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
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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
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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
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