Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 112, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1909 — Oxford Gloats Over Defeat Of Wrens, Claiming Third Victory. [ARTICLE]

Oxford Gloats Over Defeat Of Wrens, Claiming Third Victory.

The Oxford people are taking a great amount of delight at the defeat handed to the Wrens on Sunday, Oct. 3d, and boast that it was the third time this year that they had defeated the Wrens. That is exhibiting a lot of nerve, to claim the game that ended in a dispute and that would have been Rensselaer’s with any umpire in charge of the game that had any regard for the agreed upon ground rules. Rensselaer claims that the disputed game belongs to the Wrens, and that is about as near as we will ever get together in settling it. While Rensselaer players and fans came home after last Sunday’s game, acknowledging defeat, and making no “holler,” it is not amiss now to say, w’hat was evident to every person that went from here to witness the, game, that Oxford’s .attitude, with its bunch of pug-ugly specially deputized policemen each carrying a slab of fence palling, was very menancing and their unwarranted howling about Umpire Gragg, whose thoroughly impartial decisions would have been commended by any fair crowd, with the bluffing demeanor and unsportsmanlike con-duct-of one tin-horned sport named Miller, and the malicious assault made on Catcher McLain by Tommy Jensen, and the striking of third baseman Kevin with a stick, and the threat of five big bullies to pull Kevin out of an automobile and half kill him, are sideline features of Oxford hospitality of which the newspapers dislike to talk and of which we said nothing after the gam‘6, but the boastful claim of Oxford to three victories, when the claiming of one is little short of highway robbery, is quite aggravating. Rensselaer gave Oxford the very nicest treatment here, and will do so Thursday when Oxford comes here again, but we can find no defense for the bruiser style of rule exhibited at Oxford. Probably the meanest and most contemptible act of unfairness exhibited by the Oxford crowd was the placing of a number of buggies in center field where they expected, based upon their batting here the Sunday before, to knock most of their balls, thus interfering in a very unsportsmanlike manner with the merits of the contest. Oxford may think they are justified in such methods, but Rensselaer will continue to play ball in a fair manner, asking nothing that is not fair, and treating visitors with the courtesy of due gentlemen even if they make occasional mistakes in the quality of their guests.