The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-02
FIT GR|EF FOR CASEY
SCALPING OF THE EX-BAsEBALL
PLAYER DEPLORED BY
CHICAGO FANS
HERO OF A CELEBRATED POEM
De Wolf Hopper Made Money by 1t,
While Mike Kelly Only Drew
a FrOst-What An
son Says.

A rude shock was given the Thanks-
giving cheer which always comes to the
baseball, theatrical and sporting worlds
in common with the rest of humanity,
says the Times-Herald. Joy was turned
to sorrow by the news from Bingham
ton, N Y, to the effect that something
dreadful had happened to Casey" Now,
although there are many Caseys, not all
of them real IriShmen, who have gained
more or less fame, to the three words
above mentioned there is but one Casey
the Hon. Daniel Casey, inimortalized
by the poetical gem, Casey at the Bat"
This Casey has habit of having things
happen to him, although he is but plain
trolley car conductor. Casey, SO the sad
news runs, was on the top of the car,
arguing with broken spring, when the
car started down hill. A cross wire
caught Casey, there went up a muffied
roar and Casey lay upon the ground
with his scalp torn from his head.
DEPLORE HIS LOST HAIR.
When the news spread, many pledg-
ing glass throughout the broad land was
poised in midair, while the name of Ca
sey was feverently spoken. De Wolf
Hopper did not delay in sending a mes
sage of coincidence. Dan O'Leary per-
mitted scalding tear to spoil the fresh
ness of the carnation in his buttOnhole.
Tom Foley murmured, "And now the air
is shattered by the force of Casey's
blow, While Capt. Arson was so affect
ed that he threw a ball down the gutter.
| No one knows why the famous poem
| with which Potter made such a hit was
written about Casey, and the authorship
| is apparently buried in obscuFity. Sew
eral have claimed the honor, and 1t is
hoped that Casey, when he grows a new
| scalp, will tell who 1t, was that tried
| to make the world believe that he was
| a great ball player.
As matter of fact, Casey was left
handed pitcher, who was the forward
end Of the Casey-McGuire battery, which
| delivered and received shoots and curves
| for the Washington baseball club along
| In the early COS. For time Casey and
| his "larboard wing were quite in EVIL
dence in the National league.
VICTIM OF CHARLEY HORSE.
Suddenly he was seized with the Char
| ley-horSe" and was compelled to seek
other avenues of employment. 1t is pre-
! sumed that an admirer Of Casey's wrote
| the poem about him, probably being filed
| with sense Of disgust upon the occasion
| of Casey's tanning" the air when a good
| hit would have saved the game. However
this may be, the effort lay in obscurity
| until De Wolf Hopper's eagle eye fell
| upon it. Hopper is what is known as a
baseball crank, a man "nutty'' on the
| game. Approaching the possibilities of
| Casey at the Bat" Hopper decided to
| try 1t out. Accordingly he gave it in re-
| Spouse to an encore, and 1t sprang into
instant popularity. Immediately every
one was asking, who is Casey?" Who
wrote it?'' In response to the inquiry
there was a plentiful crop Of authors and
no end of Caseys. The late king Kelly
claimed that he was the Casey of the
! poem, and he insisted that Hopper should
substitute the name of Kelly for Casey
| By means, so it Is said, of the Baconian
| cipher Hopper discovered the true Casey
| in Daniel of the street car and spurned
the frantic pleadings of King" Kelly.
But Kelly would not down. He i'm
| pressed some vaudeville manager with
| the righteousness of his claims and with
| the idea that he could give several points
| to Hopper when it came to a matter of
| recitation. Four weeks of "spouttng'
| Casey at the Bat" to empty houses con-
| WINGED Kelly that he was not even job
| lot Casey nor an abbreviated edition of
| Hopper Since then Daniel has held his
throne almost undisputed.
ANSON IS REMINISCENT.
did 1 know Casey?" repeated Capt.
Arson yesterday sAI he spat upon his
| right init to insure a strike" do
|
| down
"Only eight pins that time. think that
| 81 is as good as mine,'' interrupted An
| sons opponent.
mot that Casey?" continued Arson.
| "Oh, Casey, the former bali players? I
have known many Caseys in my. time
| that have played ball. There was one
| Casey who was g. friend of Jim Hart,
| and had no use for him. That queered
| him with me. Then there was Casey
who owned a goat. Not that Casey?
| You mean Dan Casey, who used to pitch
| for Washington? Why didn't you say so
| before? Yes, 1 knew Dan. Nice, quiet,
| gentlemanly sort of chap Did not last
long. Got glass arm or something of
that sort and took to driving q street
car.
RAILS AT THE POETRY.
Got his his scalp taken off? You don't
tell me- Sad amt it? If he is the Casey
that poem was written about, serves
him right. He never will come to a
good end I am lover of fine poetry,
but that thing that Hopper used to get
off, WELL you take my tip, it amt
poetry at all. Beats all how these fell
lows get an idea they can beat me at
bowling. I've cleaned up Sc today,
which isn't so bad for an old fellow do
ing nothing"
Fred Pfeffer, the FORMER great second
baseman, was sorry to hear of Casey's
mishap. He said; "Of course am sor-
ry to hear that Casey has lost his scalp,
but there are plenty of Caseys left.
Now. you listen to me! That poem was
never written about that Casey. Some
guy on the coast wrote that after see
ing baseball game in Mudville. I do
not like to destroy any Illusions. but do
not like to see the Irish get the best of 1t
all the time. 1t beats the band how
they claim everything in sight That's