The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-23
00LD-TIMB PLAYER
dies FORGOTTEN
Baseball Men of the Eighties
Are All but Gone.
O'BRIENS CASE THE SADDEST
EIks Care for the Famous Catcher,
Who Passes Away Prnising the
National Gnme-Crnck Battery of
the Athletics in 1855 Taken in by
Charitable Institutions.
From lAe pALIaaeIpala reIsg.pA.

From the Philadelphia Telegraph
That the oll-time baseball players life
was merry one is generally believed,
bat 1t was not short one. as Is proven
| By the history Of the men who helped
the Athletics 20 win the American Asso-
citation championship in 1888. Death has
cut into the ranks Of these veterans only
six times during the twenty-seven years
that have passed since Billy" Sharsig
and his pennant winners returned from
the West after one of the most sensa-
tiond races in the history of the ma
tOnal game
Those who have passed away are
O'Brien, Rowan. Matthews. Moynahan.
Birchan. and Crowley
Strangely enough. both Bobby Mat
thews and Byrne, who formed the famous
battery in 1853 until Jumping Jack
Jones came along and took some of the
laureis from Bobby" died In a hospital
after having been given assistance by
charitable friends
O'Brien's case was by far the sadder of
the TWO. His right name was Byrne. and
almost through an accident his plight
became known in time to prolong his life
and 10 give him much Needed medical
attention. To the present day generation
Of fans. O'Brlen was but a fleeing mem
DRY, but 10 the old-timer he was as IA
nous as Thomas, a Doom, or a King.
and his great work behind the bat is stiGl
recalled with pleasure.
After leaving the diamond o'Brien drop
ped out OF the public eye and ne engaged
in the business Of a teamster for the DIR.
Jayne estate.
CaIed for by EIks.
Later he became the steward for the
Amity Gun Club, which has a clubhouse
OK - old Deering farm in the Neck,
where the famous murders occurred many
years ago. O'Brien was i'll and In dis
tress, and his condition became known TO
James McNaIy. prominent member of
the EIks. of which organization the IA
nous old player also belonged Mr. Nc
Naliy mad O'Bren taken TO the Mount
Sinai Hospital on April Q last He was
suffering from complication of diseases,
including dropsy. Bright's disease. and
cirrhOsis Of the liver. The physicians soon
saw that the old player did not have even
a lighting chance for life. but the final
months of his life were made as COM
Portable as possible through the kindness
of the Elks. At times. though, OBrien
suffered terrible agony.
O'Brien never lost his love for the ma
tional game. During the past summer and
early fall no fan in the city was more
keenly interested in the work of Connie
Maek's Athletics than he was. The news
papers were supplied him and he eagerly
read every word that was printed about
the White Elephants Frequently he ex-
pressed the wish that he could go to the
city hall and talk over old times with
his former team mate, Lon Knight.
During his last illness O'Brien was
reconciled TO his wife, from whom he had
been separated for years.
When one pauses to consider the pa
thetic end Of the former star, almost
alone and forgotten by the masses who
lioniZed him less than thirty years ago.
what lesson his death should be to the
men whose homecoming from Chicago
only few weeks ago was awaited by
thousands of fans, who stormed Broad
Street Station just to get a peep at one
OF the new champions.
Baseball goes on, but the men who made
the game are forgotten in the desire
TO do homage to the new kings of the
diamond.