▁in ▁the ▁story ▁is ▁fict ional , ▁but ▁later ▁in ▁life ▁West ▁would ▁frequently ▁recall ▁a ▁similar ▁incident ▁from ▁his ▁time ▁at ▁Brown ▁University , ▁where ▁the ▁bat - y ield ing ▁relative ▁is ▁replaced ▁by ▁a ▁thr ong ▁of ▁angry ▁spect ators . ▁Well s ▁Root , ▁a ▁close ▁friend ▁of ▁West , ▁rem embers ▁hearing ▁this ▁tale ▁half ▁a ▁dozen ▁times , ▁recall ing ▁that ▁everyone ▁had ▁placed ▁bet s ▁on ▁the ▁game , ▁which ▁had ▁come ▁down ▁to ▁the ▁final ▁in ning ▁with ▁the ▁score ▁tied ▁and ▁the ▁enemy ▁at ▁bat ▁with ▁two ▁out s . ▁At ▁that ▁point ▁the ▁batter ▁hit ▁a ▁long ▁fly ▁towards ▁West : ▁He ▁put ▁his ▁hands ▁up ▁to ▁catch ▁it ▁and ▁for ▁some ▁in exp lic able ▁reason ▁didn ' t ▁hold ▁them ▁close ▁together . ▁The ▁ball ▁t ore ▁through , ▁hit ▁him ▁in ▁the ▁fore head , ▁and ▁b ounced ▁into ▁some ▁br ush . ▁There ▁was ▁a ▁ro ar ▁from ▁the ▁crowd ▁and ▁[ West ] ▁took ▁one ▁look ▁and ▁turned ▁tail . ▁To ▁a ▁man , ▁the ▁crowd ▁had ▁ris en , ▁gathered ▁b ats , ▁st icks , ▁stones , ▁and ▁anything ▁they ▁could ▁lay ▁hands ▁on ▁and ▁were ▁in ▁hot ▁purs uit . ▁He ▁van ished ▁into ▁some ▁woods ▁and ▁didn ' t ▁emer ge ▁until ▁night fall . ▁In ▁telling ▁the ▁story ▁he ▁was ▁convinced ▁that ▁if ▁they ▁had ▁caught ▁him ▁they ▁would ▁have ▁killed ▁him . ▁ ▁There ▁is ▁no ▁proof ▁that ▁this ▁event ▁actually ▁trans