Feelings ran tense in these games, a lot of money was bet and there would be fist fights.

Norfolk, for a season or two, had Johnny Gonding, ex-catcher of the Omaha Western League team, earlier known higher up in Major League play. Gonding would enjoy starting a brawl and then back away to enjoy the fight. He was accused of doing this a few times when Norfolk was losing, in order to throw the game into a "no contest" game; so that Chas. Smith of Tilden and Howard Miller planned a trap. Miller hired a prize fighter from O'Neill by the name of "Montana Jack" Sullivan to umpire a game between Battle Creek and Norfolk. He also engaged Bill Coyne, a Ewing photographer to be in the background and ready for any eventuality. With only one umpire his umps would take his position behind the pitcher. when the game got tight, Gonding bounded from behind the plate to run out to the mound to protest the call of a "ball" and Bill Coyne, being a pretty good sprinter himself, got into position behind Sullivan and just as Gonding was getting warmed up good and with the first baseman just behind him for support, Sullivan wound up his right arm for a swing, (but didn't), Coyne snapped the picture as Gonding was backing away. His mouth was open but he wasn't talking anymore. End Raspberry. Reproductions of that picture were on sale for years. We wish we had one for this story.

The war came in 1917 and that ended the little baseball league. After the war Norfolk business men begged Norfolk sports not to again engage in the sport with teams from neighboring towns as it did not help their business, instead they contributed to the support of a team in the Nebraska State League.

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