The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-07-06
Played His First Professional Engage
nn-nt With the Western Club
Of keokuk In Year
1875
BIG BENEFIT PLANNED
Leading Men OF Country are Pushing
Big BENEFIT for this Great
Exponent Of National
Game.

Tne Gate City Is In receipt OF let |
ter from .Inhn ]. O'Conneli, secretary |
Of the Charles w. Jones Committee. |
New York City, which outlines big /
benefit tn he given at South Beach. |
Staten Island, N. r, on Tuesday af |
ternoon, August 3, which will be in
the nature Of a baseball game and pic
mic, for Charles W. Jones, the former
Keokuk baseball player who was en-
gagged in his first professional engage
ment in Keokuk- He is probably re-
membered by some of the old time
| baseball men of this city for he was
one OF the greatest ball players that
ever lived. He has been incapacitated
by age and infirmity and is now In
Eanitarium.
| On page 236 Of the Spaulding Record
book the name OF Jones is contained
among the batsmen who have made a
I record Of 800 or better for four years
from 1876 to 1908 inclusive, in all ma
| jor leagues In 1879 Jones bstted .s1s;
4 In 1884. 1872; In 1885, -337; In 1887,
4 1875.
/ Jones. after his first professional en-
II gagement with the Western Club OF
| Keokuk In 1875. went with the Cincin.
natl Reds and later to Boston He
| gained the name of being one of the
| greatest smuggling batsmen the game
ever knew.
Life and Record.
|. Chas w. Jones was born Apr. 3, 1856
in Alamance Co. North Carolina. He
pears here was born April 3, 1856, in
!, Alamance county, North Carolina. He
: commenced playing ball at a very
: early age. His first professional en-
!. gagement was with the Western Clut
!, of Keokuk, Iowa. Jones next joined
= the Cincinnati. Reds, with which hi
remained throughout the season o
: 1876 and part Of 1877, leading tina
= team then In batting. During 1877
:, Jones played left field while In 1877
: he guarded first base for the Cincin
: MATHS. In the latter part of 1877 h
played few games with the Chico
- goans. In 1878 he again played wit
- the Cincinnati'e, and ranked secon
y, of the outfielders Of the Nations
!. League. In 1879 and 1880 Jones playe
]. left field for the Boston Club. In 18S
~ and 1882 he did not play ball. H
joined the Cincinnati Club In 1883 an
- remained with them until July, 1873
~ when his release was purchased b
the Metropolitan club. He played du
ing the remainder OF the season {
1887. and was with the latter organic
ton when 1t was purchased by tn
OF Brooklyn Club. Jones with other Me
nj ropolitan and Brooklyn Club player
las were sold to Kansas City when thi
lid club came into the American Associ
'ey ton. He remained with the Kanss
OF City tean part of the season of 1SS
psf when he was obliged to retire on a
All count of an injury he sustained to b
ed leg while chasing after high fly ba
nd While palying with the Cincinnati's
las 1878. Jones was credited with putin
let out eleven men and assisting once
yer left field in orc game. This Is pc
haHs. his greatest fielding feat. F
ies has always ranked as very hard b
TO ter. and while with the Boston Gil
.er- he made no fewer than nine hon
lue runs in championship games In 1S1
70 including one over the centre file
en- fence on the Boston grounds, fe
to that has been equalled only once.
the game between the Boston and B,
falo Clubs June 10, 1880. In Bosto
Jones made two home runs in one
ming. He first hit the bali over I
left field fence, and On his second Z
pearance at the bat in that inning p
1t down to the centre field fence.
With this big benefit for Charl
! Jones many Of the big men in basebi
are associated and. are making gre
effort 10 give the old time bail play
benefit that win be a memorable OF
The committees are as follows:
Promotion Committee.
Chairman: William Muldoon. 4
mer champion Graeco-R Roman wresti