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JEANNETTE ID
GW JOHNSON
J MEHOV TIME
By W. S. Farnsworth.
JACK JOHNSON is fL' ,ln ’ i; ,o
meet Joe Jeannette in a ten
round bout In New York on or
about September 25. The champion
will, undoubtedly, win on points.
Rut, believe me. he is Koinß to have
a toiiKh voyage and he hasn't any
more chance of stopping the New
York negro than I have of being
the next president of the good old
United States
And. also, it is my opinion that,
after the ten rounds are finished,
Johnson will never agree to meet
Jeannette over a longer route
There never was a harder nut than
this same Jeannette, and he is game
from the top of his head to the
bottom of bls No IJ's.
It has often been said that when
two negroes meet In the ring they
pull to each other Well, there
won't be any pulling in this fight
Jeannette hates Johnson, and will
fight as he never fought before to
win
Johnson is a "rough neck." Jean
nette is Just the opposite There
newer was a more manly fellow
and a cleaner liver. Jack spends
his spare moments in dives, dance
halts and cases Jeannette, when
not tn th« ring, remains at home
with hie family. Jeannette has no
use for a negro of the Johnson
type .
It will be a case of a good nigg«r
•gainst an undesirable one, and all
New York will be pulling for Jean
nette to win. Joe is one of the most
popular fighters In the East, and
this despite his color He Is re
•pseted by men of wealth In fact,
one of the directors of the Penn
sylvania lines is his biggest boost
er This railroad men invests all of
Jeannette's earnings for him. The
result Is that today Joe has enough
of the fitthy stuff to retire and live
comfortably the rest of his days.
Johnson can beat Jeannette on
points In a ten-round bout, but over
a route our money would go on
Jeannette
P VBRYBODY'S doing it' Rob
Fitzsimmons is the latest to an-
• nounce that he is going to cotne
back Ruby Robert of the Speckled
Spots climbed into the ring at the
Flynn-Smith fight in New York
last night was introduced, and
then sprung the following:
"Gentlemen, I want to come back.
1 am going to start training tomor
row and will be read> to fight in
about one month "
After the entertainment was over
newspaper men got to Fitz and
found that he is reallv serious in
his intention to get back into the
ring
"I am still the undefeated middle
weight and light heavyweight
champion of the world." Fitz told
, the scribes. "I particular!} desire
to get a match with Tom Sharker "
Sharkey, who was --I nding near
by. overheard the nmark and came
back with this
“I will take you on. Fitz. Get a
club to stage the bout .nd I will
make you anr kind of a side bet
you want.”
Perhaps after a good nights
sleep both hare come to their
senses.
KILBANE AND DUNDEE
TO BATTLE ON SEPT. 4
CLEVELAND. OHIO. Aug. In Arti
cles have just been signed fieri tot a
match between Johnny Kilburn feath
erweight champion, and Johnn.r Din
dee, of N> w York, for ten rounds at 12.’
pound- before the St. Nicholas Mhle c
> ub of New York on the night of Sep
■ tember t Kilbane will get $3,500.
Smith to Lead Crackers and Board of Directors to Stick
Street Railway Company to 'Hang On to Local Franchise
By Percy 11. Whiling.
BILL SMITH is coming back to
Atlanta! The man who was
unceremoniously fired as At
lanta manager after he had won
two pennants In three years Is
coming back triumphantly. And
this despite the fact that since he
left Atlanta he has failed, both at
Buffalo and at Chattanooga.
And thus is the dope overturned.
This move is taken to mean not
only:
1 That Bill Smith is coming
back as manager, but
2. That the Georgia Railway and
Power Company will not sell Its
franchise this year, even though It
has had tentative offers, and
3. That the present board of di
rectors, consisting of Messrs. Frank
<'alia way. Charles Nunnally and
Gus Ryan, will retain their posi
tions for n not her year.
it seems entirely certfsin that the
local street rallxvav company Is go
ing to hang on to the franchise.
They don't haVe to They turned
down an offer last year of $40,900,
mostly In cash, for It because they
doubted the policy of selling it to
those who made the offer. They
have chances this year, too, provid
ed they would make the price right.
