The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-17
WHO REMEMBERS
OLD RUBY WICK?
And all of the Others Of the Gang
Away Back In 1900 When keo-
kuk Went Baseball
Crazy.
HARRY MILLER's TEAM
When sehwaz and charnIer and
Yaeser and McRae Were
the Diamond
Heroes.

adS dHyOue IOfSOLten the OLD Gays
when Keokuk played independent
base ball and unhampered by any
league rules or restrictions, met the
fastest teams in the country and
played sensational base ball?
Once In a while It is good to bark
back to the old times and compare
such men as Ed. Wahl, Frank Greg
DRY, Lefty Humes and Jimmie Dunn
to such pitchers as Lundeen, Ruby
Wick, Feeney and Peterson. Back
twelve or thirteen years ago when
Fatty Faulkner stood just in front Of
a big bill board in the old and now
much changed Hubinger lot and yell
ed like true Indian, Put 'er over
Ruby, he can't hit" Those were the
days Of real sport" and never will
they be forgotten because they were
made vivid by fast and furious ball
playing.
Who is there in the crowd that has
forgotten the time the st. Louis Diels
came up here in 1901 and Keokuk
took four straight games away from
the Missourians and representatives
of the big store of which Diel Broth
ers were the owners. There was some
sport then. One was allowed to bet
twenty-five cents or tenner now and
then but like good many other
things, that has all gone by the board
now while the soul of poor old Fat"
Faulkner rests in another End it is
to be hoped, better world
How familiar the names of Frazee,
third base; McRae, second base;
O'Leary, right field; schwarz. first
base; Miller, short stop; Faulkner,
catch; Stahl. center: Charnier, left
field. and Feeney, pitch, all seem.
McRae was the best second base
man in this part of the country, way
back there and fan will never for.
get how the little dancing master
used to jump for them when they
were too high to reach for without
leaving his feet.
Harry Miller is dead. too, having
passed to the great beyond several
years ago after siege of typhoid
fever Harry was always one OF the
idols of the fans and well he might
have been as he was captain OF the
team and succeeded In getting to.
gether one of the swiftest professional
teams in the state.
Bob Charnier or "Chanute" as
many called him, is down in Kansas
City now or at least he was when
last heard from.
Ed. Schwarz is out west somewhere
now, on the coast. Ruby Wick has not
been heard from for long while but 1t
is supposed that he takes hand in an
amateur game now and then for the
sake of old times. Wick used to be
one of the fastest of pitchers and was
the prize one OF all those old timers
in Keokuk. One day along in the first
part OF this century, after Wick had
won game from the Quincy Re
serves, some one walked out on the
field and handed him ruby ring, a
token of esteem from the fans. Bought
off or excited-no one will ever know
which, Wick turned in and threw the
game away.
Those were the days when one had
to go in through the old Casino emit
rance to get to the grand stand
Ladies and children paid ten cents
to see the games and men quarter
One would give dollar now to see
one of those ancient ones played over
with either O'Leary or Faulkner be
hind the stick and Art Lundeen or
the mound. BY the way, O'Leary Is
managing Davenport this year again
and his team Is second of the
list In the Three-Eye. Danny always
was ball player and as catcher
he and Joe Jenkins would have e
fight 1t out for first place The Keo
kuk back stop may have It on Danny
now because the latter is a little ole
to do any receiving but in the palmy
days it would have been different.
Five Years Ago.
Scouting along seven or eight years