New-York tribune. [volume], September 22, 1907, Page 19, Image 43

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STRIKE OUT
Descants on
A Football Reform
f Episode
By
George William Daley
THERE was much excitement in Slui;;.;''"
Corners one morning soon after the basej
ball season dosed, with us the champions
ci tr* Big Stick l-e..}:u<'- when the announce-;
meat was made through the streets <>t the town
(hat Pigskin Pete had returned.
Pirskrn Pete, the Bad Man from Trouble,
Ruction Township. Rufantumbel County.
Texas. w -h.. could draw quicker, shoot straight
*r. swear longer, and drink harder than any
man in tbe St^te. who boasted that his father
bad killed sixty men in his lifetime and that
1.. was out to'Uat the record^ No tronder
EluggiU Corners looked worried and the mar
rh.,l put iresh -hells in his shotgun and re-
X a<ied his revolvers.
KoKniy went looking for Pigslan ltte: Lut
s<h-ii he sauntered in to the Sltiggitt Inn. and
then we -aw that a change had come over him.
He wasn't armed,— visibly, at least.— and he
T.(Te a Mue shirt and a fresh handker
chief round his T . t ..k. His eyes were clear and
... something must have hap
pened! This v.-as n< t the bad man we knew!
••....- all there.— Sure Eye Simmons,
L« Tig Arm Leary, Chopemout Clancy, Sawed
<rT Si^tts. Chicago <"le:n. Leggit Sanders.
J'uninover Pinctney. Dwarf Duffy, and me.
V.'c rubbed « ur eves when we saw Pigskin I'ete.
"Don't stare! at mv like that, fellers!"
fee «xilainud. as every man in the house
vratcbed him jx.ur some water in his whisky.
Th..t m itself was unheard of. The next min
ute he broke oat: _
"1 admit n." says he. "I do dnnK water
in :t. ■'„-■• I'm trainin" now. l^i""t
the < Id riotous, shootin' iron, drunk an' dis
crderly ! 'igskin Pete you once knew," <ays
be. "I've reformed. I've been converted to
the noble side o" life. Gentlemen; you see me
bere now v pleader fer ileaii humane
forthan."
Shucks! If he'd a said "clean an humane
csttin' o* windpipes." an' then throwed a stick
«.' dynamite at us, .... .... sur
jTisi-d. But this! ■....-.. what'"
<^-.s Sure Eve Simmons, when he had caught
j.;s Inath.
"Clean, humane, manly football, says^ he.
"No more brutal singgia*, kickm'. bitin . or
rcurm" I've been enlisted in the cause an
oeaa to stick to the good work until all the
c&xiecessary roughness is stamped f'm the
}„::.t- forever."
Jr. his excitement he takes up the whisky
1-v.ir and puts away a p««! stuT swalkr U-
U r»- be sees it's waterless. Then he apologizes,
aad says as he's trair.in' it's no more straight
good* for him. ■ „
"But nobody plays football round here,
tavs Sure Lye.— "cn'lv them dudes up at the
i.ss doctor ."scbooL When you goin to be
ji: ; with your reform ' '
"I'm coin* to gin right oi you fellers,
s-ys be- " Well organize the Sluggrtt Corners
{<*"tl aD team right here and now. 111 have a
link talk with anybody who refuses to play!
He looked fierce, an' we knew he meant it.
"Bui we don't know nothin' about foot
l </!] " says Sure live Simmons.
"So much the better." allowed Pigskin Pete.
•• I w. n't i-ave any bad habits to break in you.
Pigskin Pete had his way. and the next day
we <;.=:::•- out for our first practice. He said
Dwarf Duffy should be center rush because he
i- " •.>:. feet tall and weighs most a ton.
He told Dwarf :t was his duty to h< Id the
I ' nd then he made Chopemout Clancy
. uiJt«-*«a*k. Vie told Ch.Jp. alter he'd got us
ict" p ations (I was a tackle: but I might as
v.. '. I ,;-.. been the headman in Persia), totake
v- • .:; ..:.' pass :t. He -aid Leary. who was
Lalfl a« k, was to back the center First Duffy
■ • I give ap the ball, havir.' been told it
.... -. hold it. They pt it away at
• . • •.•■:.-. 1.-..V. to Leary, and sic came
• m-ard. I>u::y was standin' still,
front, traitin' for some one to tell
r ■ •.. ,;.. Ti.-xi. when Leary butted him
. . .... ;. head, -;.-: he'went prawl
•;.:•.■:•■■ later they was tlincheil an'
.• rt all ■• r" the field. Pigskin
;. - - ;,ii :.,.:-•:-. ..:.' -ay- :t w, a dis-
P - •.• .• g, t 'em separated h-- - ailed
!• • ■ hard
■". . • Id sac to buck the center, says
!.• •' I bucked him. W : at"s wrong m
v. ■ - : . • '• ■■ • aksmc ferdoir." wat y< ■■ tell
,;•:: ./. me too. VVhcredo I get • ff?"
ssuj ••..:'■ ■• ••:•.' nose ;:.' ':.:;:
-. reduced f Leary from a halfback
to a . .-.• man for that, arid fin'lly
t.c jr " ::.• hape so we kr.ew when
tons i the ball, and what "end " and
"'-•:•■• -i. Then he gave us a lot of
f.;.V" r -: • .-..- mething, he said, and
•■■;.•:.•-• :::.:,.=. k and captain, yelled
'en.. -■■ ■ ,;., '«in. Sawedoff Spotts
hu'l et: . ■;.. ::,,,rv that he wrote "em all
<^-t on • ■ ixd aad kept :t in his pocket.
