;n"'\ 
 
 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 ^ ana 
 
 THE GAMES THEY PLAYED 
 
 JAMES D'WOLF LOVETT 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME 
 OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT 
 FUND GIVEN IN 1 89 1 BY 
 
 HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE 
 
..CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 ^ 1924 082 451 695 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924082451695 
 
Drawn by C. I). (Jibarm 
 
 ' A PUTTY BALL HAS BEEN KNOWN TO PENETRATE 
 THE SIDE OF A TAM, HAT" 
 
#Ri Boston 130^0 
 
 AND 
 
 THE GAMES THEY PLAYED 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES D'WOLF LOVETT 
 
 FULLY ILLUSTRATED 
 
 Boston 
 
 LITTLE, BROWN, & COMPANY 
 
 1908 
 
COPVRIGHT .906 BV JAMBS DVoLF LOVETT 
 
 /\l^^'/ii> 
 
WITH PLEASANT MEMORIES OF OUR BOYHOOD 
 DAYS, THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDI- 
 CATED TO THE CHERISHED MEMORY OF ONE 
 OF THE BEST AND FINEST TYPES 
 OF OLD BOSTON BOYS, 
 SAMUEL CABOT 
 
 WITHOUT WHOSE STIMULATING WORDS, 
 
 KINDLY ADVICE AND VALUABLE COOPERATION, 
 
 THIS PLEASANT TASK OF AUTHORSHIP 
 
 WOULD NEVER HAVE 
 
 BEEN MINE 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 IN February, 1904, 1 contributed to the 
 " Boston Evening Transcript " a short 
 sketch about coasting, as it used to 
 be practiced by the Boston boys forty-five 
 years ago. Many pleasant things were said 
 about it, which amply repaid any efforts 
 upon my part to make it readable, and then 
 the matter dropped out of sight ; but re- 
 cently it came to the notice of an old and 
 dear friend of mine, — himself an old-time 
 athlete, — who proposed that I should en- 
 large upon it and write a collection of re- 
 miniscences of our early boyhood. With 
 his well-known generosity and enthusiasm, 
 he proposed to give a dinner, to which 
 should be invited a number of our friends 
 and contemporaries, who in their day had 
 been prominent oarsmen, cricketers, -base^ 
 
iv FOREWORD 
 
 ball and football players, boxers, gymnasts, 
 etc., for the purpose of bringing to light 
 old events which might be available for 
 my use. 
 
 To say is to do with my friend, and this 
 happy thought was promptly carried out. 
 On November 29, 1904, a most delightful 
 dinner was given at his residence on Com- 
 monwealth Avenue, to which the following 
 named gentlemen were invited : — 
 
 GerritS. Miller, Horatio G. Curtis, John 
 
 A. Lowell, William H. Alline, Prof. James 
 
 B. Ames, Henry W. Lamb, John P. Hall, 
 Laurence Curtis, Henry K. Bushnell, 
 George R. Rogers, Edward N. Fenno, 
 George A. Flagg, Dr. Robert M. Law- 
 rence, Robert A. Boit, Robert S. Peabody. 
 That the occasion was a complete success, 
 and that an evening of rare enjoyment was 
 the result, it is not necessary to say ; and 
 to the exuberant flow of reminiscent con- 
 versation which ensued I am indebted for 
 much that may interest the old-timers in 
 the following pages. 
 
HOW IT STRIKES A 
 CONTEMPORARY" 
 
 "Quis perscribet ipsum scriptorem?" 
 
 AT the dinner mentioned in the 
 " Foreword " the most important 
 question before the meeting was, 
 "Who shall chronicle the historian him- 
 self?" 
 
 It was agreed — with but one emphatic 
 negative — that it would be impossible for 
 our old friend to employ successfully the 
 first person singular, because a long disuse 
 had probably rendered him incapable of 
 rightly spelling that important personal 
 pronoun in all its cases and forms. 
 
