Evening journal., 1915-06-05
CASEY At THE BAL" !"
Baseball CLASSIC
Familiar Lines Claimed By
Many, Written II
Years Ago
HAS INSPIRED
FANS OF AGES

If ali the verse inspired by baseball
IN the last half century was made into
a "string." 1t would stretch from kal-
amazoo. Mich. to Bangkok, in Slam
And. doubtless. then some Al the
iou of this string, holding precedence
as the supreme classic of baseball lit
erature Is Casey at the Bat Ever
since DE Wolf Hopper popularized
that famous poem of the diamond
storm of controversy has ragged over
the ouestion of its authorship. Multi
tudinous are the claims that have
been made as 10 priority in pennins
those immortal lines. but majority
opinion. which is supported by evil
dence. gives the credit to Ernest l..
Thayer.
So far as known Casey" was first
published in the San Francisco Ex-
aminer 27 years ago on June B. 1888.
The verses we're signed E. l.. T." and
This may be accepted as all but con-
elusive of Thsyer's authorship. Thay-
cr lived i'm Worcester Mass, and was
graduate of Harvard. Il Is said that
the "Mudville" of the poem was
mart of Tanneville, near Cambridge,
where there was a ball field which
was prone 10 become very muddy on
fhe slightest provocation. Thayor was
classmate OF William Randolph
Hearst al Harvard. and the two were
erm friends. When Mr.. lhayer
vrofe Casey" II was natural that ne
should send ii 10 Mr.. Hearsts naper.
Thaver was al one time employed on
the STAFF of the Examiner, but later
returned TO Worcester and embarked
in a manufacturing business.
Casey has been credited TO many
other authors. however, including
George Whiteheld D'Vys, Joseph
Ouinlin Murphy and win Valentine
DVys. a Cambridge, Mass, man, as
serted that he wrote the last eight
verses of Casey" in 1887, but that
the manuscript was lost in a Boston
newspaper office. VIII valentine
who was a member OF the New York
staff. died in 1897. He was formerly
employed on the Kansas City star
and the Sioux City Tribune. and Il
said to have written Casey" while II
the Iowa city.
The original publication OF Casey
in the San Francisco paper now seems
conclusive, however. and Ernest l.
Thayer seems as certainly its author
The poem was reprinted in papers al
over America and Il was further pop
ularized by the famous comedian, ID
Wolf Hopper. Il was first recitec
hy Mr.. Hopper at n performance o
Castles in the Air" and made sucl
a hit that the comedian included II II
his repertoire.
"Casev at the Bat" will doubtles
continue to be the great epic OF TN
diamond pastime as long as baseball
is played. II has survived for :
years with no diminution in its por
ularity. Parodies without numbe
help to keep the interest in Casey
alive. The poetic story of ho'
mighty Casey struck out" contain
humor. pathos and tragedy. Readin
II. one can almost imagine himse
seated on 'the benches. black wit
people" and joining in the "mufhe
roar" which went up when the un
pire called a strike on Casey AT
when a second strike has been call'
by the robher. and "the sneer is goI
from Casey's lip. his teeth are clenc
ed hate" we await with breathle
interest the crack OF bat on ba
Alas, Il never comes. And
Oh! somewhere in this favored Lar
the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere al
somewhere hearts are light.
And somewhere men are laughing al
somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville
mighty Casey has struck out