The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-05-01
By HuaR

Mt. a. y. Narkus. the Bronx:
Thanks for the idea. Yours Is one
question I can answer. There was but
one catch made in AL the history OF
baseball that stands out above all oth-
ers. OF course. there have been millions
, OF great catches and great plays. out
this on" was the great. great. super
great catch OF them all; one that stahua
out alone. without 4 peer. In glad you
ASKED the question a. this time. 50 soon
after the death OF Cap Arson. for Gap
was one o. the figures in that eaten.
Also. there is L story connected win
IL I don't remember tho year-scme'
where around 1895, | think. The CHI.
caSo team was playing In New York ana
was catching an evening train lor
. WashinCt ton. Bill LANCE and l started
across town To the ferry. met some
folks. missed the train. We decided 10
catch the midnight. and missed that.
In fact. we spent most OF the nigh,
= missing trains. and got started Tor
Washington Grally on l train that would
land us there just IN time. n We han
luck. Bill borrowed 4 stateroom'. got
into uniform on the train. We made q
dash for n cab and by a wild ride reach
g. " ed the park just as Chicago was going
into the field. The first half OF the IN
= ming had been played. three men han
gone out and LANCE was next. lie lid
not stop 10 aCgu. With AnSon. but rHSh'
ell out 10 centvr ticld. and Cap let him
play. hut when he came TO the bench
Esp was grim and mad.
Fined sloo Again.
I,I "Tha;Tl cost you another hundred,
lBill." said Arson. II soaked you SLOW
Yesterday"
All right. Cap" said Eli. s~rinnins
-. but wounded.
The game went into extra innings
Chicago scored u run in either the
81 eleventh or twelfth and Washington
%. rallied right back. With two runners on
E bases and two out. Kip Setback, one OF
~ the greatest httters. the game ever knew.
% came 10 bat. I.ange was playing well
- out for him, but Kip hit that ball q ter
wallop. The ball went straight out,
o "a low. viciously driven liner over
- Lange's head.
~ & Lange, who weighed eco. was one of
the fastest men In the world and an
- oncanny judge OF fly balls. Ee whirled
at the crack OF the bat, gave one glance
and raced utwar straight for the
N'7"tence. sprintine 1T top speed. The hit
80 peemed q certain homo run. II II got
-. over Langc's head. and Il; seemed i'm
possible that any player ever could go
. far enough out TO catch Il. The ball
was over his head. when. without Seem
Ing to look up or 70 lessen his stride,
o.. the giant outfieldcr leaped. stuck his
- hands hiS and. with his back directly
toward the plate. caught the ball.
Goes Through Fenos After Ball
- He was high In the air when he made
the catch and turned entirely over. hit
, ting the center field fence with his head
near the ground and his feet straight
up. There was a crash, the entire panel
broke and was torn outward. and LANCE
half disappeared IN the wrecked fence.
In a second he crawled W. holding up
. the bali In one hand to show he had
chung to It
I never have witnessed such q demon
s~eration on any field as greeted the smil-.
ing giant as he limped toward the bench.
Men and women simply went wild.
Iange walked over 10 the bench, grin
he'd joyously. and said:
Fines go. Cap?"
Nope" said Arson.
Another great catch which I had the
pleasure OF witnessing was one made
by Hughie Jennings when he was short
stopping for the Baltimore cam. II
was made in a Sunday game in Chicago,
on the old West Side Park. Bill Everett,
l recall. was on third base and Chicago
needed q run to tic the score. The
crowd was on the field. Boards had
been laid down all the way around the
field. so that spectators could sit on
them and police the crowd, holding back
the masses behind them. Police were
- not needed. as no fellow with a seat on
the boards would permit others to get
2 in front OF him.. Behind the seated ones
were rows OF kneeling spectators and
back OF them thousands were standing.
Tho crowd was especially dense along
the third base side. The batter hit q
/. high foul back Of third base. The BAL
timore third basetan ran to the edge OF
! the crowd and stopped. But Jennings
!, came tearing across from short ut top
speed. Fe saw tho ball falling into
tho crowd and took a Wild dive over the
: bCaSs Of the spectators and made the
catch while crashing down upon the
heads and shoulders OF the crowded
fans. Everett. on third saw the catch
: Jumped 20 touch the base and raced Tor
! tho plate. jennings, who had knocked
: down n half dozen men In falling. came
( scrambiing up over their bodies, and
standing on a Chicago fan heaved tho
: ball to the plate and doubled Everett.
Other Famous Catches
NarkinE way back in unwritten his
Tory Is that catch that Barry McCor-
mick, afterward q great major league IN
ELDER. now one OF the best jumps in the
S~slness. made in u game down IN Gin
ii long. lorc ago. Perhaps Barry
Els has forgotten Il. 1t was In a
\between the Poplar Stars, a team
\turncd out nine major league
in one season. and the Pendie-
which Barry was playing.
Ist Il kid then. but very fast
\ral player. The game was
|ndleton, on a lot near where
rs once d!sported them
Iht on the edge Of the
d was on and thu river
\ready 10 overflow It's
\playIng left field. al
Late In the game
a Poplar Star bat
\think Il was, or
pit a long line
tearing across
1denly reached
didn't stop.
vine ball a;G
We drag
gn a coal