With a man on third and a man on first, it was the custom to start a double lead off the bases. The pitcher, as a rule, would peg to Jake [Beckley] and the runner on third would instantly break for home.
...
This was [Beckley’s] idea: The first time the enemy tried that double steal, he, Jake, instead of lingering round first, would be far up towards second; he would take the ball, let the runner on third do as he liked, send the ball to [Roy] Brashear, who was playing second, and get the victim before the one coming home could score.
...
Like a flash the pitcher threw, the man on third broke for home, and the man on first, supposing that Jake would peg at the plate, scampered for second. Beckley hooted hoarsely, wheeled, and drove the ball redhot to second base, hitting Brashear full upon the jaw and knocking him insensible!

When Jake planned out the glorious scheme, he had overlooked the formality of telling Brashear anything about it.

[Tommy Leach] drew a pass and walked down to first base, where [Jake Beckley] was playing. It was noticed that Jake played quite a ways from the bag, but no one knew the reason until Tommy started to steal.

Then all the players of both teams were amazed to see Beckley rushing for second, a step or two in advance of Leach.

Jake arrived ahead, slid into the bag, got up, dusted his trousers, and proudly ejaculated: “O, I don’t know. These bushers may be fast, but they haven’t got all the speed on earth.”

“Jake Beckley...tried to work the old hidden ball trick on me a half dozen times, or that’s what I thought he was trying to do. He would stick the ball under his arm right before my eyes.

“‘Jake,’ I said to him one day, ‘there’s no use trying that old one on me.’ He didn’t pay any attention to what I said, and I grabbed the ball from under his arm and threw it into right field, and then cut loose for second base.

“The second baseman had the ball waiting for me. Jake had used a phoney ball to deceive me.”