Letter to Bessie Anderson regarding the December 1892 Big Game

"Hah, hah, hah -- hoo, hoo, hoo --- U. C. Berkeley in the soup." When we got the grounds there were about ten thousand people seated in the grandstand. One side was reserved for Stanford retainers, the other for Berkeley. Consequently one side was one mass of Cardinal and the other of blue and gold. Young ladies wore dresses of those respective colors. Indeed, the fair sex, was just as enthusiastic and even more so. More gaily decked coaches, tallyhos, wagonettes, etc. came in and lined up where the occupants could see. When time for the game was called, there must have been about 15,000 spectators. Well, I will not dwell on the game, but merely say that Stanford had the advantage from the first, and kept it until the end of the 1st half when the score was 6 to 0 in our favor. Well, we were simply frantic, we jumped up and down in frenzied joy. Some would be standing on the seat of a carriage and get so excited that he would fall out. I fell down myself in the bottom of our equipage and got up again only to have the same thing happen. I did not know

what I was doing half the time. Well, at the end of the 1st half, both teams rested and refreshed themselves for 15 minutes. At the end of that time the referee blew his whistle and these modern gladiators lined up again in the field. Berkeley had the ball and followed up her advantage to good account scoring a touch down in a few minutes. That made it 6 - 4 still in our favor. Then we made a touch down making it 10 - 4. This was the most exciting part of the game. The U.C. men were greatly discouraged and had well nigh given up all hopes of their team winning. They refused to put up any more bets. Before the game they bet $10 to $6 on their team. But now the superior weight of Berkeley commenced to tell and our side was gradually forced back with the ball and after a violent struggle lost another touch down making it 10 - 10.

They had hardly commenced play again when the referee blue his whistle. Time was up. Berkeleyites went wild with joy. They were glad they had not lost. They could put their money back again in their pockets for another time. On the other hand our side was

[left page] not to have lost and that it still held the championship, to be contested for again next year. We drove back yelling just as loudly as we came, and when we put up at the Palace again we had no voices left. In the evening everybody went to the theatre. It was not a lively theater party though. The play was poor and the boys could not holler any more. We all returned to Palo Alto next day feeling that we had had as big a time as we could possibly have and longing for next year to come so that we could have the same thing over again.

Well, this is about all I have to tell you. I will probably have some more when I go up to the the City at the end of the week. On Thursday I am going to play accompaniment for a young man to sing a musical in Oakland. I expect to have a nice time. There will be dancing after the musical. I am going to another party the night following providing only if that check would only come. It is just now a case of "waiting for the check that never came." I have been down here since last Thursday all alone, and amusing myself

[right page] as best I know how. I have alternately studied, read novels, and played the piano until I am tired, and now I am at [??] for something to do. I really don't know what to do when I finish this letter. I suppose you are having a merry time of it up there at Vancouver where the dew drops fall. I am not speaking detrimentally of the country up there, for we have had more rain here in the last four days than you have up there all winter long. The country is simply flooded. The railroads are washed out and are forced to stop running. I can't get away from here just now if I could, even if that much wished for check came. Well, I can't think of anything more to write. Remember me to the bachelors and tell them I am living still. Also give my kindest regards to your mother.

Believe me ever yours Austin Kautz

[different hand: addressed to Bessie Anderson (1871-1944), who studied 6 months at Stanford in 1894; daughter of Maj. Gen. T. M. Anderson of Vancouver Barracks (1886-98); married Charles Gauld of Portland Oregon; their son Charles graduated from Stanford in 1932.

KAUTZ son of General Kautz, U. S. Army]