The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-03
LOU GEHRIC, AT.
 30, VICTIM OF SPINAL AILMENT
Former Hartford and New York Yankee aHd Amaz.
 ing Career
BY GEORGE KIRKSEY rnltcd Press Stan COrresnOndentl

| Gehrig, baseballs good boy" Is dead
 A rare disease, amyotrophic lateral selerosls--a hardening Of the spinal cord-which ended his sports career two years ago after he had played in 2,l30 consecutive games for the New York Yankees, ended his life at i0:f0 last night. He would have been 38 on June 10.
 Private funeral services will be held tomorrow at 10 a. m. EDT at the Christ Protestant Episcopal church, Riverdale, N. Y. The Rev, Gerald V. Barry will offioiate, The body will be cremated,
 The disease from which he suf- fered was considered incurable, It had forced him to end Q l5-year career two years ago. It had con- fined him to his home for Q month, to his bed two weeks, He was con- scious until the end. His wife, the former Eleanor Twitchell Of Chiea- go, his parents, Mir. and Mrs. Henry qehrig, and his Wlfo's mother, Mrs. Nellie TWitchell were at the bedside,
 From June i, 1925, through April 90, 1889, Gehrig didn't miss a game He was In the Yankee lineup every playing day. He set up an endurance record which many believe never will be equalled,
 Although millions of baseball fans knew him merely as "dehrig, lb" in the Yankee box score, he was as typical an American youth as any of them. He came up from the New York tenements to win fame with his skill, stamina and sportsman ship
 Babe Ruth wept when he heard of dehrlg's death. He called at the dehrig two-story Stucco, one family house to offer his condolences, with big tears rolling down his fat face,
 He was a great ball player and 0 grand hustler" Babe said. "He hustled too much for his own good, He was one of those fellows who never quit"
 Wanted to Work
 Until two months ago Gehrig had insisted on going to his office every day to do his job aS Q member of the New York municipal parole commission, Q job to which he was appointed by Mayor r. II. LaGuar- dia Oct, II, 1889, soon after his base ball career ended
 His disease, technically known as amytrophic lateral sclerosis, made Q physical wreck of the once 2l2-pound 8-foot, one.inch stalWart. It affected the use of his legs and the lower part of his body and made his face shrivel almost beyond recognition to those who remembered him as "the Iron Horse"
 Gehrig had played first base for the Tanks for IA seasons when he had his first inkling that something was wrong with him In spring train. Ing of io39 Ills once tremendous batting power had left him,
 At first, he thought 1t was Q spring slump. Then 1t became more obvious, once the 1889 cam paign got under way, that It was more than that. Hitting only ,l43, he asked Manager Joe Mccarthy at Detroit on May ? to take him out of the lineup.
 Gehrlg had made his decision to step down two days earlier - Sun day, April 30, after the Tanks had lost a doubleheader to Washington. In that game he slapped down a grounder Buddy Meyer hit him, and tossed to Pitcher Johnny Mur- phy, who covered first, When he got back to the Yankee bench his teammates said to him:
 Great play. Lou"
 Tn recalling the incident Gehrig later remarked, q said thanks to them, but to myself I muttered, Heavens, has 1t reached that stage?'"
 T do not remember how I felt sitting on the bench while another man took by place for the first time in 2,l3l games" he said. My teammates say I cried. don't remember"
 Paralysis
 On June l2 Gehrig left the Yan- kees and went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for an exam nation. On his 36th birthday, seven days later, he received the news that he was suffering from a form of infantile paralysis and could never play ball again. Although he remained with the Tanks until the close of the 1899 season, his strength and health gradually ebbed away.
 He was seldom seen in public after that, although he went to the ball park a few times last season. Once when the Tanks were in the throes of a slump he sat on the bench and tried to kid them out of their dol drums. They won for him that day
 The Tanks reserved Gehrig $ locker for him even after he left the club, and it's still there in the dressing room today with his name on it.
 Gehrig and Ruth once formed the backbone of the Tanks awesome murderer's row but they had little in common, except their size and their ability to clout baseballs into the stands. Ruth was dynamic and colorful. Gehrig work-horse and plodder. The babe loved the crowd the noise and the color.. Lou shun- ned the spotlight.
 Ruth was baseball's Bad Boy" Gehrig was the Good Boy" The only feud I ever heard of Gehrie having was With Ty Cobb. who needled Lou severely when he first broke int othe game. Cobb didn't think Gehing could take it. and rode him to try to cause him to make misplays in his anger. Finally Gehrigs Dutch anger reached the boiling point, and he rushed at Cobb one day. only to hit his head