At that time I received a long letter from Mr.Spalding, in which he took particular pains to assure me Mr.Hart was a mere figurehead, who would always be subject to his advice and control, and just so long as he, Mr.
Spalding, was connected with the club I should be retained by that organization.

In the face of such an assurance as that, and in view of the fact that I had been associated so many years with Mr.Spalding in business, having first come to Chicago at his solicitation, I could see no reason for doubting his word, though subsequent events have shown me differently.
While in Philadelphia, after the recent League meeting held in New York, I called on John I.Rogers in reference to securing a contract to manufacture the league ball, and in the course of our conversation the subject of my treatment by the Chicago management came up.

He then informed me that while presiding at a banquet given by the Philadelphia Club some two years ago, and at which both Mr.Hart and myself were guests, he had informed Hart that he was going to call on me for a speech.

To this Hart had replied that he and I were not on the best of terms and then went on to tell him that when he, Hart, had joined the Chicago Club Spalding had agreed to release me at the end of my contract and place him, Hart, at the head of the Chicago Club.
If Mr.Hart told the truth when he made that statement, then Mr.
Spalding certainly deceived me, but that is a matter of veracity for them to settle between themselves.
In 1893 the Chicago Ball Club was reorganized under the name of the Chicago League Ball Club, and by the terms of an agreement made with Mr.
Spalding I was allowed to take a certain number of shares of the stock, in addition to those which I held in the old organization, to be paid for out of my contingent fee, which, by the terms of our agreement, it was guaranteed should be large enough to pay for the same, and which came to me under those conditions.

At the same time, having six years more to serve under the terms of the old contract, I was given a new one, which I signed without reading, and which was only for five years instead of six, a discrepancy that I did not discover until I came to read it over at home that same evening to Mrs.Anson, and then, having still the most implicit confidence in Mi.