Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1906-01-24
FORMER SMYRN|AN GIVES
Renaissance OF BASEBALL
JOHN W. OLIVER THE VETERAN EDITOR OF
THE YONKERS STATESMAN TELLS STORY.
How the Game Was Played Over so Years ago.
his Renaissance Recalls the Exciting
Games Played In Smyrna.

In those days Smyrna had two base
ball teams. The Smyrna Base Ball
Club" aud the Smyrna Juniors"
Several members of the Juniors"
were connected with the Harmony
Band There lived at that time near
Smyrna a man who has national rep
tation as author, editor, orator and
reformer. This gentleman was Mr..
John W. Oliver, founder Of the ''Yonk-
ers Statesman. Mr.. Oliver now lives
at Yonkers, and is ninety one years of |
age. His son, Edward Oliver, now |
known over this great country as the
editor of the Statesman" was a mem
Der of the Smyrna team at that time.
MIR. Oliver, Mr.. Voshell, and Mr..
Speakman never missed In those days
a game. They were the most enthusi-
astic ''rooters" that ever rooted. Dick
Cunning and Nat Pratt studied under
them. Mr.. Oliver is the oldest base
ball player living, and is known over
the land as the ''Father of Baseball"
Liz NOW IOTk pun
lished the following interesting arti-
Gle, which Is worth keeping as it will
go down the ages as history of the
great national game. Mr.. John W.
Oliver, of Yonkers, in his ninety-6rst
year has achieved the browning tri-
umph of his long and eventful life as
printer, publisher, orator, editor and
reformer. Though an Englishman by
birth, he has saved American baseball.
Experts have long declared the game
identical with the old English game of
''Rounders. An old time baseball
love feast held in Mr.. divers home,
"Rose Cottage" in the Fifth Avenue
of Yonkers. Mr.. Oliver gave reminis-
cences of baseball as it was played
eighty years ago in Baltimore between
the years 1922 and 1884.
Mr.. Oliver on Baseball as Played 80 Years ago.
Twas two years old when my parents
brought me to this country from Corn
wall, where L was born, but / was so
young that have always considered
myself full fedged American. Base
ball was the game the boys played
when was eight years old, in Balti-
more. Although that was more than
three quarters of century ago l re-
member it we'll and can say that the
name Founders was never applied to
the gamer 1t was baseball, pure and
ss7mple. And very innocent game il
was then-a boys game. For example
"a dozen or more of us would get to-
gether in an old field for game. A
couple of the leaders we're selected to
handle the bat. 1t was thrown from
one boy to the other. Hand over hand
they went up the handle of the bat and
the man whose hand reached the tor
of the bat first got first choice to bat
Then the leaders selected their favor
lite players out of the crowd and tn,
game began. There were four bases
the same as in the game of thu
present day, but there was no pitcher
The man at the bat tossed the ball il
the air and hit it, and the man running
from base to base was put out of tn
: game if hit with the ball between
bases. In those days the boys Away
used paddle instead of the round
heavy modern bats The ball was tn
old fashioned ball of our fathers,
light yarn ball made by winding var
raveled from old stockings and covere
with buckskin. 1t was very ligh
affair and it was impossible for
player to be hurt by it. 81 was first
newsboy, and when not more tina
seven years old, my father havin
died, leaving mother with four Chi
dren, all of us in great poverty, l b,
gan life selling newspapers. Whe
scarcely seven years old was avail
ened early in the morning, and Otter
when scarcely awake was led by m
mother to the Office of the Baltimoi
Chronicle, where l served the papel
before daybreak to earn dollar
week. When 1 was about 10 years o.
/ was bound as an apprentice to Bel
jamin Edes, a printer, and that was n
first start in the world. ] natural
became acquainted with many boy
and among my playmates were Edw
Booth and his brother, J. Wiki
Booth, sons Of Junius Brutus Boot
whom / always considered the create
actor the world ever saw on the stag
So, you see, had distinguished col
pany when we played our games
baseball in the old fields around Bal
more.
Played Ball With Distinguished Company
Mr.. Oliver tells an interesting sto
of Junius Brutus Booth, tho father
his playmates in the ball games:
was walking along Gay Street in