Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-06-27
OLD DECOIAH BALL PLAYER.
Harry Howe, Well Known Here in
Days of Old, Dies.


play in DEBORAH, when we were on
earth with real ball team, with
such players as DR.. F. w. Conover,
Nat Burdick, ole Marsh, and other
well known players here over &c
years ago:
Following is the Waukon papers
article, which will be read with in-
terest by many old time fans here:
The recent newspaper item of the
death of Harry Howe, who pitched
the Sioux City Corn Huskers" to a
pennant back in 1895, lead to local
speculation as to whether it was the
same Harry Howe who, with his
brother Ed, figured spectacularly in
early Waukon baseball history. Prob
ably not; but, if so, Waukon cannot
mourn more sincerely for him now
than it mourned over him one cold,
dreary autumn night thirty-one OF
thirty-two years ago. Whether same
individual or not, it set oldtime fans
and players reminiscent of Waukon's
first, and, by far, most disastrous
semi-professional baeball venture.
1t all came about from rivalry
between Lansing and Waukon. Jim
Duffy captai1ed the Waukon team,
and his brother John, then located at
Lansing, captained that team. The
two teams matched up pretty even,
and, to give Lansing a real X. O.,
Waukon strengthened up by drafting
John X. Johnson, then barbering
in partnership with Len GetcheM,
and who died down at Fayette
year or two ago, aid perhaps other
new players, and imported the Howe
brothers as a professional salaried
battery. This made short work Of
lansing, but the easy victory turned
the heads of Waukon sports and set
them in the notion that with the
Howe battery Waukon was a world
beaten. Forthwith they we're on the
war path for the scalp of the Phil
Sheridans," strong Postville and
Clermont combination team OF
crackerjack, experienced, old-time
ball players, managed by Frank Orr,
now president Of Mono1a State
Bank, (and who, by the way, still
has a mighty good eye for winning
generalship on baseball battlefield)
that for several seasons had decisive
lily maintained Northeastern Iowa
championship. The widely-known
,McGaharen triplets we're fhe. star
feature of the ''Phil Sheridans;"
Ambrose on first base, Joe on sec
ond and Henry behind the bat. Billy
Grove, the Clermolt druggist, was
pitcher, and Bert Cook, an old-time
school teacher, who recently moved
West or North from Yellow River
farm, was also a member.
A match was arranged on what
lWaukon innocently supposed was
neutral ground, at DEBORAH. John
Duffy was brought over from Lans-
ing and Bob Steele called back from
Lawler, and with high hopes and alb
solute confidence, and pockets bulg-
ing with money but with the inno-
cence and help.essness of lambs,
Waukon went to the slaughter. De-
corah furnished the financial back
ing for the phil Sheridans," and,
to make sure that there could be no
mistake. also furnished the umpire,
in the person OF the late Dan Shea,
| then superintendent of schools of
Wi1neshiek county, who, like any
other warm hearted Irishman, could
be depended upon not 10 go back on
| his friends, who had gone their last
dollar on the phil Sheridans. The
worst Of 1t was that, according to a
lconviction that has lasted il the
breast of every victim for over thir-
ty years, DEBORAH had double cinch
on the Waukon money by fixing Har-
Try Howe as we'll as the umpire. Ger
tain it Is, that Howe either had an
loft day that was heart-breaker, or
the DEBORAH bunch got to him in a
substantial way. That game ended
the career of the Howe boys in Wau-
kon. The bitterness against Shea
lasted for years, and it is said that he
did not deem it prudent to visit Wau-
kon for ten years thereafter
Time has wrought its usual havoc
with the participants in that long
remembered game. The McGaharen
triplets are all dead. The Duffy
boys are gone. Shea, Johnson, prob
ably Howe, and doubtless majority
of the entire list, have passed over
to the other side.
We do not vouch for absolute ac-
curacy as to names, dates and de-
tails. We get what We got from
those who took part, and mistakes,
IL any, are their mistakes. AS a
whole. the recital is doubtless sub