon kindled the sun
shine OF hope. He improved and
after many weeks Of confinement be-
hind hospital walls was sent to his
little home.
4 am big, / am strong" he cried
to his mother, for he wanted TO play
with the other kids in the patch.
/ Soon ne took on an artificial limb.
No more mines for him-he was a
( cripple, and cripples are of little
value about the mine diggines.
stan" was ambitious He pleaded
/ 10 go TO school. and a sacrificing
mother and father permitted him TO
begin his primary course in the little
red school house. He Jared well,
/ progressed rapidly. and today he is
a junior.
/ In those four years KutchGmba
/ has learned to put his cork limb to
as many good uses as one would call
upon the flesh and bone of them
own under-pins. When Coach O'Mal-
| ley issued the call for players for
| this season Stanley responded.
/ Plains needed g. catcher. Stanley
volunteered. Coach O'Malley first
only laughed. but then he bargained.
Kutchumba Is the regular back
stop and Plains is a runner-up for
I penaant honors
How He Plays the Game.
The lad crouches behind the bat
ter in real Steve O'Neiu style! He
balances all his weight on his right
foot. He pegs perfectly about the
bases. and 10 date only three SACKS
have been stolen on him in all the
/ games Plains High has played.
/ When he bats-and Stanley can
sock en- in Bambino foshiol-he is
| granted a runner under a special
rule Of the league. When he pounds
+ the horsehide it travels.
! The other day when Plains was
/ playing Plymouth, the ball hit the
| catcher in the leg. He fell. Spec
tators cried out: His leg is broken,
/ call a doctor"
Doctor, - nothing" chirped the
high school cripple. as he smilingly
4 looked up from the ground. where
he lay in a crouched position. GO
/ GOT q oornapfar