has article about Bill Thompson in 1911
Leads with article about Brattleboro Islanders.
Brattleboro used 27 players in 1911 - only two men on their opening day roster lasted the season.
Brattleboro played in Island Park, an exceedingly fine park that was joined with an amusement pavilion.
"When Umpire Donovan called "batter up" yesterday afternoon at Barber park Captain Jimmy Burns of the Northampton team declined to play if. Wickware, a colored twirler, was to do the mound duty for the home team. Manager Leonard announced that Wickware would pitch, and after waiting two minutes Umpire Donovan forfeited the game to the home team by the score of 9 to 0.
Burns's team left the field amid the jeers of the crowd, many of them workingmen who had given up an afternoon's work to see the game. The Northampton manager is severely criticized for his action. It is argued that such action is uncalled for in the Twin State league, or in New England for that matter, where the colored race has for years taken a prominent part in athletics. So far as known here no team in Vermont has refused to compete in any game because a member was of the colored race.
The first year of the Twin State league, in 1911, Bellows Falls had a colored catcher named Thompson. He was a clean player and it was only a poor throwing arm that finally eliminated him from the league, but not until the race was well under way. No teams in the league refused to play against him and that year Brattleboro had Paul Wachtel, a Maryland youth, born and brought up in a state where the color line is sharply drawn.
Amateur and professional records in New England are generously sprinkled with the names of colored players. Among them are Matthews, the greatest shortstop Harvard ever had, Watkins and Williams, infielders for the University of Vermont, and in the team with the latter are two men who are now playing in the American league, Ray Collins and Gardner, Matt Bullock of Dartmouth, who came to grief in a game against Princeton back in 1903, was a great colored football played. Drew of Springfield went Sweden with the Olympic team in 1912, and he came from a city several miles father south than Northampton.
Bellows Falls fans never have favored the Northampton team and they are now truly prejudiced against it.
Wickware has been playing with the Mohawk Giants, a colored aggregation that has made its home town Schenectady, N. Y., this summer. The team has been playing teams in New York, Vermont and Massachusetts, and according to Wickware it is the first time that the color line has been drawn by a northern team outside of the big league.
The Chicago Nationals refused Sunday to play against Rutland if Wickware pitched. He says that was the only previous time when a team refused to play against one of which he was a member."
Newport manager slapped severely a small boy who was heckling him. Rage against the manager.
"Greenfield has changed managers again. Hartman took charge yesterday before the game, as Ryan says he wants a rest before starting his law practice immediately after Labor day. Allie MacRobbie, the North Adams pitcher, has been let out by the team because of a protest by North- ampton and has joined the Jersey City team. Chic McLaughlin has left the pitching staff because of a sore arm, and Webb, a Rutland team pitcher, who has been signed, has not reported. Connors, Edgar and Peloquin of the Bennington team are now in the Greenfield ranks."
President of the league (E.M. Keynes) and league VP (Bement), of Northampton, seem to take differing views.
"President E. M. Keyes of league, when asked over the telephone this morning whether the game would be forfeited in the event that a colored pitcher or battery was presented this afternoon by Bellows Falls against Northampton and Northampton refused to play, replied:
'There is no other way. We are not under the national agreement and there are no league rules covering the point, I have advised Vice President Bement of the Northampton team over the telephone to play the game, but he has told me that some of his men will not play. That attitude appears to me to be foolish. If Northampton does not play, it means that they give up a game they might win and Bellows Falls by winning by forfeit gets the credit of the victory, but no gate receipts.'
President Keyes said he had received a letter from Mr. Bement concerning a protest over the work of Umpire Reed, with the following addition:
'Dear Major: Since the first portion of this letter was written, I have a communication from Burns, who telephones from Bellows Falls that the game which was scheduled there with Northampton has been forfeited to Bellows Falls, 9 to 0. It seems that they had scheduled Wickware, the negro pitcher from the Mohawk Giants, to pitch. As far as I can learn, some of our men refused to play, and some of the Bellows Falls men also, including Cawley, Donahue and others. Wright, after some threatening, consented to catch. At any rate, Burns refused to play and we hereby protest earnestly, against allowing this game to stand as awarded to Bellows Falls. This league is certainly black enough without adding 'niggers' to it, and if we are obliged to recruit from Africa to sustain our organization we might as well give up the ghost. We will back Burns to the limit in this matter, and we demand an immediate hearing.
