Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 180, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1915 — HUGH JENNINGS’ START [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HUGH JENNINGS’ START

Was Backstop for Pennsylvania Team When Discovered. Placed on First Base by Manager Chapman of Louisville and Began by Banging the Ball Merrily to All Comers. Back in the summer of 1891 a young chap with carmine-colored hair and a face silked all over with polka dots was catching for a baseball team representing Leighton, Pa., where he had signed that spring. Leighton was, at that time, a beautiful place of 3,000 inhabitants, but this young man was somewhat lost In that community, for of the 3,000 residents all were Dutch except two, an Irish saloonkeeper and his sister, and Hughie Jennings, hav-ing-considerable Irish blood coursing through his system, was a welcome addition to this very small Irish colony. In the month of June a certain baseball fan —In fact, he was a director of one of the clubs in a small Pennsylvania state league—sent a tip to Jack Chapman of the Louisville club of the American association concerning this young catcher, stating that, if he would sign him, in less than a month he would prove the equal of the best player Chapman had on his line-up. The wise Chapman must have had faith in this unknown fan, for he promptly sent slbo to young Jennings with orders to report at once. Hughie thought it must be a Joke, but on examining the coin he found ■it real money and he made up his mind to go. Hughie Jennings’ days as a catcher ended the moment he donned a Louisville uniform. Chapman didn’t just know what to do with this tow-headed busher after he got him, but he had invested one hundred cold dollars In the deal and felt that he must have the youngster earn it if possible, and

Hughie was dead willing to work it out. Opportunity came tripping his way, for First Baseman Taylor was injured about that time, and Chapman planked the raw recruit on the initial sack. It was on June 6, 1891, that the now famous manager of the Detroit Tigers played his first game in the majors, and the contest was against the Baltimore team. The first big league hurler who faced Hughie, or Whom Hughie faced, wasn’t very Dig. A little bit of a left-hander of the name of Madden was the pitcher and Louisville made only four hits, ihe Leighton recruit getting one of them. In his next game Jennings made three safe hits in four times up off the pitching of the noted McMahon and he continued to bang the ball right merrily during the balance of that season.

Manager Hugh Jennings.