The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-09-20
BENJAMIN HESSLING,

years ago on Smith Hill, just back of
Glen Dyberry cemetery, a boy just
like any other boy, except that he
was destined to become one of the
best known men of his community.
In fact the name of "Bennie Hess
ling" is, no doubt, known to a larg-
er number of people outside of his
home town than any other man; and
not only known" but respected and
by a great many feared, for his
prowess as base ball pitcher.
From the time he was old enough
to know what a base ball was he
was continually playing from morn
ing till night, always throwing, as he
seemed to have been born with the
inspiration to become pitcher. He
says he can well remember the first
curve ball he ever threw. 1t was an
old cord ball thrown one day while
playing at the top of Bentley Hill
on that once well-known old ball
field, where Ben learned all the first
rudiments of the game.
He pitched many of his early
games on the Green" in front of the
present Honesdale Footwear Co.'S
factory. At that time there was a
great deal of rivalry between up
ION IL anu uON ulONu IL. Den dl-
ways pitched for the down town
team, known as the Limerick
Stars" He was usually opposed by
Jerry" Watts, and it is said usually
won his games.
His first really important matched
games, were pitched on May 30th
(Memorial Day. when he pitched a
double header for Honesdale team
known as the " Hoodoo" against
Hawley at Hawley and won both
games, and as far as we can find out
he has been beating Hawley ever
since.
Other well-known names who were
playing that day with the "Hoodooc"
are: Al Schuller, George Murran,
Park Schoonover, Henry Theobald,
Frank Eggleston, Joe Caufeld, and
Jim" Crossley.
Just six years ago the 18th day
of this month he made a record, this
date and record being the inspiration
of this little article.
The name of Bennie Hessling hav-
ing become SO widely known in
amateur base ball, the Scranton
State league professional team de-
cided to give him a tryout, and our
little Bennie told them he would "do
the best he could" so on the day
above mentioned he was pitted
against the Syracuse team of the
State League and the "best he could
do" was to let them down with
hits and shut them out. The next
season he was offered a regular
berth with the Scranton team, but
having been married only a short
time, he was soon too homesick to
stick it out and came back to his
home town without pitching a single
game for them. He said it was no
place for a married man with a
family to be running around the
country with a ball team.
He has made other records in a
quiet way which have never been
surpassed in this part of the coun-
try in amateur ball. For instance,
he once shut out the hard-hitting
Archibald team without a single hit,
and another time on the enemy's
own grounds, only gave this same
team one hit and allowed only 27
men to face him in nine innings, the
one man that hit, being put out on
a double play. In the first of these
games he struck out 19 men whicn
comes pretty close to, if it doesn't
exceed, an amateur record.
AT another time he duplicated one
of the above feats against the far
famed Cuban Giants, who were con-
sidered at that time the best inde-
pendent team travelling this country.
Two hits was all these famous col
ored men could gather from this lit
tie marvel and both of these men
were caught stealing a base. Only
27 men faced him in this game.
Another professional team, repre-
senting Atlantic City, made a trip
through this part of the country,
and the only game they lost was to
our own little Bennie Hessling who
shut them out to and allowed
but four hits, in probably the best
game ever played on the historic
silk mill grounds.
Almost everyone remembers that
famous nothing to four" game that
he pitched against Carbondale, not
to say anything about the dozen or
two other games that he won from
our friends just over the mountain.
In short, Bennie Hessling has been
pitching Honesdale to victory on the
diamond for close to IS years, and
hence is it any wonder that we are
proud of this man who is better
known than the town which he has
been keeping on the base ball map
all these years?
Ben is chief pattern-maker for the
Gurney Electric Elevator Co. with
whom he has been for many years,
and it is said that he can make pat
terms just as good as he could pitch,
which proves that he has been doing
something beside playing base ball
and raising a family consisting of
four nice children.
One of his present ambitions is
to see one of his boys representing
his home town at a future time as
a pitcher capable of upholding the
name in a manner in keeping with
it's past reputation; and The Citizen
and no doubt all of its readers wish
him success in this ambition as we'll
as anything else he undertakes; and
4 n L. 4 L.