— Chapter Eleven —

Score of 6 to 3

B

oth Felix and “Paddy” Driscoll stood out in the parking lot as Paddy began to tell Felix everything he knew. The late-afternoon sun in the city was hot, making the landscape hazy.

“Over twenty-five years ago,” began Paddy. “Chris O’Brien was the one who organized a neighborhood football team. Known as the Morgan Athletic Club, the club later changed its name to the Racine Normals. Named after Racine Avenue, the team’s field was Normal Park.

“O’Brien was always on a tight budget, and in 1901, he received a deal he couldn’t pass on. Used football jerseys from the University of Chicago football team, the Maroons. Yet, a reporter commented on the faded red jerseys upon seeing them. Saying those are the Maroons’ old football uniforms. O’Brien exclaimed: ‘That’s not maroon. It’s cardinal red!’ And so, the team’s new nickname became the Cardinals.

“You see, back then, the club would play against local competition. The Cardinals managed to remain in operation for several years. But in 1906, the competition was so scarce that the team disbanded. About seven years later, O’Brien reorganized the Cardinals. The team’s popularity grew on the South Side. But with the War in Europe and the Spanish flu, the club suspended operations again.

“On September 17, 1920, the Cardinals joined the American Professional Football Association. For a franchise fee of $100. —Although no one around here believes that any charter members ever paid anything.

“Ralph Hay, the owner of the Canton Bulldogs, and the men in Ohio wanted the Chicago area as part of their league. So, they asked the teams in Chicago to join them. They knew football had become very popular over here. And they didn’t want a different league to start up. —This year, the league renamed itself to the National Football League.”

“This is all well and good, but what does this have to do with Jack?” asked Felix.

“Look,” said Paddy. “You said you wanted me to start at the beginning —so be quiet, would ya’? —and you’ll understand why I’m telling you all this,” he said.

“Okay, fine. Go on,” said Felix.

“Now, during the 1921 season, there were two teams in Chicago. The Cardinals and the North City team, called the Tigers. Both teams were well aware that this town could not support both of us. Competition for the same audience and fan dollars would bring down both franchises. So, O’Brien made the Tigers an offer: play a game in which the loser would fold its operations. The Tigers agreed, and the date was set for November 7th.

“Once again, we visited the Tigers that season, but this time it was for the right to stay in the league. I made the only touchdown of the game as we eliminated the Tigers, 6-3. As promised, the Tigers dropped out of the league. The rights to the city now belonged to O’Brien.

“Nevertheless! —Halas and his football team requested permission from the NFL to move here to Chicago. However, O’Brien had the right to block any professional team from being here. He still approved Halas’ request,” said Paddy.

“Why would O’Brien approve having another team here when you went to all this trouble to be the only Chicago team?” asked Felix.

“No one knows!” said Paddy. —“O’Brien refuses to talk about it. Bring me to your friend Jack Tate. O’Brien wanted to sell Tate’s contract to Halas to keep me from joining the Chicago Bears. It’s because O’Brien needs me to coach his Chicago Cardinals in the future and be a player.

“But George Halas believes if Tate and I were both on the same team, the Cardinals would dominate the NFL. —Understanding this, Halas can’t afford for the Cardinals to be the best team in the city. Because it would mean no one would go and watch his North Side Bears play. —And being the new team in this city is challenging enough.

“Don’t get me wrong. Your guy Tate may have been better than me at running back, but I’m a more versatile player. This is why O’Brien can’t give me up so quickly, or he’ll have a Hell of a time winning any more games. And in this business, if you’re not winning the games, you’re losing money.

“It was my understanding O’Brien had Tate sign both a player’s contract and a life insurance policy. O’Brien had both contracts in his hands. I found all this out today. —Which meant O’Brien had painted George Halas and his Bears in a corner.

“Halas may have had NO choice but to take whatever deal O’Brien wanted. In other words, O’Brien was holding all the cards yesterday. But today, since Jack Tate is dead, George Halas has all the ‘outs’ he needs. And O’Brien, well —not so much.

“Have you heard the saying? There’s no business like show business? Well, professional football makes show business look like child’s play.

“HELL —I’ll even give you an example if you believe the story going around right now. George Halas got done Black-Balling the Green Bay Packers from joining the NFL. So he can pick up another player the Packers wanted. Halas is hoping this player would rather be with his team in the NFL. Then to be part of an independent semi-pro team,” said Paddy.

“I see,” replied Felix. “Well, thank you for your time, Mister —”

“No, no, no —please call me Paddy. Everyone does,” he said.

“Okay, Paddy. Thanks again,” said Felix.

“Anytime,” replied Paddy Driscoll with a smile.

The two men shook hands and started to walk away when Felix turned back towards Paddy and spoke up.

“OH, one more thing, Paddy,” said Felix. “Jack’s death may have been with a .32 caliber. The police have a Colt hammerless pocket model. Four-inch barrel, blued finish, pearl grips, western engraving on one side of the stock. With the words’ ‘1922 Chicago Cardinals’ engraved on the other side. You don’t happen to know anything about this, do you?” he said.

“Yes, I do,” said Paddy. “Dutch was showing a pistol like that to me the other week.”

“Dutch?” asked Felix.

“Yeah, his name is Edward Sternaman, but everyone calls him Dutch. He’s —”

“George Halas’ partner,” answered Felix.

Felix found himself back in his D19 Speedster. This time, driving north to Cubs Park stadium, which later would be renamed Wrigley Park. His mind was moving a mile a minute. Why would Edward Sternaman have the pistol Detective McMann now has as evidence?

