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About The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936 | View Entire Issue (May 10, 1907)
Left Field is Regarded as Harder Than Right Call Players Agree That Center Field Is Easiest Spot in the Garden While the Pittsburg Pirates were at Hot Springs a discussion was started as lo which of the three outfield po sitions was hardest to play Manager Clark argued that the left fieider had the most difficult garden while Otis Clymer thought the hardest work fell to the right fielder both agreeing that the center position was at all times the easiest of the three Along this line the following from the pen of Jack Ryder the Cincinnati scribe is interesting Among outfielders the left station is generally rated as the most diffi cult to play that is when the sun field is not taken into consideration The reason for this is that left handed batters when they hit to left at all drive out balls that are harder to handle than any other variety sent to the gardens When a southpaw hit ter cuts one to left there is a peculiar twist on the ball which often if it is hit hard causes it to take a peculiar dive or shoot Such a ball is not only difficult to judge accurately but it comes to the fielder dead and hard to hold A left fielder must have a good pair of hands to negotiate such catches as the ball has a tendency to break and twist out of the glove and must be grasped firmly Low line drives close to the left foul line especially those hit by a left hand batter are the hardest balls to field that are sent to any of the gar dens It is strange but true that a right hand batter hitting to right field does not impart this peculiar twist to the ball arid this makes it a shade easier to play right field than left Center field is the easiest of the three positions for a ball hit in that direc tion has been met fair and square 3jy the bat and sails out on a pretty -straight course with no disconcerting changes in its direction The middle iielder has more ground to cover than either of his companions but his catches are comparatively easy Of course where there are sun fields that alters the argument altogether Both left fields in St Louis are noto riously hard to play on account of the fact that the sun blazes right down Into the fielders eyes Few fans have much idea of the strain on a man who is compelled to play like that day after day and due allowance should be made for him if his batting falls off under the strain A sun fielder is compelled to wear smoked glasses in order to see the ball at all and the effect of putting these on and taking them off many times during an after noon is bound to dim the keenness of his optics A Conscientious Umpire Tommy Connolly the referee is one of the most conscientious men in base ball Connolly is a devout Catholic atteuds mass every day and there are those who insist he missed his calling when he became an umpire that he should have entered the priest hood Connolly Is a favorite with the players throughout the country Ti in fi ii urn iiMUMihiwiiiMni vvt w mm GREEN Fred Teiny ii - i ii i r III 5 ir PS i Player who has been given management of the Boston national league team For years Tenny has been acknowledged as a player of the first rank Many Famous Players Started as Pitchers Star Ball Tcssers Who Began Game in Different Positions in Which They Made Good Has the baseball fan ever stopped to consider how many ups and downs the present day stars experienced be- j for they found a position for which they were actually fitted This has been the case particularly with men who were pitchers and either lost their cunning as slab artists or were not strong enough to keep up with the rest of the crowd One could name probably half a hundred men who are stars at the present time who were once pitchers or catchers Let us start with Willie Keeler It may not be generally known that Keeler began his career on the dia mond as a pitcher In those days he played with ariiateur and semi-professional teams in Brooklyn and otheu Long Island places Even when Keel er broke into fast company he started as a third baseman New York had him and could do nothing with him Then Brooklyn had a crack at this present day star But it was not until he reached Baltimore that his real value developed He was placed in right field and from then until the present day he ranged first in that position Kid Gleason will he remembered as a pitcher Then he came to New York and developed into one of tjie best fielding second basemen in the major league Callahan who is playing independ ent baseball in Chicago was once a great pitcher There is IsbelL He ranked high as a twirler until a few years ago Then he turned to infield work and is a very valuable man at either first or second Remember how Cy Seymour used to whip em over at the Polo grounds But at his best he was erratic Still he was valuable as a hitter and when he left New York he was placed in the infield At present there are few men who are his equal in fielding or hitting Bresnahan began as a pitcher first in Chicago and then in Baltimore To day he is a very valuable man behind the bat Indeed he is good in any position when a team is in a pinch Frank Chance a catcher developed into a star first baseman And it may not be generally known that Mike Donlin broke into baseball as a pitch er He came to St Louis from Cali