 We have been immensely amused at his 
 frantic efforts — stimulated by this stricture 
 
vi A CONTEMPORARY 
 
 upon his unconquerable modesty — to tell 
 something of his own part in the athletics 
 of the old days. But the agreement was 
 explicit, in spite of his vehement opposi- 
 tion, that if there was not enough " ego " 
 in the narrative, we, his less important con- 
 temporaries, should exercise the reciprocal 
 privilege of giving our recollections of him. 
 Now, though he has striven manfully to 
 tell about himself, we may say, as Patrick 
 Henry did to George Washington, when 
 he could not be prevailed upon to make a 
 speech after having risen to do so, " Sit 
 down, sir, sit down. Your modesty equals 
 your valor, and both are invincible." We 
 have therefore exercised a friendly com- 
 pulsion in thus drawing his portrait. 
 
 It was a time of fervid enthusiasm for 
 many athletic sports, yet there was certainly 
 no figure that so universally and instantly 
 caught the eye of the spectator by a quite 
 unique grace, strength, and speed, as that 
 of our historian. This was as true in foot- 
 
A CONTEMPORARY vil 
 
 ball as baseball, and his easy lead of even 
 the best professionals was as marked in the 
 gymnasium as on the Common. This su- 
 premacy was known and acknowledged by 
 every boy on the Campus in those days, 
 except one, who wUl not believe it up to 
 the present moment. The writer well re- 
 members Lovett's catch, without gloves, of 
 Ames's liner, which seemed simply miracu- 
 lous, and certainly remains the best, even 
 in these days of professional gladiators, to 
 those who saw it. 
 
 From one of his sisters comes this char- 
 acteristic glimpse of our friend. On the 
 day of this match, coming out of their house 
 on Chestnut Street, her attention was ar- 
 rested by a long-continued succession of 
 cheers from the Common. On asking her 
 brother Jim that evening the cause of this 
 uproar, the only reply she could get was, 
 " Oh, one of our fellows made a catch." 
 
 In looking back it appears to at least 
 one of us as if our chronicler had foreseen 
 
viii A CONTEMPORARY 
 
 and taken as his model the spirit of that 
 noble quatrain of Gelett Burgess, — 
 
 " Not the quarry, but the Chase, 
 Not the laurel, but the Race, 
 Not the hazard, but the Play, 
 Let me. Lord, prefer alway." 
 
 Samuel Cabot. 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 "A Putty Ball has been known to pene- 
 trate THE SIDE OF A TALL HAT " Frontispiece 
 Drawn by C. D. Gibson 
 
 Daniel Sargent, First Lieutenant, 24TH Mass. 
 
 I Vol. Infantry 38 
 
 Harvard 'Varsity Crew, 1866 S4 
 
 Robert F. Clark 56 
 
 Volant and Huron Boat Race, June 16, 1857, 
 
 showing Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes in a 
 
 Wherry 58 
 
 Harvard 'Varsity Crew, 1858 62 
 
 Harvard Boat-Houses as they appeared in 
 
 1862 64 
 
 St. George Cricket Eleven, Hoboken, N. J., 
 
 1861 id 
 
 Gerrit S. Miller, and R. Clifford Watson 84 
 
 John P. Hall 84 
 
 James D'W. Lovett 84 
 
 Old Football won by Oneida Football Club 
 
 in 1863 92 
 
 In possession of Gerrit Smith Miller (Captain) 
 
 "Borodino" 102 
 
 Drawn, at the age of 14, by Edwin H. Blashfield 
 
X ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 "Lannes' Advance" 104 
 
 Drawn, at the age of 14, by Edwin H. Blashfield 
 
 Henry K. Bushnell, Half-Arm Hold . . . 108 
 
 This position, talcen before the time of snapshots, was 
 retained from one and a quarter to one and a half 
 minutes for this picture 
 
 Thomas Kendrick, showing Arm Development 108 
 Henry K. Bushnell, showing Back Develop- 
 ment io8 
 
