Clipping:The financial failure of the California trip

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Date Wednesday, December 17, 1879
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It was known here during the last few days that the members of the Cincinnati-California team were in trouble, but the cause, for reasons which will appear further along, was not apparent. President Thorner on Monday got the following dispatch from Charley M. Smith, who will play with the new Cincinnati Club next year:

San Francisco, December 13, 1879

Justus Thorner, Cincinnati Base-ball Association: Send $100 at once. Luck has gone back on us. No way to get home. Answer immediately. C. M. Smith

Though under no obligations to do so, morally or legally, President Thorner, in the goodness of his heart, sent the money by telegraph yesterday. Later, when he learned the Bob Miles had taken steps to bring all the players home, he notified Smith of the fact by telegraph, advising him to wait and save the expense of coming with his own money.

Our Chicago telegram above is calculated to create wrong impressions; first, that the Cincinnati team did not do so well as the Chicagos, whereas we have the figures below to show that they did better. But the Chicagos did not start West till the money had been put up to secure them against loss, while the Cincinnatis depended more upon their own resources. The Chicago team was a greater failure financially to its managers than the Cincinnatis. The man Kelly, who put up $5,000 to send the team to the Pacific Coast lost nearly every cent of it. And while the Chicago men were living this money up and not winning any of it back, Kelly went crazy over the loss and attempted suicide at the Palace Hotel. It was after this occurrence that the managers of the other team made the mistake of taking up the Chicago team, thereby sinking still more money. Cincinnati Enquirer December 17, 1879 [See same issue also for financials from the trip for both Cincinnati and Chicago teams.]

Source Cincinnati Enquirer
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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