The Washington times., 1938-02-01

Jne TlQgledu-
ers in Col. Luke Lea's three
abortive attempts to kidnap the
German Kaiser in the winter OF
1918, we told how the only SOU
venir of the last, and almost
successful, expedition had been
q brass ash tray SmugglCd out
Of the castle in which Wilhelm
was. living in Holland.
But" he added, 'it is un-
likely that Captain MacPhal
ever heard of that famous souve-
mir until he was back on Ameri-
can soil"
MacPHAIL SNATCHES TRAY
Which goes to show how easy
It is to guess wrong. For it was
Larry MacPhail, in person, none
other, who put the snatch on
the ash tray when the adven-
turous little band from the hills
Of Tennessee suddenly decided
that maybe they could do with
out Wilhelm, if Wilhelm could
do without them.
For 18 years that brass ash
tray sat on MacPhail's desk un'
noticed and forgotten. Then a
national magazine revived the
most famous and most garbled
story of the army of occupation,
printing a picture of the tray
along with the text, and in the
next fortnight approximately
300 visitors to his office tried to
walk off with it. Qn a careless
moment, no doubtO
So he had to go out and in.
vest a quarter in another ash
tray and hide the one he had
acquired (also, no doubt, in
careless moment) at Amaren-
gen on that Christmas in 1918
in a safety deposit box.
SETS STORY STRAIGHT
Which was one of the stories
on which MacPhail set us
straight while we visited with
him and Burleigh Grimes last
evening in little corner Of the
Victoria Hotel that was for the
moment Brooklyn.
In a way it was a strange
meeting of three souls of the
"once a Dodger always a
Dodger" clan. In 1918 neither
MacPhail nor your commits
sioner, both red-hot ball fans,
ever had heard Of Burleigh
Grimes. And Charley EbbetS
and the loyal Flatbush fans
wished in that year that they
never had heard of him, either.
For Grimes was the worst
pitcher in the National League
in 1918, both by the testimony
Of the records and his own ad-
mission. There is nothing to
be gained by delving into the
horrible details. It is enough
to say that he lost five exhibl-
ton games in a row to start
the season right, and went
right on from there.
GOING ROUND IN CIRCLES
Thus while MacPhail was 60
ing around in circles trying to
catch the Kaiser, Grimes was
going around in circles trying
to pitch a winning game.
Nineteen nineteen was a diff
ferent story. Burleigh had
blossomed into the leading
pitcher of the league by then.
At the prodigious salary of
$1,960 for the season, inciden-
tally. And MacPhail had
squared himself with Pershing
and determined to forsWear the
exciting life of ''crime."
There were a thousand mem
ories to be revived of those
happy-go-lucky days and nights,
when Grimes. always a hard
and conscientious worker, fire.
uuently met the other Brooklyn
players coming in from an eve
ming of pleasure just as he was
going down to breakfast.
On that go-as-you-pleaSe-if-
you-can.make.it outfit Grimes
was considered a crouch be-
cause of his habit of going to
bed nights.
Those were the moments when
the dashing Dodgers were some
thing less than Just one big,
happy family intent on the next
meal and the next party.
!. HEART WITH DODGERS
Which is why I've always
known that. given fair chance,
Grimes will make a successful
major league manager. Particu'
larly in Brooklyn, where his
heart and soul are in his work
because of his having spent SO
much of his youth hard by the
purling waters of the GowanuS
Canal.
So we drifted down the years
until MacPhail and were back
3. in Black Jacks army Of occu
patton, and ne was telling us
the whole unbelievable story Of
one of the strangest adventures
IN American history.
When I left 'em, MacPhail wa!
tying Grimes black tie for the
baseball writer's dinner. I have
o hunch they'll get along al
right, and that they'll put thi!
49, AfRR3a,,lk ErooL1xy,1 ioh oUar