When Felix pushed Paddy for more information about the pistol. Paddy corrected what he meant to say. Paddy was at O’Brien’s party, but the gun wasn’t presented to him directly. He laid eyes on it when Dutch opened a decorative, carved red cherry wood box. Inside was the pistol, sitting on a red velvet interior cloth. When Felix asked who Dutch was showing the gun to, Paddy said it was to George Halas. But Paddy wasn’t for sure, and he didn’t care enough to find out during the party.

Felix now had a question: Why was there a .32 caliber semi-automatic pistol at O’Brien’s party? What does Dutch have to do with killing Jack? How did Dutch find out where Jack had been staying for the past two weeks? And why does Dutch want Jack dead?

Felix parked his D19 Speedsters on the corner of Clark and Addison. He got out and started walking to a practice field next to the Cubs Park grandstand. The baseball park was about to expand its stadium when the Decatur Staleys came to Chicago.

Now that George Halas had control of the team. He changed the club’s name to the Bears because they were now playing in Cub Park. Halas wanted a name that paid homage to the Chicago Cubs, the baseball team. Earlier that year, he said. ‘If baseball players are cubs, then football players must be bears!’

Felix walked around looking for the man named Dutch. He found the Chicago Bears co-owner in the visiting team’s baseball locker room. George Halas and Chicago Cubs’ owner William Wrigley Jr had a good relationship. Both men worked out a deal for the football team to play at Wrigley Field. The Bears practice next to the baseball stadium and use the visitors’ locker room to dress and shower.

Felix found Dutch talking to one of his players. The Dutch recognized Felix walking up to him from the Elephant Tent last night. He told the young man he would catch up with him later as Felix reintroduced himself. —Felix stood six feet two inches. As for Dutch, he was five feet eight inches. Felix towered over Dutch in the locker room. Felix started asking questions when the two were alone.

“I came from Normal Park, where I spoke to your friend Paddy,” said Felix.

“Is that right? How’s ol’ Paddy doing?” asked Dutch.

“He’s doing well enough, as far as I can tell. He told me you were at a party last week,” said Felix.

“Sure —so was Paddy,” remarked Dutch.

“And it was at O’Brien’s?” asked Felix.

“That’s right,” said Dutch. “O’Brien wanted to have a little kick-off party for his Cardinal football team. And for this year’s new season. —So, he invited me,” he said.

“Did you bring a wooden box to the event?” asked Felix.

“No,” replied Dutch.

“You’re telling me you didn’t bring a red cherry carved wood box to Chris O’Brien’s party?”

“Yeah —that’s what I’m telling you,” said Dutch.

“Well —Paddy said you did,” said Felix.

“I really didn’t see much of Paddy at the party. I only stayed for a short time, and I left,” said Dutch. “I had another event the same evening. —I told O’Brien I was happy to be there, but I needed to go. O’Brien understood and thanked me for showing up,” he said.

“So, you never held a box and opened it at the party,” asked Felix.

“OH —Well, sure. But it wasn’t my box,” claimed Dutch.

“Who was it?” asked Felix.

“Halas,” answered Dutch.

“George Halas brought a decorative carved red cherry wood box? In it have a .32 caliber semi-automatic Colt pistol?” asked Felix.

“Yeah,” answered Dutch.

“Why?” asked Felix.

“I don’t know?” said Dutch. “You’ve got to understand, Halas came into the room that I was in and said, ‘Hey, Dutch! Can ya hold this box for me?’ I was the only one in the room at the time without a drink in my hand. So, he thought I could help him out for a moment. He told me to open it to show what he had inside it.”

“And was it a .32 caliber pocket pistol?” asked Felix. “Four-inch barrel, blued finish, pearl grips, western engraving on one side of the stock. With the words’ ‘1922 Chicago Cardinals’ engraved on the one side?”

“That sounds about right,” answered Dutch. “Why?” he asked.

“The police now have that gun. It’s evidence of the murder of Jack Tate,” Felix told him.

“Are you kidding me?” said Dutch.

“No,” answered Felix soundly.

“Wow! —I don’t know what to say,” said Dutch. “We all read the paper today about Jack being killed at the hotel. I just want to say how sorry —”

“SAVE IT,” voiced Felix. “Where did YOU and George go after the Elephant Tent?” asked Felix.

“WE didn’t go anywhere,” answered Dutch. “I left George after the boat docked, and I went home. I had to get up early today, so I went straight to bed.”

“When was the last time you saw George?” asked Felix.

“Less than an hour ago,” said Dutch. “Why?”

“Because last time Halas talked to Jack, Halas said these words to him. ‘Even if someone was holding a gun to your head?’ And someone did hold a gun to Jack’s head!”

“WOOH, hold on, I know, he did say that, BUT,” voiced Dutch. “You have to understand. George says a lot of things. Hell, he does a lot of things. But I know him well enough. And he would NEVER kill anyone. Not over football. My God, he loves football players!” expressed Dutch.

“Well, someone killed a football player last night,” said Felix. “And George Halas’s gun is the weapon!”

“AS I SAID —George didn’t kill your friend. He’ll say things to get into your head. He’s been doing that kind of stuff for as long as I have tumbled around with him. He just wants to size you up and get a glimpse of what you’re made of,” explained Dutch.

“FINE. I still need to talk to George Halas. Where can I find him?” demeaned Felix.

“Now, slow down! —Why?” asked Dutch.

“I need to dig into what happened to the pistol during the party. And if you don’t have the skinny on the gun, it means I will have to talk to Halas. And if I don’t talk to him —I’m sure that the police will, after they put out a bulletin to bring him in!” said Felix.