Clipping:Bills for injunction filed in Philadelphia

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Date Wednesday, December 25, 1889
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The first step in the legal proceedings against the seceded League players was not taken in New York, but in Philadelphia, although the New York case will still be the most important. On Saturday last the counsel of the “Philadelphia Base Ball Club, Limited,” filed in Court of Common Pleas No. 4 bills in equity against short stop William Hallman, pitcher Buffinton and H. M. Love, president of the Philadelphia Brotherhood Club, asking the court's good offices to prevent the ball players playing ball for Mr. Love and to prevent Mr. Love from hiring the ball players.

The bills filed by the Phillies' counsel were against the players individually, and in each case Mr. Love was made a co-defendant with the player. The subject matter of all the bills may be summarized as follows:

The bills ask in set terms that Hallman and Buffinton be enjoined “from playing base ball or giving their services as bas ball players for the season of 1890 to any club or organization, person or persons whatsoever, other than the Philadelphia Ball Club, and that President Love be restrained from employing Hallman and Buffinton, or interfering with them in giving their services to the Philadelphia Ball Club.”

The bill formally st5ates that the Philadelphia Ball Club is a member of the National League, has gove to the expense of fitting up its grounds and has been at “great expense in getting together a good team.” It says that on the 24 th of October, 1888, Hallman and Buffinton signed contracts with the Philadelphia Ball Club, under which Hallman was to receive $1400 salary per annum, and Buffinton was paid a bonus of $800 and was to be paid a yearly salary of $2000. The contracts contained the reservation clause, under which the club was to have an option on their services for the season of 1890 by serving notice upon the players on or before Oct. 21, 1889.

The bill further states that the notices were duly services and that notwithstanding their contracts and the notices of reservation, Hallman and Buffinton have made a contract to play for President Love for the season of 1890, with the privilege to Love to assign the contract to another base ball club to be known as the “Players' National League Base Ball Club of Philadelphia.”

The special injury complained of to the Court in this violation of the contract with the Philadelphia Club is that the action of Hallman and Buffinton “will break up your orator's team of skillful players, and will injure, if not destroy, its drawing power in public exhibitions and cause great losses of money, the amount of which it is impossible to estimate or assess.

Source The Sporting Life
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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