Ex-President Von der Ahe, of the St. Louis Club, after a week of distress, humiliation and physical and mental agony, is to be again a free man, thanks, not to his former fair-weather friends and neighbors at home, but to his fellow League magnates, headed by lovyal and generous Frank Robison, of Cleveland.  These gentlemen, when all others failed, decided to advance the funds to liberate Mr. Von der Ahe, thus placing one more noble action to the credit of the rulers of base ball.  This will end the disgraceful Von der Ahe kidnapping case for the present, but Mr. Von der Ahe will doubtless not rest until all the instigators and participants in the flagrant outrage have been reckoned with.  Though the abduction proceeding has been declared legal under common law, in itself a relic of mediaeval barbarism, nevertheless, the violent abduction, handcuffing and incarceration of an ordinary debtor like a common criminal will remain in the public mind a flagrant perversion of the spirit of the law and an outrageous subversion of citizen right, incompatible with boasted American nineteenth century civilization.  If there is any way to obtain satisfaction for the ignominy heaped upon him Mr. Von der Ahe should leave no stone unturned to obtain it, if only to discourage future outrages upon others, to which the decision in this case opens wide the door.  

​-Sporting Life, February 19, 1898

The action of the League in expelling the Sportsman’s Park and Club from the association and recognizing the new organization formed by Robison and Becker has aroused the greatest enthusiasm (in St. Louis) and the fans already see the pennant flying from the flagstaff at the ball grounds. The deal means the transfer to this city of the Cleveland Club in its entirety.

The new Browns will have Tebeau on first base, Childs at second, Cross at third and Wallace at short. The outfielders will be Burkett, Griffin, and Stenzel. O’Connor, Criger, Schrecongost and Clements will be the catchers and the pitching staff will consist of Young, Cuppy, Powell, Wilson, Bates, Jones and Hughey. Ed McKean will remain with the Cleveland team. So will Zimmer and Blake. The other St. Louis players, including Hill, Carsey, Sudhoff, Stivetts, Sugden, Tucker, Quinn, Harley, and Dowd will be transferred to the Forest City to fill the other places. Stanley Robison will be the president of the Cleveland Club.

It was leaked out that the new St. Louis Club was organized about a week ago when the following officers were elected: President Frank de Haas Robison, of Cleveland; vice president Edward C. Becker; Stanley Robison; secretary William Schofield. Mr. Becker will have no interest in the Cleveland Club. He is satisfied with his holdings in the local club, which are exactly equal with Robison. The statement already made that Mr. Robison holds a slight excess of stock, just enough to give him control, is not correct. Mr. Becker and Mr. Robison hold share and share alike in the new corporation…

Chris Von der Ahe does not propose to give up the fight for the possession of the Browns franchise. The publication on Sunday of the Rogers-Muckenfuss letter has convinced the boss that he is the victim of a conspiracy and he proposes to have the sale of the Sportsman’s Park and Club set aside, if possible. To-day he filed his notice of an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court from the decision of Judge Spencer ordering the property sold to satisfy the creditors. Under this decree the property was sold, then later transferred to E.C. Becker, who in turn took into partnership Frank Robison, thus, it is said, confirming all that was admitted in the Rogers letter…

-Sporting Life, April 1, 1899

Frank DeHaas Robison, of Cleveland, accompanied by his family, arrived [in St. Louis] last Saturday evening and registered at the Southern.  Mr. Robison declared that he would not be a bidder in person or by representative for the St. Louis Base Ball Club, but when he was asked whether he would be here with is team next year he answered: "I don't really know."  He intimated strongly that the purchaser of the club at public sale would secure nothing but the lease of the ground, the grand stand, etc., and that the National League would have the say-so about the franchise which, it was inferred, would be turned over to Robison...

He further intimated that if the Court attempted to interfere with the League on this point there would be no club here next season, and that if a suit was brought for damages it would net nothing, as the claim would be based on profits of the St. Louis Club for several seasons past, which, as everybody knows, were on the wrong side of the ledger.  Mr. Robison's talk was in the nature of a general notice to prospective bidders to "keep off the grass."

-Sporting Life, February 11, 1899

The following is the statement of the basis upon which E.C. Becker, B.S. Muckenfuss and the Robisons, of Cleveland, expect to arrange the distribution of the stock of the St. Louis Base Ball Club after the receiver's sale.  It is expected Becker will be the only bidder, acting as agent for the Cleveland magnates.  The owners of the club's franchise and plant next year wi be Frank De Haas and M. Stanley Robison, owners of the Cleveland Club, and Oliver Tebeau, manager of that team, whose holdings will be $5000, representing 55 per cent. of the stock.  Becker and Muckenfuss will control the rest.  The Robisons are to provide the players, the local parties are to pay off all indebtedness.  Becker owns 1700 shares of the Sportsman's Park club stock and Von der Ahe but twelve shares.