 John C. Doldt, One-Arm Hold 108 
 
 A Tremont Gymnasium Group no 
 
 A Tremont Gymnasium Group (Caricature), no 
 
 Harvard 'Varsity Crew, 1868 112 
 
 Harvard-Oxford Crew, 1869 112 
 
 Gymnasts at Tremont Gymnasium 116 
 
 Lowell Baseball Nine, 1865 146 
 
 Harvard Baseball Nine, 1867 154 
 
 Thomas Nelson 172 
 
 Lowell Baseball Nine, 1866 176 
 
 "There were Fans in those days" . . . .180 
 
 Drawn by C. D. Gibson 
 
 Harvard Baseball Nine, 1868 182 
 
 Lowell Baseball Club and " Rooters " . .184 
 
 James D'W. Lovett 186 
 
 John A. Lowell 186 
 
 Mr. Lowell held the bat with no rest from one and a 
 quarter to one and a half minutes 
 
 M. Mortimer Rogers 186 
 
 Lowell Baseball Nine, 1868 192 
 
 George Wright 202 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS AND 
 THE GAMES THEY PLAYED 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 AND THE GAMES 
 
 THEY PLAYED 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 IN deep-sea dredging many curious and 
 unlooked-for things are brought to the 
 surface, some of great value to the 
 toiling scientist alone, others of interest to 
 many ; but by far the greater part of the 
 " haul " is tossed back again into the depths, 
 where, no doubt, it will rest undisturbed 
 forever. 
 
 It seems to me that in some way resem- 
 bling this process is the effort used in try- 
 ing to recall scenes and incidents in one's 
 life which lie buried beneath a half-cen- 
 tury's collection of debris in memory's 
 
2 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 store-house. Many events long forgot- 
 ten are brought to light, — some of which 
 are of value only to the searcher; much 
 rubbish is thrown back again into lasting 
 oblivion, while other specimens are dis- 
 covered that may be found to be of interest 
 to a few to whom they will recall distant 
 scenes, in some of which they took an ac- 
 tive part. 
 
 I hope I may be pardoned for holding 
 up, for a passing glance, one find from the 
 rubbish heap which appealed to my first 
 boyish instincts, as I know it must have 
 done to multitudes of other boys, before 
 and since. This is a pair of diminutive, 
 long-legged boots, — the first boots, — 
 adorned with bright red tops, and upon the 
 red field a golden eagle, rampant. These 
 tiny boots were in a remarkable state of 
 preservation ; the tops still of a vivid and 
 magnificent red, and the eagle, all untar- 
 nished by time, retaining his original bril- 
 liancy. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 3 
 
 Among the most important events in a 
 boy's life, the admission to his first " man's " 
 school stands forth with prominence. I re- 
 member the feeling of pride and awe which 
 accompanied me upon the morning of my 
 d^but. It was a good school, and was kept 
 by Mr. Franklin Phelps, who died but a 
 few years ago, very aged, and, I believe, 
 totally blind. He was a most worthy and 
 estimable man, and will always be held by 
 me, and, I am sure, by many others of his 
 pupils, in grateful remembrance. A man 
 of the old school, he was a born gentleman, 
 and, while most kind-hearted, would stand 
 no boy's nonsense, and always spoke 
 straight to the point with the directness of 
 a Toledo blade. 
 
 The schoolroom was on the corner of 
 Chestnut and Charles streets, over what 
 was then Coolidge's provision store. It 
 had a rough, bare floor, and rudely, made 
 desks and chairs, which bore many jack- 
 knife testimonials of former occupants. 
 
4 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 The room was bare of ornaments or pic- 
 tures of any description, save a big map 
 hanging upon the white-plastered wall. 
 Mr. Phelps lived on West Cedar Street, 
 with Master Francis Gardner of the Public 
 Latin School, and fitted boys for this latter 
 school, — fitted them thoroughly and con- 
 scientiously. 
 
