New Britain herald., 1915-01-23
 7h0nsand AK
SpOTtOgYAphy
 BY "GKASY."
BY "GItANY.


 if it be lawful to call them such who spend the torrid period of the year wandering about from city to city, harassing the hard working baseball players to the point of dis traction and arousing the fans to wild wrath, and who wear as part Of their official insignia a windpad, a mask and a judicial frown, there are many who have survived for a decade or more. Time was when baseball umpire was not considered a good risk by tho life insurance companies, but that period is past, and today an arbter of the diamond has as good a chance to die in bed as a fireman or a soldier.
 Of the several veterans who lordcd it over major league diamonds last season, the oldest in point of service was Robert D. Emslie. This week marked the ffty-fourth anniversary of the birth of the dean of major league umpires. Emsle made his mundane debut in Guelph, Ont, and it was there that he absorbed that en- thusiasm for the American national pastime that made him famous in later years The Royal City of Canada, while little more than a vil- lage, was from the beginning of the game red-hot baseball center. Many od-timc fans can recall tae fame of the old Guelph Maple Leafs of the '70s The old Leafs were charter members of the first international league, which was launched in 1877.
 Emslie broke into the professional baseball game in 1882, when he was engaged as a pitcher by the Camden, N. J., club The following year he twirled for the Paltimores, and in 1884 he was one of the star pitchers of the old American association. It was more than a quarter of a century ago that Emslie started his career as an umpire. For three years he followed the clubs of the old Inter national circuit, and then spent a year with the American association and another annum with the Western association. It was in 1891 that Emslie was signed as an umpire by the National league and began the career as a big league arbter which has never been surpassed in length or devotion to duty.
 Few ball players have worn the uni- forms of as many different clubs as Pat F'laherty, the once famous twirler Patrick J. was born in Carnegia, Pa, thirty-nine years ago today-Car- negie. incidentally having been the birthplace of "Honus" Wagner, who arrived there a couple of years be- fore Pat put in an appearance. F'laherty's first appearance on the diamond as a professional was with the Jackson club in the Interstate league. That was in 1896, which sea- son ne finished with Youngstown, O. In 1897 he joined his fellow towns man, the Flying Dutchman," on the Paterson team in the Atlantic league. Wagner was then third basing for the New Jersey city and Flaherty pitched and outfielded by turns. From Paterson, Flaherty went to Rich mond, where he played a part of the season in 1899, when the Atlantic league went on the rocks. In 1900 Pat was with Hartford, then in the Eastern league. He commenced the 1901 race with the Syracuse Eastern leaguers, but finished the year in Brockton, Mass. In 1902 he was one of the star twirlers of the American association, pitching fifty-two games for Louisville, which finished second in the race. Flaherty's first appear ance in the majors was with Chicago in the American league. He remained in the Windy City only one year, spending 1904 and 1905 with the Pirates, where he was again in the company of Honus Wagner. In 1906 he was with Columbus, in the Amer ican association. He then had two seasons with the Boston Nationals, one year each with Kansas City and Atlanta, and later became a minor league manager.