Rut it Is a certainty that they
would not saddle any possible pur
chaser of the franchise with a man
ager provided they had any notion
of selling
Ry the same token It is deduced
that the present board of directors
will consent to hold office again.
They are too good sportsmen and
too good business men to nail onto
any succeeding hoard of directors a
manager who might be entirely un
satisfactory So the naming of
Bill Smith at this early stage of
the game can be taken as a strong
Indication that Messrs Callaway.
Nunnally and Ryan have been
asked to serve again and that they
have accepted the offer.
• • •
XXTH.I.IAM ANDREW SMITH.
’’ known wherever baseball Is
played as RIH Smith, was born in
Chillicothe Ohio, some 41 years
ago, or thereabouts. Rill never
did take kindly to telling his age,
so some doubt exists But. any
way. 40 Is near enough for all prac
tical purposes
Early records of Smith's life are
missing He moved to Springfield
when a box and got his first start
there.
Smith received a first-class
school education, but did not go to
college Before the age when the
average man is boning up on Vir
gil. higher algebra and preliminary
German or French, preparatory to
brushing by into college. Bill Smith
was playing baseball.
Bill's first real engagement was
with Elkhart. His other were with
Fort Wayne. Springfield. Hamilton.
Owensboro. Knoxville. Lynchburg.
Norfolk Macon. Atlanta. Buffalo
and Chattanooga
I,' \RI.Y in Rill Smiths career it
■* l< i ante apparent that he was
cu' out for a mogul. His aggres
siveness, his quick brain, his un
willingness to lose, and his knowl
edge of ball players made him the
logical man to lead a team. It is
doubtful If there have been a half
dozen men in the game who have
taken the management so early in
their career and who have been as
unv.it yingly successful as Bill
Smith.
Smith's work as manager first
i.irne to the attention of Atlantans
when tie took the management of
the Macon team of the Sirnth At
lantic league That was the year
the Salix was organized, in 1904.
to wit Bill was almost an un
known to Macon fans, but he was
tluii' as a manage lb- brought
•lie Macon team home a pennant
I winner over the Savannah club bv
I Just enough margin to make it tn-
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND SEWS. THURSDAY. AUGUST 15, 1912.
, . z
CHARACTER SKETCH OF BILL SMITH |
Bill Smith. Atlanta’s manager for 1913. is Jhe Champion Hard Loser of the World.
He cares for but two things— pennants and chewing tobacco; and if he had to give tip
either it would he the tobacco.
lie thinks Atlanta is the greatest city in the world and that the four years he spent here
were the best of his life.
Smith is about 40 years old. a bachelor; height 5 feet 7 1-2 inches, weight 150 pounds.
He is intensely popular with most of his players; but there are exceptions. Bert Maxwell
ami Russell Eord. two great pitchers, are said never to have spoken to him except on business.
Bill is constantly giving presents to his players, a shirt apiece for winning some crucial
game; or a new hat all the way around for winning a good series. He offered to divide
SSOO among his players for winning the first pennant and it is reported that he paid part of
Tom Eisher’s salary out of his own pocket one year when the salary limit was bearing down
pretty hard.
Bill is the most genial individual in thy world when he is winning, but as morose as a
bilious • rhinoceros when he is losing.
He is an extremely nervous man, ami has worn out four benches in Atlanta sliding up
and down them during the progress of games. At such times he chews enormous amounts of
tobacco.
He resents interference from his superiors, but is always delighted to get suggestions
from his players. He has always had some man on whom he has depended for advice and
suggestions about running his team. Otto .lordan was his mainstay in Atlanta.
Smith has worn five pennants in sixteen years, has finished second once, third five times
and only three times in the second division.
teresttng. He had a great old team,
too, Hoffman at first. Blake at sec
ond. Perry Lipe at third, Paul Sen
tell at shortstop. Stinson, Smith
himself and a various assortment
of short-termers In the outfield.
Matthews, Bayne, Polchow, Segars.
pitchers, and Harnish and Quinn as
, catchers.
The following year Smith was
back at Macon again as manager
and again the Peaches were pen
nant xvtnners. This time they fall -
ly romped home with the rag. with
Savannah again the runner-up. Bill
carried over only a few members
of his old team—Harnish. Sentell.
