Clipping:Justus Thorner reminiscences about the founding of the AA; the telegram story

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Date Saturday, November 9, 1889
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[from an interview of Justus Thorner] “Let me tell you how the American Association was formed by a few of us in Pittsburg, and then you'll see that, however small the beginning may be, we never can tell what the end may be. Well, Horace Phillips, that remarkable hustler, conceived the idea to start up an organization in rivalry to the National League, and he wrote me time and time again about the matter. Finally we called a meeting at Washington, and all who were present in the room at meeting time was Horace and myself and a little boy who shined my shoes.

“We didn't lose heart, but packed up and left. We called another meeting at the St. Clair Hotel, Pittsburg, and I brought on with me. O. P. Caylor, from Cincinnati, and another reporter named Wright. These two, Mr. Phillips and myself were all the people who showed up then and it really looked blue. Phillips and I took a stroll into Diamond street and there learned that a baseball crank named Al. Pratt was working in one of the mills, and we found him. He told us of Denny McKnight and he also was secured. We then held our meeting, and as a starter I suggested myself as Chairman and Mr. Caylor. We were so few that I was compelled to ask the meeting to vote as I suggested.

“then,” Mr. Thorner went on to say, “we were organized for all practical purposes, and I suggested that we have baseball representatives at Louisville, Washington, Philadelphia, New York and St. Louis to send me their proxy as to where the next meeting should be held.

“We led everybody wired to believe that he was the only one absent from the meeting, and that caused an immediate reply. Among others we wired Messrs. J. B. Day, James Mutrie and Jerry Scanlon. As a result we had a rousing meeting the next time. I remember that a Mr. Appleton represented Mr. Day, and the former held aloof at the meeting, until he saw that there was plenty of money behind the scheme. However, we soon had plenty of money, and the whole of America knows now that the Association started amid tremendous opposition, but is now living, strong, and well.

Source Pittsburgh Dispatch
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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