, 1922-09-21

lie CoAAa ANAA10AAALAL ~ 1&AfE[A~4
to come from a combination Of prin-
ter's devil and baseball player? Moth
ing. you say? Well. possibly not, n
possibly not 20. Yet n tale could be
unfoided about Just such a combin-
alton that might reverse your notion
either way. II you insist on the tell
ling Il win force Us to reveal that t..
the combination. is in our very midst
and has been for some ears. and
you probably have never suspected
and meanwhile have accorded re-
spect, II not esteem. to this very COM
bination. Its name is Han ry Free
who sails under the ~aristocratic title
OF "Realtor''. whatever that is. and
regardless OF its Spanish derivation
Go back with US TO Manning. Iowa,
in Carroll county. within the ri
and pork belt of that great common
wealth. and let us together give the
environs the cace over and determine
whether or not Il was tho combin-
alton Of corn and pork h a pro-
duced the combination OF printers
devil and baseball player.
Here we learn through the vital
statistics Of the country thai Harry
Free arrived at the town OF Manning
at a very early day in his career. De
Fcember 90. 1855, just in time to hang
UP his bootees for the expected visit
of Santa Claus who came according 10
schedule the following week.
We can afford to pass over the first
ten years of his life most of which
was spent in alternately attending
school and playing hockey" to dis
port in the "'old swimmin' hole.
At the age of ten he became the
captain Of the Galley Cats famous
baseball team of that day. ~ eleven
he took on the additional occupation
of devil boy in the office OF the Man
ming Monitor, a famous weekly up
litter whose editor howed to the line
and let tae chips fall where they
pleased. His journalistic career in
his native town was a mixture of
sunshine and sorrow. but it de
vsloped q tenaoity of purpose that
stood him in good stead. Zach sue
ceeding baseball season. The fore
man of the Monitor. n Farrell
rather admired his devil because of
his Inherent satanic qualities and
persistence. He fired him every
evening regularly. for cause, but he
never stayed fired. Simply to show
the cruel foreman that he harbored
no resentment, the devil would crawl
Through n printing office window
early the next morning and nave the
office neatly swept out and the fire
built by the time the foreman arrived
on the scene to ind the devil busy
mixing paragraphs OF patent medi
cine readers with obituary notices,
of course when h proofs were
pulled the shop wa without a devil
until the next morning. Thus did
the journalistic apprenticeship mer
riIy proceed for several years. until
the elder Free ook a hand and 8
: barrel stave. and after that there waf
some uninterrupted school business
that never ceased until a diploma wa:
brought home and hung on the parlol
wall among the family portraits.
Now comes adventure The frs
trip away rom home. To far Nevada
How he got there, don't ask. HI
, purchased no tickets and rode on No
upholstery. but he arrived and HI
found work. Regular work TIT
reason he worked is explained by thu
fact that he was hungry and nungel
will drive a man TO desperation !
, not depreciation. Baiding baroeu
:. wire fence across lne UessAe A
, the right Of way of the Los Vega
railroad was no sinecure It was res
work. But nothing daunted our sd
venturous hero and he stuck
Inconsistencies and memories of tn.
family dinner table drove him bacl
to Iowa.
Here we find him h ensuing sea
son having gained both height al
reach biossoming out as a PROBES
l~sional bush league first baseman
tourning Iowa. Nebraska and Soutl
Dakota. He toured and toured, AM
played we'll enough. but sat's pass !
up. He was never drafted by an:
major league club and 20 we DON
know whether he is the peer OF Bah
Ruth or not. Because of the failur
OF the majors to recognize him h
quit the profession in 6issust- Thi
vas the second profession he quit Il
the same manner,
Now he had dreams OF settinI
down in life and so as 10 aid in