Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-23
DOWNFALL OF A
ONCE GREAT PLAYER
Meteoric Career of SoCkaIexis,
the Fleet Penobscot. Who
Caused a Sensation
in Base Ball.
Special Correspondence OF The s:ar.

lips of every fan ii the country. Louis
2. SockaleXis the chief of all indian oa,.
payers. the quondam idol OF the boys ~
Holy Cross ana Notre Dame Co. .eges
and later of tine enthusiasts who attenoel
the games of the Clev land team. lies
helpless victim Of dissipation at his
fathers home here. Where the elder
SockaleXis is chief OF the few remaining
PenobScotS.
ScckaleNis downfall is a warning 20
every aspiring athlete in the country. |;
shows only too well that diss pa ton VIII
rob the strongest % those powers thar
win money and laure,s for the possessor.
Had he not fallen d victim To the red
mans burden there is no question tina;
SockafeXis would skill be among tae stars
of the big leagues.
1t was in the early o0s that Sock"
as he was known. first attracted at
tenticn. He had been playing OH the
oldtown, Me. summer nine. graduate
of Holy Cross Coi!sg. al Worcester.
Mass. seeing the Indian play induced
him 10 enter that institution
A collegiate career appealed TO the
red man, and. obtaining his fathers con-
he was a success in athletics. He made
the Holy Cross niue. which in 1875 was
the best aggregation of college bali toss
ers ever gathered in that section of the
country.
Jack Pappalau. now with Rochester in
the Eastern League, was pitcher: Mike
Powers of the Athletics was receiver,
ard even in those days he showed the
Skill that has made him one of the best
backstops in the game. John McTfeue.
initial corner, and Walter Curiey. later
with the White SoX. covered second base.
Bill Fox. for years with Minneapolis in
the American Association. was snortstop.
and his namesake, known as Big Bill"
was at third base. Big BIZ was con-
sidered by Frank Selee. then with the
Bostons, as one of the finest third base
men he ever saw. He refused 10 become
professional and later entered the
priesthood.
1nrthe outfield was Gaffney McAllister.
at the present time in the New York
State League. Last but not least was
Sock. who covered center and left
field at different times.
Great Throw Saves Game.
Sock" was the star of the team. At
the bat. on the bases and in the field
he pulled off stunts that bordered on the
marvellous. One Of his greatest feats
was performed against Georgetown.
when from center tieiu he threw out
Billy Maloney at the plate and saved the
day for his team.
The game was one of the prettiest
ever played liz Worcester between the
Purple representatives and the nine de-
Tending the Blue and the Gray. In the
favor Of Holy Cross. When their last
turn at the bat came the Georgetown
boys resolved to tie the score. The first
man up fled to Curley at second. Then
ter fielder of the Brooklyn National
League team, sauntered to the plate.
Billy waited until four wide ones passed
and walked to first.
Even in those days Maloney was feet
footed and he stole second on Mike
Powers. a short passed ball placed him
on third and Big George Mahoney, the
twirler for the Blue and the Gray. now
a policeman in Boston, was at the bat.
Mahoney, when he hit them on the
nose. generally sent them a mile. and the
Holy Cross fielders were playing deep for
him. Papalau fooled the slugger on two
straight balls and it looked bad for
Georgetown. But Mahoney had his nerve
with him and refused to bite at the next
three balls. all being wide. II was three
and two and Papalau had to put one
over.
He did so. but it never passed the
plate. Mahoney met it waist high and
put all his strength against the horse
hide. He met it on the seam and away it
went on line for the flag pole in deep
center.
1t looked like Eome run to the George
town player. but he forgot that Sock"
was racing with the ball. Yard after
yard was covered by the speedy Indian.
and. as the ball started to descend, lie
was waiting Tor II IN position Tor per-
feet throw 20 the plate.
Thud went the ball into Socks glove
and toward the plate legged Maloney.
who had been hugging third waiting for
the ball to be caught or muffed. Socks
throw was a beauty. He threw the ball
on a dead line-at no time more than ten
feet in the air-intO the waiting hands of
Mike Powers and Billy Maloney, one
of the fastest men playing the game, was
nailed two feet from the plate. The side
%l,4 l,,- l,ol
Holy Cross. Sock was carried from the
field to the gymnasium on the shoulders
of the students. and all night long the
corridors of the college on the Blackstone
rang with the praises of the Indian.
For three years Socks stayed at Holy
Cross and in that time he was the hero OF
the ball field. the gridiron and the track.
Later he went to Notre Dame. but his
stay there was short, and. leaving Mike
Powers at that institution he joined the
Cleveland team. managed by Patsy
Tebeau. Other players on the team were
Mig Cuppy. Cupid Childs, Jimmy McAleer,
Ed. Mexican. Cy Young. thinner. ChIppy
McGarr and Jesse Burkett Socks made
good from the start. and more than once
during his first season chopped out five
hits in one game. feat rarely per-
formed by the stars Of the game. But
the Cleveland bunch was conviv:al and
work to deter:orate. One day he was
missing when the team started for the
grounds. On the way to the fled Socks
was found lying in a bulkhead at the
side Of a saloon. His condition was such
that he was unable to play the game for
several days. Tebeau. Disguised with
the Indian. released Socks to the Hart.
ford Eastern League team.
1t was q ptiable sight that the Worces-
ter fans saw when Sock played with the
Hartford team for the first time in
Worcester. The finely built fielder was
no more. In his place they saw a dark
skinned man. fat and lame. hobbie TO
eft field. Flies that few years previous
ly would have been easily gathered In by
Sock fell untouched at his feet. No less
than five hits were made in left field that
afternoon. AT the bat he could not hit
them out as Of yore. II was evident that
Sock had lost his powers as a bail player
Before the Hartford team had finished
its series in Worcester Sock was released
to the Bristol team of the Connecticut
State League. In these days the league
was the haven, of rest for the decrepit
and has-been ball players. BHt even IL
was too fast for poor old Sock, and he
was soon released. Cast off by his wealthy
father, unable to earn money at the only
profession he had ever followed-base
ball: incapable OF restraining his desire
for drink Sock joined a crowd Of loafers
around the Bristol saloons.
II was not long before it became known
that he was destitute shoeless and with
out a place to sleep. Too proud TO visit
any OF his former college mates. Sock
chummed with the Bristol loafers. Final
ly the crowd he loafed with was arrested
for vagrapcy and Sock was one Of the
gang sent to the Workhouss Tor snort
period.
1,hen it was that the one-tin1e perfect |