Yours very truly,
'Northampton Baseball Association.
By Bement.' "
"According to the Northampton Gazette, Cawley, Donahue and Wright of the Bellows Falls team refused to go into the game Tuesday if Wickware was to play, but that under threats of the management not to pay salaries due, Wright weakened and finally agreed to catch.
Now it develops that that Donnelly, O'Connell, who has been on the "suspended" list for some time, and Delaney have left the Bellows Falls team, but statements to this effect from Bellows Falls are careful to include the statement that their releases are not for any matter concerning the colored player."
The action of the directors of the Bellows Falls Baseball association in hiring a colored player was endorsed last evening at an enthusiastic baseball meeting in Banquet hall and the fact that they have also hired a colored catcher, Bradley, also was endorsed and indicates that the story of Wright's refusal to catch was not without ground.
Here, as elsewhere around the circuit, there is considerable feeling over the attitude of Bellows Falls, the general opinion being that Bellows Falls is using every possible means to win the pennant, even to receiving the remaining games of the schedule on forfeit."
Looks like there will be no game in Bellows Falls because Northampton shall not play.
"Manager Burns insists that his team will not bat against a colored pitcher or participate in combat with a team that includes members of the Negro race in its line- up. The 'Hamp directors who are here are understood to be behind Burns.
The attitude of the local directors is that as long as there is no rule in the Twin State league against colored players this town has a perfect right to use them if it wishes. Wickware and Bradley, a battery from the Mohawk Giants, are due here soon after noon from Schenectady, N. Y., and will appear at Barber park in Bellows Falls uniforms.
There is a story here that the Newport association had a meeting night before last and voted not to allow its team to participate in any games in which there were Negro players."
"The Greenfield team is being shaken up so rapidly just now that it is hard to keep track of who are members of the team. Connors, a second baseman, and Edgar, an outfielder, who recently joined the team, have been dropped and "Jack" Hannifan of Holyoke, an old minor leaguer, has been signed for the middle sack job and Cosgrive, a former Princeton university player, is another recruit on the team.
A special train will be run from Greenfield to Northampton Labor day morning and the Greenfield band will accompany the rooters who are going down to help their team win . The band will play at the afternoon game at Greenfield as well."
Misc. interesting player news.
So Burns is also an umpire-assaulter.
"There is a rule passed at the last meeting of the directors of the league requiring the barring from games of any manager or player who assaults an umpire. Burns did that at Northampton Wednesday, striking Waters, an umpire he had hired to help win games, in the clubhouse after the game. Burns was in the lineup yester- day. Probably the enforcement of this rule is up to the directors, for President Keyes says he cannot enforce any rules. It is not recorded that he has even announced a "suspension" in this case, but it is possible that it has not been officially called to his attention."
1913-8-30 Meeting to be called for tomorrow - probably discuss color-line.
Disapproves of color-line - but thinks Bellow Falls was not simon-pure in act.
"It is unfortunate that the color line had to come up in the Twin State league games. It is a puzzling question that is bound to cause embarrassment. One ground alleged for the objection is that colored men are supposed to work cheaper which the white players say works against their interest. While if New England people lived in South Carolina they might feel much as the Southerners do, the question is not properly an issue about here, and theoretically colored players can and should be accepted on even terms.
It seems fundamentally unjust when a fellow can not be accepted on his merits as a man and a ball player, particularly in a section where there is no congestion of the black race, and where these people are both harmless, and a willing and industrious element. Practically it raises difficulties for the managements in view of prevailing prejudices and the attitude of the leagues. They could never know when some of their players might decline to accept a colored player. Bellows Falls was evidently not averse to making trouble, and glad to take forfeited games instead of playing ball. The player was hired in for the occasion, a proceeding that is objectionable, regardless of race.- Greenfield Gazette."