Lipe and Stinson but lie filled in
the chincks masterfully, getting
Jim Fox for first base. Piepho for
sei ond, Houston tn the outfield.
Ixxucks. Spade. Fox and Helm for
slab duty and Evers behind the bat
It will be noted that Smith himself,
Sentell, Stinson. Fox Loucks.
Spade and Evers at subsequent
times played on the Cracker team.
It is also worth noting that two
distinguished Georgians, Ty Cobb
and Nap Rucker, were playing in
the Salix league that year.
• • •
C l ' Impressive was Bill Smiths
work as manager of the Ma
con club that Captain \V. R Joy
ner. president then of the local
baseball association, discouraged
xvith the work of Otto Jordan as a
mogul, let Otto out at his own re
quest and closed a deal xvith Smith
to manage the Cracker club
• • •
c MITH broke right into the league
with a rush. He «ook over a
tn mendously disorganized team
otto Jordan had been hampered
by internal riots in the t'racker
"dis-organization." and Smith had
to do some right-and-left canning
He let Rickert. Burnum. Rugs Ray
mond, Bob Stafford, Bert Noblett
and Brennan go, either before the
season started or shortly after, and
Leix Moren was advanced to the
big show. That left him only
George Winters. Rube Zeller. Dick
Crozier. Whitey Morse and Otto
Jordan around xvhom to build a
team.
But he certainly built one Fox.
who was brought up from Macon i
to play first base, proved a tre- I
mendous hit. Jordan, deposed at
his own request as manager, be
came the premier second baseman
f the league. Whitex Morse played
I good ball at short, and when Larry
Hoffman prox i d too light for the
task of playing third, the versatile
Sid Smith was stuck in and plugged
the gap. In the outfield. Crozier,
Winters and Smith himself starred.
After a bit Bill dropped' out and
various players were tried —Stin-
son. "Bonehead" Bob Wallace and
others. Rut somehow a fairly good
outfield was always on the Job.
Archer and Sid Smith formed the
tegular catching staff—and a bet
ter one was perhaps never steen on
a minor league team. The pitchers
were Tom Hughes. Rube Zeller.
Dick Harley, Loucks. Doc Childs,
Baxter Sparks and Elmer Duggan.
There was a grand three-cor
nered race for the pennant that
year, xvith Birmingham. Memphis
and New Orleans the contenders.
Finally the Barons pulled away and
a duel developed between Mem
phis and Atlanta for second place.
The Crackers were finally content
ed with third place, but the strug
gle was one that kept the Crack
ers on their feet.
in this season happened an inci
dent that is characteristic of Bill
Smith. While the Cracker team
was playing In Nexx Orleans Otto
Jordan was struck with a hunch
that the New Orleans teiyn had
run some rubber balls" in on them. ■
Bill at once accepted this suspicion
as a proven fact and there was all
but a riot. Before it was over Otto
Jordan xvas haled to police head
quarters in a patrol wagon and
there was an axvful muss, of course,
Fhe Big Race
Here’s how the "Big Five" of the
■ American league are hitting the ball,
, the averages including yesterday's
games:
PLAYER— A. B. H. P C.
COBB ...... 408 170 .417
SPEAKER 433 173 .399
I JACKSON 413 159 .385
COLLINS 388 130 .335
LAJOIE 274 85 .310
Ty Cobb failed to get a safe hit in
three times up yesterday, and as a re-
I suit fell off three points in his batting
average. Speaker dropped off one notch
( and fell just below the .400 mark by se
curing only two hits in six attempts.
I Jackson managed to get three clouts in
i eight trips to the plate and "stood still"
as a result at .385. Collins gained
three points. He banged out three hits
in six chances. Lajoie leaped forward
five notches by getting four hits in
eight trys.
it eventually developed that the
whole thing xvas nursed along by
Charley Frank for press agency
purposes and finally it quieted dow n.
But the incident and the way Bill
Smith handled it showed to the
public xvith rare clearness that Bill
Smith would fight for his players
and tor his team.
