100 years ago in The Record
Monday, Dec. 16, 1918
The Troy Automobile Association is creating a special committee to assist local police in catching car thieves, The Record reports after tonight’s annual meeting. Charles H. Gardner will chair the committee, which promises a rapid response to any report of a stolen vehicle. “When a member of the association has his auto stolen in the future, he will call up the headquarters of the association as well as the police and the sheriff’s office,” our reporter explains, “Within a short time about 25 automobiles will be shooting out to the various entrances and outlets of the city in quest of the machine. All these machines will have the number of the stolen car. “For instance, members living in Mechanicville will start toward this city and in case the thief is traveling toward that city he will be met and captured. The plan is to cover so thoroughly all avenues of escape that the thief will have an exceedingly difficult time in getting away.” Whether local law enforcement supports the association’s plan is unclear. Founding president Frank M. Baucus is elected to another term at tonight’s meeting, while members vote to switch affiliation from the American Automobile Association to the International Automobile Association.
Johnny Evers Arrives in America
Troy baseball hero Johnny Evers was supposed to ap- pear at a Lyceum Theater fundraiser last night, but the ship bringing him home from France doesn’t reach New York City until today.
“Talking of the war, but breathing baseball, the king of the second basemen declared if necessary he was willing to abdicate to citizen’s clothes in order to assist in the rehabilitation of the national pastime,” a special Record correspondent reports.
Evers, who won championships with the Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves, served in France as a Knights of Columbus baseball instructor. He tries to scotch rumors that American soldiers had turned against professional baseball due to some star players skipping the war.
“Don’t you think for a minute the American soldier is down or ever was down on big league baseball,” Evers says, “I know about what the American soldier thinks of personal baseball for I’ve been living with them, sleeping with them, eating with them and exchanging confidence with them. The American soldier is stronger for big league baseball than ever before.”
The Trojan predicts that baseball will become a French national pastime. “The French have much the same temperament as ourselves and the action and life of the game are appealing strongly to them he says.” Baseball will spread there, Evers believes, because France had no national sport comparable to cricket in England.