Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 135, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1914 — SKETCH OF JAMES LAVENDER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SKETCH OF JAMES LAVENDER

Successful Spit-Ball Pitcher of Chicago Cubo, at One Time Was Slated for Montreal. James Lavender, the successful spitball pitcher of the Chicago Cubs, was born just twenty-seven years ago In Montezuma, Ga., the son of well-to-do parents. Jimmy was given a good education in the public school of that town. At the age of fifteen he went to the Gordon institute, a military academy at Bamsvllle, Ga. Here Jimmy was trained as a soldier, which aocounts today for his military bearing. At the academy Lavender played very little baseball, but was strong at football. After graduation, however, Lavender devoted himself wholly to baseball and became so proficient at pitching that he tried his luck with the Augusta club of the South Atlantic league, in 1906, where he was a teaxn-

mote of Nap Rucker. In 1907 he played with the Danville club of the Virginia league. The Athletic club bought him and then sold him, without trial, to the Holyoke club of the Connecticut league. In 1908 the Boston National club drafted him and turned him over to the Providence club. He played with the latter club in 1909-T(k11, when he was drafted by the Chicago club. After the 1912 training trip the Chicago club tried to ship Lavender to Montreal without first giving Providence a chance to reclaim him —a violation of baseball law, which compelled the national commission to concel the transfer to Montreal. The Chicago club then decided to retain Lavender —a fortunate thing Tor them, as he quickly developed into a winning pitcher and, virtually single-handed, put the Cubs into the- race that year.

James Lavender.