Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-01
WHEN NERVE WAS
NEEDED BY UMP|RES
Base Ball in the Days of Glass
cock, Tebeau, Crooks and
Other DiSputants.


ball have the umpires succeeded in gaining
such a firm control over the player and his
actions as they have at this particular Pc
Rod.
The major league Indicator handlers, IN
the days Of Tebeau. GIasscOck, O'connor,
Crooks PadJen. Clarke Welch and. scores
OF other weu-known "baiters,' certainly
had their work cut out for them every min
ute Of the game. and had TO be men of alb
normal nerve and handy with their fists to
hold down their jobs.
OF the umpres in harness today Tim
Hurst has had more thrilling experiences,
hairbreadth escapes and personal encoun-
tiers with both players and spectators than
all the other Indicator men put together
And throughout Tins turbulent career.
even though he has been at times up
against overwhelming odds. yet the Ash
land boy has never once logged.
To show just how game the man is
Will cite an instance that occurred at Pitts
burg in the late '90s, when Tim gave a
decision to the St. Louis club and asainst
the Pirates The people became enraged.
and grabbing up rocks and empty beer bot
ties they started with fendiSh yeils IN the
direction of Hurst
Players Of both teams. assisted by the
police. surrounded Tim but the crowd
would strike the neryy little Celt over his
Protectors shoulders, and he was getting
pretty badly battered But by herculean
effort his friends succeeded in getting him
W the club house steps, and just as he
was practically out of danger. big miner
armed with q base ball bat, reached up and
swatted Tim a CHANGING blow on the head
And wha; did the rrepressible Mr.. Hurst
do. but take a flying leap back into that
murderous crowd and punch the mucker
who had struck him. Connie Mack after
ward told me that 1t the gamest piece
OF work he had ever beheld, for it was at
the risk of Hursts life.
One day in Baltimore that terrible Cleve-
land club got after Tim. This team in
those days would barely stop at anything
short of murder. on this particular oc-
cas!on. Hurst put out of the grounds
Tebeau the captain, and OConnor, Burk-
cit. McAllister and Childs.
Tebeau and Hurst had a war of words
which ended in Pat challenging Tim to a
fight after the game. Now, Hurst measures
about five feet four inches, and in those
days weighed in the neighborhood OF 135
pounds. while Tebeau was a great big mus
cular fellow with a fighting reputation.
Anyway, al O'Clock that night, when the
Cleveland players were sitting out in front
of the CarrOllton Hotel, Hurst came I'D the
street and stopping in front of Tebeau he
said; Get the key to your room. Pat. and
follow me-
What's the natter" asked Pat, as he
sCowled at Tim
The matter is this. Tebeau." replied
Tim, as he put his face within half an inch
az the Cleveland captain.
We'll both go into that room. lock the
coor and see which is the better man"
Iebeau, who was certainly no coward.
refused Hurst's proposition. claiming that
n" might snd1uger Cleveland's peunant
prospects by indulging in a scrap at that
period OF the season lie agreed to fight
Tim after the championship games had
beeh decided. but the fight never came off.
Another fighting umpire in the game at
this time was Honest John Kelly" a
brawny athlete over six feet IN height and
with The courage of d lion. but as he ruled
over the diamond In a czar-Iike manner he
was unpopular with a great many PLAYERS
Kelly was also prize-fght referee. and
acted IN THIS capacity when Corbett and
Charley Mitchell fought and also in the
Coroett-S harkey mill. He would stand for
no. arguing and the players knew # and
would rarely nag him.
Ddue Esterorook, a great player In
those days. was the exception in this ra
spect, but he never came at Kelly in a
direct manner Consequently Honest,
John was powerless TO eject this man from
me game. although no player before or
s.nce ever worried umpire as Esterbrook
worried Kelly. When Dude would he
awaiting his turn at the bat. with Kelly
umpiring back Of the catcher he'd get off
something like the following and as If he
were communing 10 himself: Dear me
Isn't Il remarkable how Nick can and So
many gentlemen of poor eyesight and weak
lnteIect 70 act as umpres He must
search all the blind asylums for the re-
markable talent he employs. l don't sup
pose we'll ever see an efficient umpire or
an honest one again. They are as scarce as
honest prize fight referees I wonder n II
is true about the referees selling all the
Nights nowadays I rather believe It is
from the ones I've met It's pity that the
James boys OF Missouri never entered the
umpiTing business. But I suppose that
they had a little bit Of self-respect still
-, Nov W. wha! could an umpire do against
THIS line OF talk except gnash his teeth and
foam at the mouth? But one day Kelly
could stand Esterbrook no longer and after
tie game Invited him into the club house
to fight. Es:erbrook who was a regular
fashion plate. with the manners of a Ches-
terrified and with no reputation at all as a
fighter accepted kelly's invitation. and to
the surprise-aye, to the engagement ~ all
he cleaned up Honest John in a thor
oughly workmanlike manner
Gaffney was the star umpire Of his day
and was held in awe by the players, as he
was a masterful man and ruled with a rod
az iron until his health got bad. and one dav
he was so grossly lnsulted on the New
York grounds by Pat Tebeau that he left
the ball park a completely humbled man
I'D surrounded by police.
Jack Sheridan has always appealed TO
me as being one OF the best men ever In
the business. His work is above criticism
and he plays no favortes and IL you have
run-iH with him today he will not call
everything that comes over the plate
strikes on you for the balance OF the week.
He never bears malice and IS absolutely
1air and fearless.
Lynch, nicknamed The Postman" on ac-
count Of The peculiar clothes he used to
work in. was a king-pin umpire. and left
the game because he fined Doyle and Davis
Sio0 each at New York in 1898 and was man
enough 10 stick 10 IT, although persons
high in authority tried to intinlidate him,
so lie asserted, into re'oking the fine
Emsl.e and Hank o'Day. both at one time
crack pitchers, are reckoned by experts to
be good as they come. and as they have
been n business long time the experts
have no doubt hit the nail on the head