Ralph Gray Hemingray and Robert Carroll Hemingray

BASE BALL THAT WAS.

The Crack Game of the Season

Played at Anderson.

The Fourth o' July tie game of baseball between Muncie and Anderson, was settled yesterday on the Anderson grounds in great shape. It was one of the most exciting games (to Anderson) that has yet been played between the two teams. In the first inning Anderson made two runs owing to the impartiality of the umpire, Sullivan, who failed to see a fly catch made by Muncie, being engaged in adjusting some of his appendages at the time.

This with the word "safe" when an Anderson player was ten feet from base when the ball reached the baseman, did the work on the first inning and put our boys on their metal, as the results show. McGinnis, our phenomenal and crack player, never did better work. He is one of the best "shots" in the box and you could bet your last peanut that he would hit an Anderson bat six times out of nine. Such precision in pitching was a stunner to the Andersonites, the most cranky of their base ball cranks refusing to put up a penny as to whether the next ball would hit the bat or not. McGinnis finally retired; when the reporter asked what for, some Anderson "smarty" said he had been knocked out of the box, and then everybody yelled just as it was cute. We said everybody yelled. This is a mistake. Judge Shipley, Vernon Davis, Ralph Hemingray, Bob Snell, Bob Hemingray, Tom Hart, Will Brotherton, Simon P. Baldus, Giles Collins, Esq., George W. Cromer, T. J. Lockwood, Tom Kirby, Mr. Stockwell, Skip Beemer, Bud Thomas, Frank Everett, F. L. Wachtell, Geo. O'Neil, et al, all failed to yell or even grunt at the so called "knock out." The reporter could not understand this, but supposed such silence in order, according to the rules of the game.

McGinnis retiring at the third inning. White took the box, and here was where the real fun of the game commenced. It was not certain to White, as to the exact position of the home plate, owning to the fact that the Anderson boys managed to keep it covered with dust, but he pitched great ball just the same. His curves were not only gigantic, but they were penetrating. He pitched a left-hander, and as the ball left his paw it described parabolas, semi-circles, triangles, elliptical gyrations and sun dazzling, fantastic, zigzag curves. To better describe it, the ball twisted like a boat in the rapids and moved with that celerity common to stump orators on the Fourth of July, which we supposed at the time was on account of it being a postponed tie game that was played on the Fourth, Such twirling for a moment dazed the Andersonites, and Doc Edwins, the manager of the Anderson team scratched his head in meditation and the hopes of the HERALD reporter ran high. The fellows with the sticks however, seemed to enjoy the situation to our utter astonishment, and in less time than it takes to write the fact, that crazy ball hit an Anderson bat and continued to do so until two men had secured bases. Then come Haggenor's turn, who took the club and right then and there juggled that wagging ball with an over the fence hit, making a home run and bringing in two others, Here it was that Andersontownites again showed their bad manners by howling like Modoc Indians, but the Muncie fellows acted very decorous be it said to their credit, and did not say a word or even smile.

For some unexplainable reason White now retired from the box and Bennett went in. He was more successful than White or McGinnis, and succeeded in hitting the Anderson clubs for nine runs in the sixth inning. Here all hope soured on the reporter, and remembering that he had a little business to attend to up town he left, with the bell ringing out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and the Andersontownites yelling at the top of their voices.

The reporter on the return trip sought information as to the final result of the game, but could learn nothing from the Muncie crowd, which we confess hurt our "feelin's." From the morning papers however, we see this: Anderson, 26; Muncie, 6.