The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-30
JOHNSON WINS WAY
 TO MAJOR LEAGUES
Fails In First Professional Tryout-Ty Cobb
 Beats Walter In Initial Battle
By WALTER JOHNSON As Related To Lillian Barker

fEditors Note:-This is the third of a series of twelve articles dealing with the career of Walter Johnson as related by hini to Lillian Barker. A member Of the Wash- ington club of the American league, for ls years Walter Johnson is regarded by many authorities as the peer Of any basepall pitcher that ever stepped into the box. Tn these articles he reveals for the first tlme A great many interesting facts relating to his experiences on the diamond, such as the time he was discovered to have a speedy ball, how he entered professional baseball the first time he ever faced the great Ty Cobb. the most exciting games he ever pitched, how he crawled out or many tight holes while on the firing line. ana many other incidents of equal interest,"
 q can't say that my first experience as professional baseball player was anything to crow about. I pitched only one game for the Tacoma club of the Northwest league and because of my wildness and inability to keep the slug gers of the opposing team from hitting lem where they ain't,' l received my walking papers at the end of the week.
 That's how Walter Johnson started on his way to professional baseball fame, according to his own version, as he told it to the writer in the third of a series of twelve articles relating to his
 
 ''There I was in Tacoma over thou sand miles away from my home town in California with nothing more than a paltry salary of $40, which represented a weeks work on the club, with no inti- mate friends except one, and no place to go," continued Johnson with his story.
 Barnett Feels Bad
 Barnett felt worse than I did. You remember in the preceding installment that he was the man who induced me to leave Fullerton, California, for a try-out in the Northwest league. He said the management didn't give me a square deal, but I felt that they knew their own business more than I did, so I didn't 20 back to them and insist upon another tryout. The fact of the matter was that the basball situation in Tacoma was very unsettled. The earthquake i'll California had upset the game all uT and down the coast. Tacoma, which had been in the Pacific Coast league, had been transferred to the Northwest league right after the quake. The fans in that city wanted to retain the ole players that had kept the team in tho race in the Pacific Coast league, anG that made it hard for any outsiders tC break into the lineup, especially if they were unknown and. green at the game like I was. As it happened I pitched only one game, and lost, and that let me out.
 Tried To Get Berth
 Barnett helped me scout around fol a berth somewhere in the northwest. didn't have enough funds to return tC California, and decided that the bes way for me to get some money was tt get a job pitching for some small-towr team in that part of the country. My friend had heard that Weiser, Idaho was a live ball town, and was in thu market for a good pitcher. So he tele graphed to that city, stating that h' knew a man, and if they wanted hin the could get him by sending trans portation and an advance of $50. didn't take them long to answer. A the end of a week I was on my way tt Weiser, Idaho. At that time Weisel had a population of about 5000 per sons and was a growing community. Ii is about 60 miles northwest of Boise the capital, and is the county seat of a rich mining, stock raising and farm ing district, and I certainly liked the idea of working in that town for some time at least.
 In a Baseball Town
 "Weiser is one of those little com munities that goes baseball mad with the approach of every baseball season The business men all chip in to pay salaries to outside players and find them jobs during the week, while the home boys are willing to play on the team for nothing-just for the honor and fun of the game. We played only on Sundays and holidays and before big crowds, too. The farmers for 20 miles around would drive into town whenever there was a