San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-15
REST Of FUND
FOR WADDELL
SHAT I RAISED
National League Glad to
Subscribe Balance,
Wires Heydler.
TOMBSTONE ORDERED
Great Pitchers San Antonio
Grave to Have Fitting
Monument.

After considerable unexpected de
lay the balance of the fund has beer
raised to erect a fitting monument
over the neglected grave of Georg'
Edward (Rube) Waddell, famous
major league pitcher, who died in Sar
| Antonio in 1914 and is buried il
Mission Burial Park.
President III. J. Benson of the Sar
Antonio baseball club volunteered tC
secure the necessary money for prop
erly marking Waddell's last resting
place from the organized baseball
league in which the great pitcher
| played, following the publication in
The Light Of how Rev. II. c. Leonard
a San Antonio minister, had given
voice to the sorrow and surprise OF
baseball fans on being virtually UNI
| able TO locate the grave and then, il
| able TO find it, Discovering only a
wooden marker above VI from which
nine years had almost erased the
| name.
Mr.. Benson secured the appropria-
ton of 500 toward the Waddell
memorial from the Texas League, al
though Waddell never pitched in that
organization. The local club president
desired 10 make the subscription cam
paign entirely league affair but
many admirers of Waddell over the
country sent in small amounts to
swell the fund.
Heydler Makes IL Success.
The plan was presented to the
major leagues. in which Waddell spent
his most brilliant years. The majors
were bothered by many unusual sit
uations in the baseball world, however,
and the Waddell memorial was side
tracked. Mr.. Benson kept delicately
pressing the proposition, however. and
Saturday telegram was received
from President John A. Heydler of
the National League which brought
the campaign to a successful close. 1t
read:
"The National League will be glad
TO subscribe balance on Rube Wad-
dell's memorial"
The telegram means that the Ma
tional League will subscribe about
$500.
Mr.. Benson, having already discuss
ed the plans with others interested
i'll the movement, Immediately ordered
work commenced on the gray granite
shaft. six feet high. massive, simple.
cut i'll artistic rough stone fashion
and weighing several thousand
pounds. Cutting the shaft and carv-
ing the appropriate words and dates
upon it, together with laying the
foundation and permitting it TO set
and making other arrangements will
require about month. Therefore
plans for the unwilling. which will be
attended by ceremony. will be care
fully worked out before definitely an
nounced.
Will Invite Notables.
1t was at first hoped that the monu-
ment would be ready in March so
that John McGraw, Hugh Jennings,
Kid Gleason and other modern base
ball notablcs, who however, remember
.Waddell well, might grace the occas-
ION with their presence. Even now,
baseball men doubtless will be invited.
including Judge Lands, though. in
the midst of the season, it can hardly
be expected that many will attend
from very distant parts. Governor
Neff was invited several weeks ago
and replied that he would be present
If he possibly could.
a suggestion from Lieutenant Var
nell, who caught the last game Wad
dell pitched before tuberculosis forced
MS retirement, that an artillery salnte
De fired over the grave nav be fol-
lowed out. Lieutenant Varncll is an
artillery officer Of the Second Di-
vision here.