The Ordway new era., 1911-07-28
Convicts at Carson City
Enjoy National Sport
While Wardens with
Rifles Keep Their
Stern. Watch on the
Prison Walls---Game
That Is Unique in
History.

@ARsON CITY. NEv.-It II
lA~ not often that the condemn.
INA cd felon, hearing bolt shot
NIX behind him in tho door Of q
@A1 death cell. hopes to feel and
~ breathe the open air again.
save for a few terrible mo-
msnts when he marches out to the
scafRold. to die. Never does he dream
that he will again see the gayety OF
life and freedom expressed In scenes
of strength and skill. or that he will
be permitted to participate in them.
writes q special correspondent OF the
st. Louis Post-Dispatch. That Is why.
In all the annals of baseball. there IL
no record OF such an umpire as Casey
Casey of the Nevada state
prison-who went from death cell
to Judge q baseball game between two
teams Of his fellow convicts.
Patrick c. Casey. whose wooden leg
and sobriquet of "Pegleg" tell one
chapter In the story Of his misfortunes.
was q fan Of fans In q time gone past.
That was before he wandered into the
land where ''six-shooters" and Bowie
knives set the Darwinian theory aside.
That was before Goldfield had sprung
up In the desert to lure men on to
hardships that might yield luxury or
death. and before Casey. In that turbu-
lent and terrible Goldfleld summer Of
1909, deliberately sauntered down
street Of the mushroom city. slew
Mrs. Thomas Heslip on her own door
step and dangerously wounded Mrs.
Thomas Mann. a guest at the Heslip
homo.
Between Casey, the prison umpire.
and Casey. the boy. wrangling with
other boys on a corner lot where
coming champs" were wont to put
their hopes to test. a series Of event
full years had interposed a record
which was long and not too good. and
in which Casey had played the game
with lead instead Of the horsehide
spheroid of the diamond.
But the years had not made Casey
forget, and the wayward life Of the
mining camps had not stamped out Of
his soul the spirit Of sport, and his
old-time love of our national game.
When he was led to the warden's Of
dec q few weeks ago and informed
that his plea for a new trial had re-
leased him. for a time. at any rate.
from the death cell he had occupied
since December 7. 1909. his first re-
quest was that he might take some
part in the baseball games then be-
Ing planned for prisoners whose SEN
tences stop short Of the gallows. And
when he stood behind the bat to ofiici-
ate at the first of the prisoners
baseball games. there was no tremor
or doubt in the voice that cried: Bat
ter up: play ball!"
Surely q Remarkable Game.
In order to see the ball game.
Casey gave the warden his word OF
honor that he would abide by all the
rules governing the prison yard. He
promised that he would act as fair
and impartial Judge. He swore that
he would make no attempt to escape
or to cheat the gallows by destroying
himself while he was at liberty in the
yard. In a word, Casey, the Goldfeld
murderer. whose life was being de-
manded by all the people Of Nevada.
was strictly ION his honor" to be
good one afternoon.
Surely that was a unique and per-
haps remarkable game of ball. There
was no velvet green with soft brown
paths of earth. The diamond was
black strips of paint laid on the hard
face Of the prison yard, which is
blasted and quarried out Of solid
rock, In the heart of which the exca-
vators found mastodon tracks and foot
prints Of prehistoric men.
One team was composed Of Shines" !"
As the negro prisoners are called.
and the other white men whose crimes
ranged from petit larceny to murder.
Around the diamond sat 200 other fell
lows. above whom rose the walls Of
the prison yard. With them was
Warden Baker, who took charge Of
the prison last January. and imme-
dtately began working out system
of reform In which baseball plays no
small part
Completing the picture were the
guards. patroling the top of the walls
in sharp relief against the blue skies
of freedom. and constantly counting
the men in the yard lest any attempt
at escape should be made.
Umplre's Decision "Went."
Nobody dared question a decision
from the peg-legged lord Of the game.
To have cried loudly for Judgment"
on q close play ut base. or to have
complained strenuously when Casey
announced "strike." safe" or "y're