Rutland in financial trouble:
"The Rutland Baseball association owes the players, in the aggregate, nearly $300 in back salaries. Although at the beginning of the season Rutland fans seemed to be very baseball hungry the patronage at the games was not nearly as large as expected and the management, has been unable to meet the rather modest pay roll to say nothing of paying for the fair grounds, there being over $200 in rentals due. At present there seems to be no way to raise enough money to square accounts with the players."
1913-9-02 Randolph of Plainfield, N.J., formerly with Binghamton NYSL, threw a shutout for Greenfield.
"A trained dog gave an exhibition before the game, including a prayer for the home team [Brattleboro] to win. A dog's prayer don't count, judging from the score." (They lost 13-5.)
At meeting of league directors, negroes banned from league.
The Northampton Larks protested that Bellows Falls has Hammersley, a former Pittsfield pitcher, on their roster under the assumed name of Harding. Northampton believes it had prior claim to Hammersley. Protest disallowed.
"Arrangements were made between the Newport and Bellows Falls directors to run special trains from Newport to Bellows Falls, Bellow Falls to Newport, and Newport to Claremont Junction Labor Day in order to allow the fans to take in the two games."
List of meeting attendants.
1913-9-03 Bellows Falls had McLeod of Albany NYSL on mound, but lost 8-5 to Northampton Meadow Larks.
Greenfield will report game at Northampton because Murray Parker, EL, pitched for Northampton.
The league needs a real tsar - a "league manager" - to enforce rules.
"This year these rules have been almost discarded and several have been openly violated. Among them are the salary limit rule, the rule relative to suspended players and others."
Allie MacRobbie, released by Northampton, is now playing outfield for a team in Saratoga, NY.
A warrant was made out for McLeod but it is too late - he has already left the city. He assaulted a colored boy of 15 who was heckling him.
1913-9-05 Randolph Herald & News criticizes color-line.
"With the exception of Ryan and Mayforth there is hardly a man in the Greenfield lineup of players who played there two weeks ago."
1913-9-06 Northampton does not approve of league manager idea.
1913-9-08 Some of the salary lists were undoubtedly above the $225/week salary limit.
Brattleboro lost sixteen straight games midseason due to its adherence to salary limit, but made back some ground near the end. Brattleboro Islanders were given good support by fans despite failures.
Every team had National Association players, even though President Keynes declared them ineligible. Only Brattleboro dropped their NA man, Paddy Green, when there was protest.
Over the course of the summer, Brattleboro used five full clubs' worth of players, including fourteen pitchers. Some review of Brattleboro pitching, with commented w-ls.
1913-9-09 "George Brickley, having finished with Newport, is to report immediately to Connie Mack."
Andy Harrington who pitched one game for CIN, is brother of Joe of Bellows Falls team.
1914-2-07 (Cheshire Republican quoted by Brattleboro) James Burns described as pugnacious.
1914-2-19 According to Cheshire Republican, the Keene club intends to violate league rules and use players from organized baseball.
1914-2-24 Meriden's Jimmy Burns has been signed to coach baseball team for Trinity College of Hartford. He is twenty-eight years old, and is attending the Massachusetts Agricultural college. He was also recently appointed manager of Bellows Falls for the summer. He was in the CTST for a number of years.
1914-4-11 Arthur Bellevue of Fitchburg, who finished last season with Greenfield, has been signed by Fall River of the Colonial League. He is 5'9", 180. Has pitched for many other semi-pro clubs. Was with Clinton before Greenfield.
1914-6-22 Regular season opens tomorrow. Team rosters are reviewed.
1914-6-30 (North Adams Transcript) "The Northampton club, of which Dan Shea, formerly with Bennington, is manager, took in $1416 at the opening of the Twin State League. The expenses for getting under way were heavy, which together with the debts left over from last year and the Ford automobile which was given away as a ticket prize made the financial affairs of the club about even for the present time."