On Jan. 5 the court will hear depositions and such other testimony as Von der Ahe may present to establish his claim to the ownership of the St. Louis franchise by himself or the St. Louis Base Ball Association, which he alleges was and is the trademark under which he conducted the base ball business.  The receiver will present evidence that the franchise belongs to Sportsman's Park and Club, and it is predicted the court will decide against Von der Ahe and order a sale of the bankrupt corporation for the creditors.  This is given upon seemingly reliable authority and accords with the development of the scheme as shown during the last three months...

If the unexpected should happen and the court should hold that Von der Ahe or his trademark association is the owner of the St. Louis franchise, the National League magnates will declare the franchise forfeited, and award it to the Robisons, who, with the National League to assist them, will fight it out with Von der Ahe in the courts, and, as he is without funds, it is thought he will be glad to get rid of it at any price.  Then Becker and the bondholders and the creditors would, it is claimed, be told to look to the Sportsman's Park and Club for satisfaction of their claims.

-Sporting Life, January 7, 1899

They don't own the Browns just yet.

Edward C. Becker, the local capitalist, who has been posing as the probable future owner of the St. Louis Base Ball Club, on Friday withdrew his offer for the team and franchise made Chris Von der Ahe Tuesday a week ago, and the future of the home club is in a worse muddle than ever before.  Just what will become of the Browns is pretty hard figuring.  "Der Boss" is striving manfully in the face of all kinds of utter adversity to pay his creditors off as best he can and his offer of 50 cents on the dollar has been laughed at by persons holding about half of the total indebtedness against the defunct organization.  The other half are glad to grab at the opportunity to secure that amount from the wreck.  The Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company, which is probably the corporation's third largest creditor, holding as it does bills to the amount of $4000, having signified to Von der Ahe their acceptance of a 50 per cent settlement for their claims. 

Becker Quit.

Mr. Becker's option on the Browns specified $60,000 as the purchase price, according to the best authenticated reports.  Up to yesterday he was willing to close the deal as soon as a clean bill of sale could be prepared for him, but as it was not forthcoming he announced to Von der Ahe and his attorneys that he was no longer a possible buyer of the club, at least not at the figure his option called for.

The premature announcement that the Browns had been sold to Mr. Becker put a stop to the maneuverings of

Several Other Syndicates

who were in the field to buy, and they lost all interest in their plans.  Frank DeHaas Robison, the Cleveland base ball magnate, tarried in St. Louis two weeks, but a few nights ago took his departure for the Forest City, apparently firmly convinced that there was no longer any use of his trying to do business with Von der Ahe.  Now that Mr. Becker has taken down his option it leaves the question of the settlement of the club in exactly the same status it was three weeks ago, and the other syndicates will have to reorganize and commence their work anew.

Not Yet Stranded.

The limit of Von der Ahe's resourcefulness has not yet been reached.  It is patent that he can make almost nothing by the sale to Becker, even by compromising with his creditors.  Becker's actual offering for the club was $60,000 in cash.  Out of this Chris must pay $20,000 in first mortgage bonds, with $2000 in accrued interest, $25,000 in trustee certificates and $20,000 in miscellaneous debts.  The total amount, $67,000, is more than Becker has offered him for the club.  By compromising with his creditors at 50 per cent, and with the bond-holders at 75 per cent, he would have to pay out only $52,000, which would leave him with $8000 clear.  By the time lawyers' fees and other personal debts are satisfied, Chris would have as much as $5000 to start life anew on.  The prospect is not alluring and Chris is not hankering to meet the issue.  He has always been a fatalist, and he is trusting to his luck now to pull him out of his difficulty. 

Creditors' Poor Prospects.

Meanwhile, the lawyers, whom he has always been sow in settling with, have laid a good foundation for the subversion of his creditors.  In the first place the bonded indebtedness of the defunct organization is mighty poorly protected.  

The bonds are guaranteed by the leasehold and improvements at Sportsman's Park.  They are not a lien on the franchise.  If Von der Ahe choses to repudiate them the subsequent foreclosure sale will affect only the home of the St. Louis Base Ball Club.  Chris can buy in the leasehold or he can rent them from the purchaser at public action.  Or if prevented from either course he can get a new base ball park.  Their are plenty of railroads ready to furnish him with grounds gratis.

As far as the trustee certificates are concerned they are not worth the paper they are written on, as the trustee is not under bond and there is nothing behind them but the stock of a defunct organization, the realty holdings being already subject to the defaulted first mortgage bonds.

-Sporting Life, July 30, 1898