Page:America's National Game (1911).djvu/316

 General Sherman said "War is H——l," and he doubtless knew what he was talking about. At least I am prepared to endorse his views as applied to the Brotherhood War. Well, it's all over now, and forgotten by many, while only the pleasant and amusing incidents remain in memory. No one cared for the score of yesterday's game; nobody looked for the championship record of 1890. All eyes were centered on the question of attendance. Along with other practices peculiar to the Ananias Club, both sides then engaged in that of "faking" attendance reports. The Chicago papers, for instance, would appear every morning with figures—furnished by club officials–and reading something like this:


 * "Brotherhood attendance—8,000."


 * "League attendance—2,000."

Round figures are always suspicious, and the constant reiteration of these attracted my attention. I knew that the National League games at that time were drawing very meager crowds, and while at first I was aware that the Brotherhood games were more popularly attended, I was unwilling to believe that there was so much difference in the size of the crowds as appeared upon "the face of the returns." I waited a while, certain that the time would oome when the Brotherhood fakirs would lay themselves open. The day came soon. The published attendance began to drop. From 8,000 it fell to 7,000; then 7,000 to 6,000. Of course, I knew what that meant, and had inspectors stationed at the Brotherhood grounds with instructions to count every one passing the turnstiles and