Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1919 — MATHEWSON RETURNS TO UNITED STATES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MATHEWSON RETURNS TO UNITED STATES

Was Stationed at American General Headquarters. Expresses Belief That Few Big League Player* in France Would Return in Time to Take Part In 4 the Opening Game*. Capt. Christopher Mathewson, for* iney manager of the Cincinnati National League Baseball club, has returned from France. He was connected with the United States chemical warfare service and for a long time was stationed at American general headquarters in Chaumont, France. “We are sorry we could not get into action,” declared Mathewson, “but that was the fortune of war.” He expressed the belief that few bigleague players in the army in France would return in time to take part In the opening games. Baseball was not very popular among the French, he explained, because they considered it too brutal. “We could not get any Frenchman to be catcher,” he added, “because they were all afraid they would be hit with the ball ” He told of two Americans who blocked traffic on a street In a small French town by playing catch,

because the French were afraid to pass behind the man with the catcher’s glove. Shortly before the armistice was signed he was assigned to the Twentyeighth division stationed near Toul, France. His colleagues in the gas school at Chaumont included Capt. T. R. Cobb, Maj. P. D. Haughton and Maj. Branch Rickey.

Capt. Christy Mathewson.