• • •
'T* HEN came Atlanta's pennant
winning season—the first for
21 years. Txvice before in baseball
history the Cracker club had
copped. The first time was in 1885
and the second in 1886. In 1886 the
local club won after a grand race
with Savannah. In the deciding
game Hank O'Day pitched for Sa
vannah and. despite his grand ef
forts, Atlanta won.
Naturally the Cracker fans xvere
ravenous for a pennant xvinner.
And Bill Smith gave It to them.
When Rill broke into the league
the other managers were inclined
to refer to him as a "fresh bush
leaguer." But his first season he
threw an awful scare into them.
And the stj/ond season he won their
pennant.
it was a marvelous team that
Smith built up—a club that could
spot the present Southern league
pennant xvinners a couple of runs
and then beat them seven out of
ten games. Ed Sweeney and Sid
Smith did the catching—and both
later went to the big leagues. Ford,
Zeller, Castleton and Spade were
the pitching mainstays, with Hoot-
Mon McKenzie the sensation of the
latter part of the season, after
Zeller began to fade away. Fox.
Jordan. Castro and Dyer formed
the infield, and Paskert, Winters
and Becker the outfield. Seven men
on this team later went to the big
leagues.
Despite the excellence of the
team, there was a tough race.
The Memphis team, managed by
Charley Babb, put up an awfui
tight and took a lead toward the
latter part of the season that
looked too big to be overcome. But
by the grandest sort of work on the
home diamond the Crackers closed
steadily in. Finally came the game
that xxas to decide it. More than
11.000 persons xvere crowded inside
the park to see the performance.
What happened is history. Ans
Atlanta xvon the pennant
■ • •
TJILL SMITH S third year in At
lanta saxx an awful slump So
many of Smith's star players were
sold to big league teams and so
poor was the work of the men who
took their places that the Crackers
had to be contented xvith sixth
place. And that fall the Nashville
and New Orleans team fought it
out for the pennant.
In 1909 Bill Smith came back
again. Despite his inability to find
a real first baseman. despite the
weakness of Walker at third, de
spite the slowness of Newton at
short. Bill made a runaway of it.
His success was due chiefly to the
grand’work on the slab of Johns,
Fisher. Atkins and Bartley and the
almost unequalled defensive work
of the team. The club numbered
only one hitter —Sid Smith. But
Sid could usually be counted on to
drive in a run or two and the
Cracker pitchers would do the rest.
Then a strange, and to the fans
an Inexplicable and an unforgiv
able thing, happened. Bill Smith, ’
the man who had won two pen
nants in three years, was fired.
To the basebail association this
was the logical thing to do. Smith
did not run the club according to
their notions. He did not like to
be hampered by the modern finan
cial methods of a street car com
pany. He figured that a street
car company should be run one xvay
and a baseball club another. And
he believed further that so long as
he was winning pennants nothing
else mattered.
And because he and the baseball
association couldn't agree he xvas
let out and Jordan was named
manager.
• ♦ «
INCE the divorce of Smith and
the Atlanta Baseball associa
tion nothing has gone very well for
either of them. Smith got the Job
as manager of the Buffalo team
through the good offices of Clark
Griffith, but he couldn't make a go
of it. The following year hX went
to Chattanooga and he served as
manager there last year and this
year. On neither occasion has he
had any success, despite the fact
that he started last season with
what lookedjike the best hall club
ever gathered together in the
Southern league.
♦ * •
now Smith is coming back
to Atlanta. The papers haven't
been signed yet, but they will be at
the close of the season.
And the man xx ho won five pen
nants in sixteen years will be back
at the old stand.
It is.needless to say that the fans
are tickled to death. They could
hardly be otherwise. It is equally
certain that Smith is pleased to re
turn to the scenes of his greatest
triumphs.
It means further that Atlanta
will have a sc apping, winning
team next year. For that's the
kind Smith has always turned out
for Atlanta.
KID ELBERFELD AND
OTTO JORDAN RACE
FOR LOOKOUT CHIEF
CHATTANOOGA, TENN.. Aug. 15.
Will Otto Jordan go back to Atlanta
with Bill Smith or will he stay here as
manager of the local club? One or the
other of those things is pretty certain
to happen.
