Evening star., 1941-06-03
Batt|ed AiIment
To Last Hours
Of His Life
Amazing Feots Earned
Yankee Place Among
BusebuII's ImmortuIs
By JUDSON BAILEY,
Associated Press Sports Writer.


NEW YORK, June 3-Lou Gehrig,
the great Iron Horse" of baseball,
is dead.
The big, handsome fellow who was
e marvel of power and endurance
for IA years as the first baseman Of
the New York Yankees died last
night at his home in the Bronx
after an illness of two years from a
rare and apparently incurable dis
ease described as hardening of the
spinal cord, which caused his
muscles to shrivel
The end came II days before Lou
would have been 38 years old and
wrote his fms to a fight with dis
ease that was dramatic and cour-
ageous as any of his exploits on the
diamond.
Right up until the time he fell
into coma yesterday afternoon
Gehrig never acknowledged that he
was licked
But others knew that he was
waging a losing fight and when
death came his wife and close rela-
tives were gathered at the bedside.
Arrangements were made for pri-
vate funeral services tomorrow
morning at the Christ Episcopal
Church in the Riverdale section Of
New York where Gehrig resided.
The body will be cremated.
Great Record Built by Gehrig.
Gehrig's place among baseballs
immortals was assured a year ago
when he was voted into the Sports
Hall of Fame. Before he volun-
| tarily withdrew from the Yankee
lineup May 2, 1899, at Detroit, he
set a never-approached record Of
playing in 2130 consecutive cham
pionship games, "a World Series
contests and countless exhibitions.
He started his streak as a pinch
hitter on June /. 1925. The next day
he replaced Wally Pipp at first base
and never missed a game for IA
| years.
He twice was named the most
valuable player in the American
League, led it in batting with 1863
in 1894. set a jor league record
| for batting in more than 100 runs a
year for 13 years. set the American
League mark of 1874 runs batted in
| in 1881. hit a home run with the
bases loaded on % different times
and once hit four homers in one
game, feats never equaled.
/ Out of Game Since 1899.
The insidious illness that struck
/ out Gehrig was diagnosed as "amyo-
I trophic lateral sclerosis" Just when
/ 1t entered his system never was
known but it may have been some
time in 1888 when his batting aver
age dropped below 300 for the first
time in 13 years.
It was not until he went to Mayo
Clinic at Rochester, Mimi. two years
ago this month that he knew any
thing was wrong physically. There
he was told that he never could play
baseball again and that he would
have to have an injection in his
back every day for what proved to
be the remainder of his life Even
so he continued cheerful and hope
fully remained with the ball club.
On uniform, for the remainder of the
1899 season He sat in a corner of
the dugout and on special occasions
limped out with his teams lineup
for the umpires.
After the world seriex- that fall,
Mayor F. H. La Guardia offered him
a l0-year post on the City Parole
Commission at a salary of $500,
a modest stipend for a man who
made in the neighborhood of s400,-
600 in his years on the diamond
and reached a peak of $4,000. ex-
elusive of world series and other
extras. in 1888.
Liked Parole Board Post.
Gehrig accepted Immediately and
was sworn in the following January
after spending the interim reading
and studying about parole. He de-
voted all his energy to this job.
seldom going anywhere except to
his office or to one of the city's in
stitutions. He believed devoutly in
the benefits of parole to society and
took every opportunity to talk about
it. to boost it, and to improve the
city's system.
His health grew worse by degrees.
even though he gave each bit of
ground grudgingly. About a month
ago his physician, DR.. c. B. Essel-
styn, prevailed upon him to remain
home and conserve his strength.
In this way, sitting by the hour
at the window of his pretty home
(See GEHRIG, Page A-l3J