fornia Then there is Bobby Wallace He was the Clevelands greatest pitcher in the early 90s He was and is yet a great infielder Hal Chase who has no equal as a first baseman was a pitcher for a time Danny Hoffman was a pitcher in the Connecticut league and so was Pat Dougherty Fares Will Cut Into Profits Railroad rate regulations will cut into the profit of the league baseball clubs this season The various clubs travel about 200000 miles in a year spending 70000 Formerly the clubs were allowed special rates which meant a saving of from a quarter to a half of the regular fare REMEDIES FOR THE NURSERY Best Method of Treating the Almost Daily Small Mishaps Tumbles that result in broken knee3 are a very common occurrence in the nursery Wash the place very thoroughly with warm water and bor aclc lotion in order to remove any garvel dust or bits oC stocking that may have been forced into the wound Bathe always from the edges to the center of any wound this gives in finitely less pain Then dress the place with a piece of soft old rag smcSring with cold cream keep in place with a few twists of a hand- age If a child is slightly burned of scald ed the first thing to do is to relieve the pain and then apply a healing ointment To effect this bathe the injured part with a strong solution of ordinary kitchen soda apply zinc ointment by means of well greased lags then cover the whole with a piece of cotton wool A grain of dust is a very little thing but like a great many other little things is capable of causing a very great deal of trouble Never try to remove it with a screw of handkerchief but instead tear off a corner of perfectly clean white blotting paper twist this into a cone and having discovered the whereabouts of the dust by gently but firmly raising the eyelid extract it with the blotting paper to which the dust will be found to adhere readily TREATMENT OF THE PIANO Things to Be Remembered if You VouId Preserve Instrument When the cold wind blows outside or chilling rain beats down do not in your solicitude for your own comfort forget the welfare of your poor piano That instrument is well known to e as sensitive to cold damp or heat rs the most confirmed invalid and in thousands of houses to day the domestic piano is treated with a lack of regard that harrows the spirit of the unfortunate tuner who has periodically to come and act as physician to it Never put your piano too near the fire as the heat draws the wood Do not leave the window open close to it on a rainy day as the damp will rust the wires and mold the instru ments interior On no account should a multipli city of ornaments be placed on the top of the piano as its tone is spoiled in this way and finally it should be noted that with too much furniture and drapery in the room piano play ing cannot be heard to the best ad vantage Oyster Plant or Salsify Salad Scrub the salsify and cook with out removing the skin in hoiling salt ed water until tender Peel and cut in thin slices Season with salt and pep per cover and set aside to become cold For a pint of sliced salsify take six tablespoonfuls of oil and gradually beat into it four tablespoonfuls of lem on juice or three of vinegar and about half a teaspoonful of onion juice When thoroughly mixed pour over the chilled salsify Turn the slices over and over until they have taken up the dressing and set aside until ready to serve Serve on heart leaves of lettuce also dressed with oil vine gar salt and pepper Garnish with figures cut from thin slices of pickled beet Preserved Pears Pare them very thin and simmer them in a thin sirup allowing one fourth of a pound of sugar to a pound of pears Let them lie for two days then add another quarter of a pound of sugar to a pound of pears and simmer again Let them all lie all night or longer if you wish then simmer them once more adding one half pound of sugar to a pound of pears making a pound for a pound The juice of a lemon to four pounds of fruit and a small part of the peel is a good addition The fruit may now be drained and put in the sun to dry or they may be poured into the jars with sirup over them Japanese Wafers A recipe lor the veritable Japanese wafers is as follows Stir the white of one egg with one tablespoonful of sugar then add one tablespoon of rice flour and one and one half teaspoons of softened butter Beat until well mixed it should be about as thick as cream Pour a teaspoon of batter in a baking tin on the reverse side of a large baking pan slightly greased and with the hack of the spoon spread it until about four inches in diameter and almost as thin as tissue paper Bake in s moderate oven until brown and while still warm roll around a round stick Fly Paper in the Wrong Place Almost everyone from the family cat to grave and reverend seignors manage to get affixed to fly paper i ing the season To dislodge it apply vaseline freely Every time a fresh sheet of fly paper is opened lay it on a newspaper folded in two or three thicknesses to a little larger dimen sions than the fly paper Fold the surplus an - inch or so over like a frame and fasten just to the edge of the sticky portion This weighs down the fly paper so that it does not fly off at every breath of wind and at the same time enables one to lift it about without sticking the fingers Death to Plant Vermin The kerosene emulsion will be found J the surest remedy for removing both the