Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 188, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1911 — UMPIRE SHOWS HIS METTLE [ARTICLE]

UMPIRE SHOWS HIS METTLE

Billy Evans, Made Target of by Pop Bottle Throwers, Refuses to . - Move—ls Cheered. "Umpires are brave men—at least tbe great majority of them. One of the bravest things I ever saw was the act of Billy Evans on the old White Sox grounds In Chicago,” writes Hugh Fullerton in the American Magazine. “On that park, happily, now vacated, there was a tier of seats known as the stock yards, in which gathered one of tbe most dangerous crowds (for umpires) In the country. They were regulars who occupied the same seats almost every day, and who fought for them. These seats, of course,_were not reserved, but hundreds claimed a title to certain places. They paid their quarters and if anyone was In the place and refused to move, he was tossed out and thrown over the heads of the crowd to the bottom. “That crowd started after Evans, who had given a close decision at third base against Chicago. Evans walked over onto foul ground, back of first base and a shower of bottles fell around ‘him. It looked as if a hundred men were throwing bottles at the umpire. One bottle touched his cap, several bounded and struck him, one hit him on the arm. < “During this bombardment Evans did not turn his head. He stood watching the batter. For at least three minutes the battle whistled around his head. The people in the grand stand shouted for him to run, fearing he would be killed. The players begged him to move into the diamond out of range. He stood rtlll, with his back th his foes, until the batter made a base hit, then trotted 1 down nearer second base to watch for a play there. “As the opposing nine took the field a few moments later Evans walked to the same position back of first base, and the crowd that had tried to kill him stood up and cheered him. They recognized a brave man. One fellow threw a bottle, and the crowd pitched him down the steep steps, passing him along until he hit the fence.”