The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-02
SILK 'LOUGHL|N
IS GREAT UMPIRE
Famous WieIder of Indicator
Still q Young Man, but
Veteran in Game.
BY w. J.M,BETH.

FRANK y LCushlln is one OF the most
interesting characters before the base
ball public today. All, you smile. Per-
haps you cannot recall of whom 1 am
speaking. Had / said silk" OLough-
lin you would no doubt have agreed.
Yet Frank and silk are one and the
same. Silk" is the appeliation attrib-
uted by some eastern league was in
the remote past as an dispersion to the
quality, texture and gloss OF the mans
cranial covering as well as his excep-
tional taste for fine clothes. Frank is
the name by which he was known to
parents, relatives and friends before he
did his little part toward the making
of baseball history.
''St-r-r-i-i-k-k-k-e tu" How many
hundreds of thousands of fans yearly
listen with delight to that tragic de-
cision. Batter up: come on, boys,
who's the hitter The first called forth
loud and sharp. ending abruptly like
the exhaust of a motor muffler; the sec
ond ratified off just as clearly. but twice
as rapidly Hear either of these express
sions at ball game and you need not
inquire the name of the umpire. Bet
your last dollar that it's Silk"
O'Loughlin of Rochester, one of the
most famous wielders of the indicator
the country has ever produced.
Old Umpire Young Man.
"Old Silk O'Loughlin.' You've heard
the expression many a time no doubt
That intimation of veneration coupled
with the name of the liveliest umpire
of them all has mised many trusting
fan. And it may mislead you unless
sometime you are fortunate enough to
be thrown into the company of this in
teresting little man. old gives the
lie as do the regulation uniform of blue,
mask and chest protector. True, on the
field from the stands silk O'Loughlin
looks the part of age in every respect,
but that of agility. But how different
on the street. or in the parlor car or
drawing-room.
AS a matter of fact O'Loughlin is a
youngster. Though this is the thirteenth
season he has acted as umpire in pro-
fessional ranks, he is we'll under the
thirty-year mark. He looks even much
younger than this in street clothes. But
his long experience on the diamond has
earned for him that title to recognition
which wisdom usually associates with
age.
Were O'Loughlin not so upquestion-
ably honest and just there is little like
lihood that his stony path in the big
leagues would be even as sparsely rose
strewn as it is. There is no such thing
as rule by fear in baseball. None but
silk" however, can emulate autocracy
on the diamond and get away with it.
Jack Sheridan and Tom Connolly are
just as unswervable in purpose, but
both are open to argument. There Is
no arbitration with O'Loughlin.
Cannot Arbitrate.
The player who tries to arbitrate in
variably finds himself warming the
bench in short order. Why, then, is
silk" OLoughlp so popular with both
fans and players? Simply because he
is known as one on the square in every
respect If a worlds championship was
at stake and 1t would help his best
friend he wouldn't so much as split a
hairline decision if he thought differ
emily.
No umpire Is more execrated at times
by players than is silk" yet none so
universally admired. But the baseball
public is with him. 1t knows he is on
the level. He has nerve to back his
honesty and this is one of the most adj
mirable traits to baseball patrons. Last
wear in the face of $4,000 raving fans in
Philadelphia he gave a decision adverse
to the Athletics that made it possible
for Detroit to tie in that famous seven
teen-inning game. He saw what only
those in the right field could see-the
interference on the part of a policeman
which prevented Sam Crawford of De-
troit making an easy catch. Those in
the grand stand threatened lynching.
The people in the right field who saw
ii all escorted silk" off the field at the
conclusion of the game. ready TO fight
for him at the drop of the hat if trou-
BILE arose.
Has Never Been Mobbed.
silk" is one of the few umpires who
has never at some time or another suf-
fered violence at the hands of the mob
element that patronizes the game. Hun
dreds of times has he been threatened.
Yet he always faced the crowd boldly,
and nerve tells. Once in Toronto he
was struck on an occasion of this kind
But the aSsaulter was Immediately
pummeled by the would-be rowdies who
had threatened the umpire.
Silk O'Loughlin is one of the most
entertaining baseball fans in the coun-