green and white flies that infect the fuschias y1 - - rfiiiA AT ONCE AN INFANT AND GROWN WOMAN PERPLEXITY IN WHICH MISS MABEL MERCER OF PITTS BURG IS INVOLVED FIGHTS FOR HER FREEDOM Laws of Pennsylvania Place Her Under Fathers Con trol But in New York She Is Her Own Mistress Daring Escape from Insti tution in Which She Had Been Confined Ward of H C Frick Involved in Romantic Story New York Grown woman in New York infant in Pennsylvania Miss Mabel Mercer has decided that she wants to stay in the metropolis She thinks that the laws of the Em pire state give her a better chance than those of William Penns old state As long as she stays in New York she is perfectly safe from cap ture by her father who put her in the Country home at Germantown Pa the other day because she wants to be independent Miss Mercer is just turned 18 Here the law says that a woman of 18 is of age In Pennsylvania a father is a childs guardian until she is 21 and until then she is an infant But back of all this is something more Miss Mercer had to make a sensational escape from the home to get without the jurisdiction of the laws of the sovereign state of Penn sylvania She slid three stories on a rope made of sheets met a young man in an automobile whisked away to Philadelphia exchanged the insti tutions uniform for a dress which she borrowed made the first train for New York and here she is now defiant but happy Of Prominent Pittsburg Family The Mercers are among the best known people in Pittsburg The fa ther is Capt George S Mercer super intendent of buildings in Allegheny county Now Miss Mercer had fin ished school and was about to take her place in society when she met young Carl Borntraeger a ward of Henry C Frick He was young good looking and he stands to inherit a for tune He proposed she accepted But Mr Frick couldnt see it in the light that the young people did and for that matter neither did Capt Mercer There was a stormy scene some hot words and Miss Mercer stalked out of the house All right she said you dont have to support me I can get a po sition on the stage if I have to Her father laughed at this but the girl made good her threat She did get a place in The Earl and the Girl company and she came to New York to rehearse for her part It looked as if she would succeed She was dainty winsome extremely pretty and chic But along came Papa Mercer Your mother is very ill he said and you must come home to see her Of course the girl gave in Tear fully she took the train for Pittsburg as she supposed hoping to see her dear mother before she died and to beg forgiveness for running away from home There was a stop at Philadel phia We get out here said the father sternly and suddenly a detective ap peared he had been coached for his part Youve got to come along said the man and itll be better if you dont make a scene Then Miss Mercer realized that it had all been a trap Her mother was not ill and she wasnt going to Pitts burg at all Instead she found herself on the way to the Country Home an institution conducted by the Protest ant Episcopal church at Germantown a suburb of Philadelphia Before the girl could recover from her surprise and indignation she was in uniform and under restraint That was on March 25 last Right then and there she made up her mind to escape And escape she did Now she can snap her fingers at the laws of Penn sylvania and her father too She is of age in New York and an infant no longer Here shes a woman there shes a child So here she proposes to remain Planning Her Escape All this took wits and pluck Miss Mercer realized that she was being watched every minute She was made to scrub floors and wash dishes wait at the table and make beds things she had never done before in her life She scrubbed and washed and ironed until her white little hands were all red and sore But all the time she was waiting her chance And the young ward of Mr Frick was outside waiting to help her at just the proper moment This was be cause Miss Mercer was able to smug gle a letter out to him making an T K r w he married But Mr Frick and Cap tain Mercer caught them before the knot was tied and Miss Mercer had to go homo like a dutiful little daughter Here however was a more serious situation She found herself practically a pris oner Matrons watched her all the time Even her clothing was taken away from her and she had to wear the uniform of a prisoner if she es caped it would tell all the world that she wns under restraint Miss Mercers native wit overcame all the obstacles She heard the honk honk of the automobile out in the road she hastily made a rope of sheets she forced upon the window and squeezed her trim little body be tween the iron bars of her window and slid In safety to the ground The automobile did the rest But let Miss Mercer tell the story herself I have broken with my fath er forever she said emphatically with a toss of her shapely little head and no power on earth can ever get m under his control again Im a woman here in New York even if the law says Im an infant in Pennsyl vania I did run away from home I want ed to go on the stage My reasons for leaving home are my own secret I wont tell them to anybody At once my father made a search for me and finally found me in the Plymouth hotel I was about to se cure an engagement to go on the stage when he appeared with another man and forcibly took me away My father told me that my mother