Jordan and Kid Elberfeld are run
ning neck and neck now in the race
for the local management. It is virtu
ally certain that if Elberfeld wins he
will let Jordan out. He wouldn't care
to have a perpetual candidate for his
job on the team. And if Jordan goes
it is equally certain Ihat Bill Smith
will try to take him to Atlanta.
President Andrews will probably de
cide the matter of a manager for next
year pretty shortly. Now that Rill
Smith has definitely passed up the job
the matter Is considerably simplified.
HADDOW IS REINSTATED.
CHARLOTTE. N. C, Aug. 15.—-John
J Haddoxv. the Charlotte third base
man. who was fined SIOO and indefi
nitely suspended Tuesday, xvas reinstat
ed at a called meeting of the directors
of the local club. Haddoxx was charged
with throwing a game.
GRIIGKERSCAN’T
LOSE TODf.T; HO
GAME FOR THEM
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 15.—The
Crackers are resting up today
in preparation for the series
they open w ith the Gulls in Mobile
tomorrow' afternoon. The five
straight defeats at the hands of the
Pelicans has about broken the spir
it of the Atlanta team, and there
seems to' be no chance whatsoever
of them ever pulling out of last
place.
The Crackers have learned that
Billy Smith is to manage the club
next season, and those who know
the present leader of the Look
outs are confident that he will again
prove a successful chief in the
Gate City.
After leaving Mobile, the Crack
ers go to Birmingham and thence
to Montgomery. Nashville and
Chattanooga follow* and then back
home. At Ponce DeLeon they are
to mingle with Memphis. Nashville
and Chattanooga, the Lookout se
ries being the last of 1912 games
on the home pasture.
Third Baseman Schultz. Just se
cured from the Meridian team of
the Cotton States league, joined the
Crackers here yesterday, He will
probably be given his first try-out
tomorrow against the Gulls. He is a
likely looking chap.
The Crackers lost the fifth and
final game of the series to the Pels
yesterday by a score of 4 to 0.
Swindell outpitched Becker.
VANDERBILT ANNOUNCES
1912 GRIDIRON SCHEDULE
NASHVILLE. TENN., Aug 15.—Fol
lowing is the complete schedule for
1912. consisting of ten games, as an
nounced by Charles C. Trabue, chair
man of the games commitee of the
Vanderbilt football team:
September 28—Bethel college at Nash
ville.
October s—Maryville at Nashville
October 19—University of Georgia at
Atlanta.
October 26—University of Mississippi
at Nashville.
November 2—University of Virginia
at Nashville.
X] N s "' f ’ lnber 9 " Harvar 'l at Cambridge
Nashvnie ber 16—Central of Kentucky at
November 23—Auburn at Birmingham.
Nor ember 28—Sewanee at Nashville.
KID McCOY RELEASED.
BUT ON A $15,000 BAIL*
LONDON. Aug. 15. -Norman Selby
the former American pugilist, who is
)rttei known by his ring name of Kid
who JX charged with impliea
llwel rnhh”, ° Stend ' Bel Slu m, JBO.OOO
jewel robbetr. was again arraigned in
Bow street police court today In con
nection with extradition proceedings
I pon request of counsel,- the case
was put over for a week and bail in the
sum of $15,000 was furnished for the
American by Louis Levy.
TOM SHARKEY A JOKE.
ACCORDING TO BURNS
CALGARY, ALBERTA, Aug 15 _
Tommy Burns, ex-ehampion heavv
welgnt boxer, today, discussing A dis
patch from New York relative to Torn
Sharkeys ambition to meet Burns safij
is was " a Joke.”
ford' 1 " < ' llris,nla ' m, c' '""et 'sam ll
“DOC” JOHNSTON LEAVES
PELS TO JOIN CLEVELAND
.NEW ORLEANS. Aug | ...
Johnston, first baseman with the local
team Os the Southern leagu. i e f t ]ast
"'ph’ a’ J '’’. '‘ a n'
Pit<hf j r ( ullop <’atchoi \i»«,
and infielder Mills wl o ~ge’h"?’'’,7
Infield.., Butle, are then,
n hX h ‘”’ K - f ' ,r hate