Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-12
writer AN Invalid
FOR LAST 10 YEARS
Originated Much of Slang in
Game and Mechanics
of Players.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
- HICAGO, February 12.-Charles
Dryden, first and perhaps the
4 greatest of all base ball
humorists, is dead.
The man who originated nearly all
the expressions used in writing base
ball today, passed on yesterday in his
modest little cottage in Ocean Springs,
Miss, after being a hopeless paralytic
for 10 years. He was about II years
old.
DRYDEN, who worked on Chicago, San
Francisco and New York papers up
until about IS years ago, became
famous for the unique manner IN
which he reported base ball games. He
always built his stories around an In
cident which struck him as humorous.
He was nationally recognized as one
who could pick a nickname for a base
ball player and make it stick, ana
make the base ball players like him.
He was the first to call Frank
Chance, late manager of the famous
Cub team of 1906, the peerless leader" .
He was the first to call base ball
park ball yard" He hung the name
big Moose" on Ed Walsh, the famous
White Sox pitcher, and once wrote OF
Walsh as the only man in the world
who could strut standing STILL"
Saw Base Ball as Joke.
Dryden regarded base ball as a huge
joke, and always wrote humorously OF
the games. While employed in New
York IS or 80 years ago the late John
T. Brush, then owner Of the New York
Giants, took exception to the facetfOus
way in which Dryden described ball
game, and had him barred from the
ball park.
That made no difference to Dryden.
He climbed a tall telegraph pole out
side the park and proceeded to report
the games day after day while perched
atop one of the cross bars. Finally
Brush relented and Dryden was later
admitted to the park.
Dryden became a writer through no
desire of his own. He was an iron
molder in Monmouth, H., and while
working in a foundry wrote amusing
incidents that came to his mind. A
friend, reading some of Dryden's
sketches, advised him to quit the IRON
1nolding business and become an author.
Dryden wrote several humorous books,
one of which was entitled "On and OF
the Bread Wagon" 1t was story Of
his own personal experiences. Later he
wrote q story of the sea, after he had
been shanghaied off the docks OF San
Francisco and forced on trip around
the world.
Fire Story Made Hit.
When Dryden decided to become a
writer, he went to San Francisco. He
hung around a newspaper once, ana
when q big fire broke out and there be-
ing no regular reporters available, Dry
den was assigned to the job. He wrote
an amusing story about a fire, neglect
ing to mention that several fremen had
been killed, but the story made such q
hit with the editors that Dryden was
given 4 permanent job.
Dryden was one of the unique char
acters of the newspaper world. Untu
q few years before illness forced him
into retirement, he always wrote his
COPY In longhand.. -e Then when ne de-
cided to use the typewriter, he labor
iotlsly began to peck out ms story WIN
two fingers. When he nnished his story,
he would throw it over to the sports
editor, saying Here's another piece
about those silly eggs"
DRYDEN hung the name of "the Old Ro-
man" on Charles A. Comiskey, 73-year.a
old owner Of the White Sox. He called
the White Sox Of 1905, who won
championship under Fielder Jones, the
''EIitless Wonders because Of their
ability to win ball games without max
ing hits.
The famous play in which Fred
Merkle, firSt baseman Of the New York
Giants of 1907 failed TO touch second
base in the deciding game of the regu-
lar season inspired Dryden to refer to
Merkle as "Bonehead" and the name
stuck until Merkle passed out OF base
bali history.
Was MethOdical Invalid.
DRYDEN never married and died In
the arms of his faithful sister, who had
cared for him for years. While para
lytic he did everything by the tick OF
the clock. He ate at certain time,
went to bed at o certain time, took O
drink Of water at a certain time. 0
chew Of tobacco ct certain time.
He died by the monotonous tick OF
the clock. He sat all day long In big,
easy chair, down in his cottage in Ocean
Springs. The big clock was always IN
fr0nt af him