was sick in Pittsburg and wanted me home Inveigled Into an Institution We took a train for Pittsburg However after the first stop when we got over the Pennsylvania line the strange man who proved to he a New York detective left us I became sus picious at this and my suspicions were confirmed when we got off at North Philadelphia When we stopped at a restaurant to eat I tried to get away I found that I could not do this but I had a chance to write a telegram and send it out by a boy It was to my New York hotel directing that no one be allowed to remove my effects without my consent From the restaurant we went to an Episcopal mission on East Walnut lane Germantown My father lett me after I heard him tell the matron that I was to be put at hard work I had never worked before in my life I had to scrub wash iron and do other menial tasks I made my escape last Saturday The day before I had I had nothing but the ugly uniform of the institution on and I knew that if I did get out the chances were that I could not get very far away How ever I was desperate The window I got out of opened upon the roof of a porch It was protected by a sash of interwoven iron but I managed to lift up one end far enough to squeeze my body through Fredom at Last It was a hard task and left black and blue marks on me that I have yet But once on the roof I slid down on pointment for him and his big t a rope of sheets I made from my bed- bile at just the right time Nor was this the first time she had made an appointment with young Mr Borntraeger Last December they ran away together this 18-year-old girl and this 19-year-old boy Intending to ding to the porch below and then I lost my balance and fell to the ground The only person who had seen my escape was a young man who was standing by his automobile across the street I appealed to him for tion I explained as quickly as possi ble that I had been placed in tho con vent against my will I asked him to take me to the restaurant in North Philadelphia where I had stopped with my father the Monday previous This he did Who was he Dont ask me It was young Mr Borntraeger Mr Fricks ward howover There at the restaurant wont on Miss -Mercer I told tho proprietors wife of my escape and sho was kind enough to help me She bound up my wounds and sho gave me food She gartj mo a dress to take the place of that horrid uniform of the Country Home Then I sent a telegram to New Yurk asking that money be sent me and that very night 1 was back in my old room at the ho tel I had been away just five days I know that I am right in what I have done A lawyer whom I have consulted has assured me that my father has no right to force me to go with him home or any other place I am fully capable of earning my own living and of living my own life and I am going to do so Family Is Divided I am going to make every effort to get my daughter back declared Captain Mercer She is incorrigible And I am going to help my sister keep out of the hands of her father said her brother George A Mercer a deputy coroner in Pittsburg when he heard of this Miss Mercer has two other brothers one a clergyman and the other Is still at school As for young Borntraeger he isnt saying anything but some thing may happen any day At any rate when hes 21 and comes into the 2000000 which Mr Frick is husband ing for him there may be a wedding But it will take place in New York where girls of 18 may marry without their parents consent This is the letter Miss Mercer wrote to her brother when she arrived here in free New York where girls of 18 are no longer infants Suppose you have heard about dad putting me in some kind of a convent and also of my escape Monday ho put me there Saturday about 12 oclock daytime I escaped by un screwing iron bars crawling over two roofs and falling By mere good luck I reached New York in a half living condition 1 had not a cent when I ran away in a calico custome of blue and white check These roofs were covered with barbed wire and my arms are all covered with bandages Soon as I could I communicated with a Mr OReilly the Thaw attorney and YamWA fi VfS IVVW noticed a window on the third floor front which I thought I could squeeze through That morning I pretended that I was sick and they locked me in my room At about two oclock one of the ma- received advice and help from him The detective dad had with him is in all kinds of trouble Even a mur derer cannot be taken from one state to another without a warrant from the governor and too I am of age in this trons came into my room I sprang i state out Into the hall and turned the key Would Haw Gone Crazy in the door locking her in i am too ill to do anv law fiehtfnj but have a good attorney to fight for me I should have been crazy had I stayed in the convent much longer As it is now I have nervous prostration I look terribly battered and ill I have 25 to last me until I start to re ceive my wages This I borrowed from a girl I met in the other company Strangers have all been so good to me In that convent while kneeling for hours in their worship I thought they were fools to think a God existed or also that no hell but here on earth ex isted I feel ashamed for their relig ion I tell you I would have commit ted murder had I stayed there much longer My thoughts were terrible in that six by ten room Lovingly MABEL DoeB the pluck of this sound like aa infants New York World - i V A I