The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-09-16
OF EVANS
SHOULD BE PUNISHED
TO THE FULL LIMIT
Umpire, If He Lives Owes Ito Himself and Base
ball to Prosecute Vigorously-Fault Largely
With Police Magistrates.
BY THOMAS S. RICE.

NJ A11A oil AAAi kAAN has DN~A- ~N4-1s
~ wounded. if not killed. by one OF
those fools who think It a smart and
praiseworthy thing to join with 800 or
800 other misht human beings as cow
ardly as themselves and assault the di-
recting official al a baseball game.
The victim Of this last and most das-
tardly assault Of the many that have
been committed in the current season Is
William G. Evans, OF the American
League. whose skull was fractured at
the base BY a pop bottle thrown by q
tan in ST. Louis yesterday. The reports
say that a discussion was in progress
about a foul ball when a man named
Hugo Dusenberg hurled a bottle which
struck Evans on the head. telling him
ike an OK in the SHAMELESS.
Such Assault Was Predicted.
When the other fans realized what had
happened there ensued one Of those
near-lynchings which are making the
country a joke. The spectators got after
DusenberG, but 1t is probable that every
body was dead anxious that the police
should have q chance TO gather around
him and beat the mob back and rescue
the thoroughly frightened prisoner" as
the accounts of these almost-hangings
almost invariably read. AS a matter of
fact. the kind of mob which makes
q speciality of jumping on unarmed and
practically friendIess baseball umpires
does not offer much terror to any good
two-hsted cop who is onto his job.
IN commenting in this column upon
the subject OF the mobbing of umpires
IN the Virginia League, some WeeIs
ago, II was predicted that some day an
umpire would be killed or nearly killed
b. a weapon hurled In such an out
break. but IL was not to be expected
that the american League would fulfill
the prophecy. This unexpected devel-
opment should. and VIII, have the ef-
feet OF giving the whole subject Of the
cOWaToice of asSaulting umpireS wider
publicity, AID bring II more forcibly to
the attention OF baseball officials and
police MAGISTRATES than has ever been
before, and &c that extent Evans IS
martyr to the national game.
Police Magistrates at Fault.
rs was pointed out IL. The Times. the
tendency TO mob baseball "arbitrators"
IS 10 be attributed almost entirely 10
the blind. childish Indifference Of police
magistrates In their handling Of offend
ers The role is TO dismiss the bottle
throweI. or let him or with a fine OF
a few dollars for ar offense, which. If
committed upon any other person than
an umpire. would get the criminal a
sentence Of several months In jail. II
--241- 4 term ID the QsnitentiaEX. In most
cities the police are loath to arrest the
would-be mobbers. and the magistrates
strengthen them liz that position by
subsequent mistaken leniency from the
lerch. with the consequence that there
IL little TO deter the crowd from repeat
ing its Outrages next day.
Fearless Bill Evans, as Charley
Dryden always calls him. is one OF the
best umpires the American League has
ever had and one Of the most likeable
men in his position in the country He
is twenty-four years old and was two
years at Cornell. which he left TO as
sumo the care and protection OF his
mother when his father died. He be-
came a sporting writer IN Youngstown,
Ohio, and drifted into umpiring baseball
games and officiating at big football
games.
Evans Duty to Prosecute.
He made such an excellent record for
fairness. intelligent appreciation Of the
rules and ability to control men that
he was tipped of 10 Ban Johnson, presi-
dent OF the American League, who gave
him a job as assistant umpire last sea
son. Since then he has been almost uni
formly good in his work. and is ranked
BY critics in every city where he has
appeared as one Of the most promising
AID capable men who ever called a
strike.
Evans Is & game fellow and thorough
sportsman from his soles up. The re-
ports may be exaggerated, and he may
recover from the attack made on him
- St Louis Yesterday IN which case
he NAV be strongly tempted to follow
the usual course OF other umpireS VINO
have been the victims of such attacks,
and show a disinelination TO prosecute
the man who hit him. From this as
lance IL would appear that II ne takes
that view he viii himself be doing a
rank injustice 10 every man who Iol-
lows his calling for a livelihood. he
owes Il to himself the hundreds OF
other umpires who bear the scars OF
dirty assaults. and to the great national
game which has done so much for him.
to prosecute the st. Louis rowdy to the
full limit Of the law.
Severe Example Needed.
II Evans is chary about appearing
against the man who struck him down
Ban johnson owes IL to the American
League and the game in general TO ap-
ply all possible means 10 compel the
umpire 70 see that his duty 10 the
league and the sport lies In having
DusennerS given the extreme penalty
for his act. The ST. Louis American
club should cooperate with Evans, Il
he lives, and President johnson in this
case. and allow no false or foolish senti-
rnent about Dusenberg being a homo
rocter interfere with a manly attempt
10 crush out forever the dirty and con-
teniptible practice Of hundreds OF men
attacking a single umpire.
The plea will probably be put forward
that the offender in this Instance was
rot inspired BIZ any real malice toward
the umpire that he really would not
have killed him for anything IN the
world, that he was carried away BY ex-
element. and that he was doing only
what he had seen thousands Of others