AzkJ •:. ■ ; -: .. i< t „: trouble later.
Pig i :• hid arranged <ur llr^t game
with •.': doctor •■.•■■ next
Sattsrd : tbe news that the famous
ghjfptt ■ baseball team was going to
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR SEPTEMBER 22. 1907
SAWYER
take up football brought out a j;re.>t crowd.
"Ami remember," says Pete before the
game started, "this is reform football. No
disgraceful scenes must mark this field, w'ich
is to W- devoted to a clean; gentlemanly game."
So we lined up against 'era. In the first
crash after the game started we were handed
two black eyes.' and any number of punches
that didn't leave any marks, but hurt just the
"They're punchin'!" yells Dwarf Duffy.
u-ho could have cat the man ho was playin*
against. "W'at'll I do?" His hands he kep'
behind hi- back, tremblin' lest he sh'd hand
out a swat an 1 break the reform rules.
"Be a gentleman?*' yells Pigskin Pete.
"Don't countenance their ruffi'nism! Play
clean!"
The next minute he took the k»11 f« r a run
around the end. ll*- gained two yards, was
tripped, punched in the eye and nbs, kicked
in the neck, and finally the biggest hoss doctor
sits on his head.
We picked him up, dazed, and his declara
tion f< • a ■.'.;•• seemed to be shakin' a
little; for h<- was cussin" in good old mi
refurmed I'ijr--kiTi Pete style under hi; breath.
""I dun 'no but what you f»tttr punch I a* k
a little." says he. "If' we're goin t<> reform
these fellers,- we'd better <!■> it right. I'■ n't go
to extremes. Jest hold your tinl up."
So we cut loose and handed 'em a few
jalrs. An«l then they Ix^jan kickin' and
scratchin' in addition to punchin': and we
n<H»l it for a few drive till Pigskin Pete got
kicked and scratched ii prime fashion.'^
"Fight 'em with their own weepons,' says
he. "Don't be brutal; but you en < law an 1
kick a little."
So we did. And then they began to gouge
...it eyes and bite our ears. They got a touch
down by it.
Leary, near blinded, comes up showin* his
eye to Pete. ! ■ .■:■•• Sanders was holding his
ear against his head while I bound it with a
handkerchief.
"TerrilJe!" says Pete. But be gentlemen;
Remember < ur glorious m< tto <>' reformin"
football."
So we rememl»ered. though it was hard work.
An<l then ... doctors ... to know
everything we were . in' to do. '■■ we went
round the left end, ... were there to meet
us. If w*.- went through the center, we found
a wall of 'em in front of us. Fin'lly Sawedoff
Spc ti sings out that his signal card has been
roblied out of his back pocket.
"On everything else, they're stealin'
things," v aV s ['igskin Pete.
And then the first half ended, and we had
a chance to count up our injuries .-,: re
arrange < iur signals.
• - I think we're refonnin* 'em, says Pigskin
IVt<- '" '■ think .air appeals fer a ilun. gentle
manly expositii n o" this manly sport has had
•.■••: beginnm" to see that
brutality h..s no place in this game."
An' tiit- hoss doctors was gettin' reform^!
There was hardly a pair o' eyes on their team
.xuy g.^id for seem" things with, though they'd a
made some fine decorations in a house in full
mourning. Besides, they'd 10-t consid'able
blood. Ki«ht at the opening o' the record
half l-ej;>:it Sanders gets loose with the ball,
and before they ketch him he's got a touchy
down. We ... score, and the playing goes
on harder than ever. Pigskin Pete bucks
the center, aii.l a big boss doctor bites through
the back of his ■.■■• hi< shoulder
blade, an' another sinks his ... Petes
shootin' linger. His heart seems .■■■..•:.
v.'cii we bind him up.
■Tin afraid." says he. feclin 1 his ears to sec
if he's -til! # t 'em.— 'Tin afraid the only way
to stop these fell, rs I itin^ is t<j kr.-«.k t!;«ir
te«.th out "
"I su'gcst chokin' 'on," saj-s Clancy.
■'Don't be entirely inhuman, Chop." s ;i y-
Pete
The v. rv next play th<:;i hoss doctors, see
ing Pete was cur fjest man; massed together
to put him out ••' the game, and when wc
picked s:i;n up he was all n;. Kibs» stove,
blinded, bleedm' extern 'Uy an' probly m
tern'Uy, he cd just get five ■^•■r<\~ out u\ a
mouth that was swung aroun<l under his ear.
ami ti.-rji words was:
- K;il 'on! \y> it gentle."
As th<- doctor said afterwards, it was man
hood triumphing over will power, but wil
power still in the ring, though batteretl. And
we went at 'em and jest killed Vm—M. !-■::•::;■ .
When the audience tried to rtop us we broke
;:<..•].■ ■ ,-k.T-; t:r.<!er the grand stand and got
the h.i ebali bats, and did a g I job till the
cops I roke it up.
And a, we put Pete to l-ed that night,
bound up arm,, legs, neck, head, and ribs, he
lisped through a very |—r lookm mouth:
• Did we win the game?"
"The game." says Sure Eye Simmons, tears
runnin' down his cheeks at the sight vi the
reformed bad man, "was a tie; but we won
the battle." ......
And Pete sank into a blissful sleep. Ihe
first step in reform!" he muttered.
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19