1 84 



RECREATION. 



league ball at exactly the same price, though 

 the cost of making the spurious ball is cer- 

 tainly several cents less than that of making 

 the good one. It is said that the counterfeit 

 ball is the one usually sold to everybody 

 outside the league clubs ; that retail dealers, 

 colleges, athletic clubs and amateur ball 

 clubs, all over the country, are supplied with 

 this cheap imitation ball. 



I am told by men who ought to know that 

 ten times as many of the counterfeit balls 

 are turned out of the factory each year as 

 of the genuine. 



Good amateur players have often won- 

 dered why they could not bat a ball as far 

 as professionals do. It is because — other 

 things being equal — the amateur is playing 

 with a ball that is dead, punky and inactive 

 — that has a chunk of shop-sweepings in the 

 center of it ; while the professional has been 

 carefully supplied with a ball that has an 

 ounce of pure rubber in it; that is wound 

 with good, lively wool, and this wool filled 

 with good, lively cement. Amateurs should 

 take Spalding's advice and " beware of 

 counterfeits." 



Spalding would no doubt like to cry 

 "blackmail " when he reads this. He would 

 like to tell the public that I have exposed 

 his scheme because he does not advertise in 

 Recreation. Fortunately, I have a letter 

 from him inviting me to call on his adver- 

 tising agent and suggesting to the agent 

 that he place an advertisement in Recrea- 

 tion. I have one from this same agent 

 inviting me to call on him, and intimating 

 that he would like to arrange for some space 

 in Recreation. I did not accept either 

 invitation. 



This expose is made solely for the benefit 

 of the public, and has no bearing whatever 

 on the question of advertisii g. 



lie cartridge, with the hammer (inside) ar- 

 ranged to strike and fire each cartridge in 

 succession as fast as the trigger can be 

 pulled. This arm was invented in 1834, and 

 in 1842 was submitted to the Academy of 

 Sciences in Paris. It created a warm con- 

 troversy between Devisme, Matthieu and 

 other Paris gun-makers, who charged 

 Devisme with claiming what Colt had in- 

 vented, viz.: the rotation of the cylinder by 

 the cocking of the hammers, and which he, at 

 that time, disclaimed. 



" The gun was not patented, Devisme at 

 the time stating that it was free for all to 

 make. The original gun, a most beautifully 

 finished article, was brought to this country 

 by J. D. Orne, of Philadelphia, and was 

 kept for a time in the U. S. Patent Office." 



Capt. Philip Reade, U. S. A. 



The cats had been holding nightly con- 

 certs in the front yard, greatly to the disgust 

 of the family, and in the gloaming the old 

 man had thrown a large torpedo at them. 

 It landed in the grass, near the sidewalk, 

 and failed to "go." Later in the gloaming 

 Frank and Lowell, the two hired men, were 

 sent to place the garbage barrel at the front 

 gate where Colonel Waring's assistant could 

 get it. Edouard de Reszke, the baritone cat, 

 was there, ready to pounce upon the barrel 

 and get his supper. Returning to the house 

 Frank saw this large cannon torpedo in the 

 grass. 



"Here," said he, "is an onion that has 

 fallen from the barrel. I will plug Edouard 

 with it. I don't suppose I can hit him, but 

 at least I'll plug him." 



And he proceeded to plug. It missed Ed- 

 ouard, but landed on the walk beside him 

 and exploded with a noise that shook the 



r~r^>i#<s6 ' Csfu&i/£c. &oaZuJc 



J/,tScd*vU<i, 



a&s^ 



DANCED METALLIC CA«TRiD£i - 

 TURNEJD y-^BQREJ) QUT 







DEVISME'S REVOLVERS, 



WITH FLANGED METALLIC CARTRIDGE, l8j4. 



Regarding this arm and its cartridge, Mr. 

 W. C. Dodge says : 



"This is the perfected arm of the present 

 day, 1874, the modern revolver in every 

 detail. * * * * It has a flanged metal- 







church. Frank had never before heard such 

 a report come from an onion. He ju nped 

 over the fence, went up the steps and into 

 his room, one time in three motions. He has 

 not recovered from his fright yet. Edouard 

 scaled the fence without touching it, went up 

 the street as if Satan were alter him, and 

 is supposed to be still runnirg. 



