The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-24
SOCKALEXIS NOW
 0LDTOWN FIREMAN
One Time Indian Baseball Star
 Back With Tribe

SockaIeXl6, l5 years. ago, Idollzed as
 'Deerfoot of the diamond" and the pride of all baseballdom, is today rum ming a little ferry across the Penob- scot river, near oldtown. Me.
 While the threats of tens of thou sands are daily laundering forth ap- proval of. their diamond favorites, and the exploits of these heroes of today are. recorded in the newspapers from coast to coast, the name of Louis Sockalexis, destined to be that of the greatest player in the history of base ball, is almost forgtten.
 Almost, for to the Indians name there faintly clings sthe glannor. that was once attached to. the young Al- gonquin,. chief of his tribe, pride of his race. r
 Transitional is the stuff of which idols are made. The limelight shines but once in all it's brilliance. With the waning of his power. Louis Sockalexis, scion of noble line,cared achievement. Or to keep his ear cock ed for. the echoes of forgotten glories No. has, been, no !, hanger-ons Of pool or bar room, no follower of wrecked baseball fortune would he become.
 The end of his strength saw the passing of Sockalexis. '.
 Back to his tribe, proud of him in his triumph. loyal to lim in his ob- scutity when others had forgotten. he went. Near the village ofS old Town. the home of his .forefatherst he is run ming a ferry.
 fewer still know that the great. mel ancholy, full cfested Indian; whose long limbs and sinewy muscles still testify to his former speed and strength, is the once famous Soxa- lexis.
 Fifteen years ago his. was the magic name. It. was. at Hamilton Academy that he first became interested in base ball. His father, chief sof the 7Wap- naki, wanted him to take his place when he passed to the happy hunting grounds. Filled with forebodings when he heard of his sons achieve menfs in this play of the pa1efaces, he dled down the Penobscot, down the Atlantic coast, to see his son. His efforts were futile. In a last desper- ate attempt, he even journeyed to Washington, saw President Cleveland, and through him secured the papers which would make Louis chief of the Wapnakis.
 The call of the tribes1was unheard: The will 70 the wisp of the diamond was beckoning. Louis Sockalexis fol- lowed and for a time his path led through succession of triumphs.
 A I1O1y 5OTOSS lt1C yOQIlS first made, a sensation. From his inf tia1 game against the Springfield team when he made three sfwo bag gers off the delivery of the then fam ous pitcher, Jimmy Callahan, his ca reer was an unbroken series of bril- liant perforn1ances. His batting was wonderful. and his great speed en- abled him to steal bases at will. In one game against Browns champion ship team, he drove out two home runs and two base hits.
 Everywhere crowds went wild with him, and when he entered upon his career as a professional in the Ma tionaI league his work was even more brilliant than the most enthusiastic of his followers had expected
 No one who saw his debut in. New York. in 1897, will ever forget it. Sock alexis came there heralded as great. but the metropolis, as usual was 1.-the. bronzed, handsome. he strode to the home plate of the Polo grounds for the first time, a perfect SpeciTAen of his stock, the Algonquin, the truest type of American Indian. He struck the plate with his bat and crouched. Amos Rusie then in his prime, oppos- ed him. Rusie wound up and uncoiled. The mingled roar of 'Injun- -Big-C Chief and other cries of Intended derision were silenced like magic by a re- sounding report. The ball like bull let. scared high and far to the wall in the outfield. Then up from the crowd in the grand stand arose curiously garbed group, and a. cry never before heard on the ball field. the war cry of the wapnakis, clear and vibrant, rang to the rafters, rolled on over the field where the pride of the. tribe was. flee ing over the white, paths. and re- sounded from Coogan's bluff in the distance The Oldtown Indians, even their chief, his father, had before be- come proud of Sockalexis' fame on the diamond and had come to greet him. That memorable hope- run was the forerunner of many day by day, his play became more and more spectacu- lar. In every department of the game he was supreme. Just when experts were confidently predicting that he would. be the greatest ball player of all time, he broke-broke disnally
 Far few years he drifted around with minor teams and last played in Waterbury, a team in the, Connecticut league. Then unlike hundreds of other stars he dropped completely out of sight.