The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-06-01
DILWORTH TALES.
Stories About Belfast Hero by Former
Portland Man. His Marvellous Speed.
How He Took of His Shoes and Won
FIRED K. Owen in Portland Press.]


happy old age-old that is from a base
ball standpoint-is the most famous base
ball player that Maine ever produced,
and in saying that / am not forgetting
the men who have gained fame and more
or less wealth in the major organizations.
In the sketches of famous old time
players that have appeared in these
columns, from none have l heard so
often as the two concerning the Belfast
hero.
So think "Dill'' is a bigger man than
he supposed he was himself, which no
doubt will crafty him when he finds it
out.
All this leading up to letter, one of
several concerning Di!worth that l re-
ceived, that reached me the other day
from Fred Morrill, of Providence, for
merly of South Portland, and we'll known
here as one of the pioneers of the old
Pine Tree movement, which resulted in
some good base ball for several years in
Portland.
Mr.. Morrill, is a dyed in the wool crank
of many years standing, he knows base
ball history in Maine from long back of
the professional era, and he tells some
interesting stories of Dilworth. He
writes:
| PROVIDENCE, May IL, l9ll.
| FRIEND OWEN: | have recently read
with a very great deal of interest q
couple of articles regarding Billy Dill
worth, the old Belfast ball player.
was rather surprised that you mem
toned him as having departed this life,
for had not seen anything IN the line OF
his obituary in The Republican Journal,
published at Belfast, which | have copy
of each week, and therefore was quite
certain that he was sticking around,
else that paper would have made proper
announcement of his decease, for "Dlily'
was so famous in his day and did so much
to put Belfast on the base ball map that
it seemed impossible that he could nave
registered his final "out" in the game of
life without the fact being duly noted by
the press.
was mighty glad to hear later that
YOU had located him in Madison Tor for
that matter any old place. and that he
was alive and happy.
Having Away been deeply interested
in base ball your stories of Dilworth
have made me a little reminiscent, and
as | look back and recall the OLD time
PLAYERS that knew, as we'll as those of
the present day, am convinced that of
all the queer characters in base ball for
genuine originality no player ever had
anything on ''Dilly.'
particularly recall a game played at
Belfast in the early SOS: the grounds in
that city were at the Trotting Park, with
grass or stubble diamond and very
rough. A Boston club was the attrac-
ton and during the first couple of innings
Dilworth was extremely wild. passing
several men in succession. His wildness
gave the visiting team good lead and
Dllworth, after passing the first man up
in the third, realizing that something
was wrong, sat down in the box and de-
liberately removed bis shoes, after which
he seemed to have perfect control and
easily won his game.
Dilworth had marvellous speed, his I'M
derhand ball being simply streak OF
smoke and Tim Keefe, the once famous
pitcher of the New York Giants, after
seeing him perform in a game, made the
statement that billy could throw faster
underhand ball than any man he had ever
seen.
Much of Dilly's early success believe
was directly due to the coaching and
cool-headedness of his catcher, Bert
Knowlton, who later was a member of
the Harvard Varsity team, and l have
always thought that could this ''battery"
have entered the "pro" ranks and re-
manned intact they would have been one
of the most famous in the business.
In conversation with Frank Rudder
ham last fall (the Eastern league UNI
pire) Dilly's name was mentioned and he
told me funny incident in connection
with his Dilly's) first appearance in
Brockton just after his debut in the New
England league. 1t seems that the rail
road track ran close to the left-feld
fence of the Brockton grounds. billy
was going like house atire. The specta-
tors thinking there was no chance for
the home team were beginning to leave
the grounds, when suddenly the shrek
of locomotive was heard, and billy was
seen to rush frantically to the left-field
fence on which he calmly perched, SEEM
ingly oblivious to the fact that his action
had enabled the base runners to score
and win the game for Brockton. billy,
however, had the satisfaction of viewing
the train pass by.
George /. Heating, who believe is the
present clerk Of courts for Waldo county,
was for many years the official scorer of
the Belfast club and probably still has
the records of that organization. Mr..
Heating was a dyed-in-th e-wool fan who
thoroughly understood the fine points of
the game and probably more than any
other person was conversant with the
many eccentric performances of Dill
worth.
Dilworth was ever popular with the
lovers of the game and they would go
miles to see him perform. AS an illus
tration take my own case: about the last
of Dilly's career on the diamond | was in
Lewiston and had to make the circuit
from that city to Bangor, down the Pen
obscot and back to Boston by the way of
Bath, stopping at the cities along the
route.
could make the trip either direct to
Bangor and down the river, or to Rock
i, land and come up the river to Bangor. l
decided to 90 via. of Rockland and took
! the early morning train for that city. On
arriving at Brunswick we had a wait
over, and on securing copy of the morn
ing paper l noted the fact that there was
New England league game scheduled
at Augusta that day. That was enough
for me and l hustled around to get my
baggage re-checked from Rockland to
Augusta, simply because it was announc-
ed that Dilworth was to pitch, although
| l knew that Tin base ball parlance) he
hadn't anything left but his head.
If it was only possible for Dllly to
enter the diamond in the same condition
today that he was in in '85, l sincerely
| bol:o,,o @I,% ,,nJor tho f,1fo IF c,1ob