 In a little closet of a room leading off the 
 schoolroom, he had set up a fine turning- 
 lathe, and I can see him now with his apron 
 of ticking, hard at work at recess, the boys 
 watching him on rainy days. He was a 
 skilled workman, and, besides useful knick- 
 knacks, turned out many scholars who in 
 after years did credit to his wise and 
 manly example and precept. 
 
 Among my schoolmates here were Bob 
 Lawrence, Archie Howe, Harry Hovey, 
 Horatio and Albert S. Bigelow, Edgar 
 Curtis, Dennie Boardman, Jim Hawley, 
 and Fred and Charlie Lyman. 
 
 Mr. Phelps was scrupulously neat, and 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 5 
 
 gave us many a wholesome talking to about 
 " dragging in " mud upon our shoes. He 
 was proud of his ability to keep his own 
 spotless, and would often hold up one for 
 our edification, point to it and exclaim, 
 " Look at that ! not a speck upon it." I 
 once heard him add, sotto voce, " I verily 
 believe that boys would like to wallow." 
 
 The drinking water was brought from 
 Brown and Severance's livery stable oppo- 
 site, and the boy selected for this duty was 
 counted a lucky one, as it gave him the 
 opportunity to snatch from the tail of one 
 of the horses a few hairs, which later were 
 surreptitiously braided into finger rings. 
 Some of us will recall the taste of this water 
 after it had stood in a pail that was painted 
 inside. 
 
 In view of the fact that boys of the pre- 
 sent day leap with one bound, as it were, 
 from swaddling bands into sack coats and 
 all the appurtenances thereto, and wear full 
 evening dress to their first party, it may be 
 
6 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 of interest to them to know that the boys 
 of this earlier period arrived at that dignity 
 only after three distinct and easy stages, 
 to wit: first, the jacket, buttoned straight 
 up the front to the neck (with a clean white 
 linen collar "basted "in every day); this 
 jacket was fastened to the trousers by a row 
 of buttons at the waist line. In the second 
 stage the buttons were discarded and the 
 responsibility of sustaining the trousers was 
 assumed by suspenders, and the delicious 
 tug of the latter on the broadening shoul- 
 ders was a constant reminder of the fact 
 that the wearer was getting on to man's 
 estate. The third stage was the " open 
 jacket," as it was called; this involved a 
 starched shirt bosom and vest, and was a 
 proud, but at first a painfully conscious, 
 period. Thus was the way paved to the 
 full-blown sack coat and cutaway, and the 
 boy then was, in his own estimation, a 
 man. These stages gave the boy something 
 always to look forward to, and kept him 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 7 
 
 a boy for years, — something which was 
 healthy and which the present youth seems 
 to lack. 
 
 There is one product, however, of the 
 present time which boys do not lack, and of 
 which we were (most mercifully) deprived. 
 This is the lethal cigarette ; in those days 
 one did not see anzemic looking lads (I had 
 almost said infants) inhaling into their still 
 immature lungs the poisonous smudge of 
 burning nicotine. We must, however, plead 
 guilty to having smoked sweet fern, tea, 
 grapevine, and even rattan, but our lungs 
 were reserved for what the Almighty in- 
 tended them for, namely, pure air, and we 
 got as much of it into them as we could. 
 
 Our first lessons in athletics were learned 
 in a vacant lot, just below the school, upon 
 Chestnut Street, where a contractor kept 
 a large and varied assortment of lumber, 
 ladders, etc., of all kinds and sizes, and 
 where, at recess, we passed the time in 
 doing "stumps." 
 
8 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Private schools in those days were not 
 too plentiful, and the best were Phelps's, 
 Sullivan's, under Park Street Church, 
 Prescott Baker's, in Chapman Place, and 
 Mr, Dixwell's Private Latin School, in 
 Boylston Place. 
 
 That Boston in 1854 was a far different 
 place from the Greater Boston of to-day, 
 goes without saying, but it is doubtful if 
 the youth of the present day begins to 
 realize how very different it actually was. 
 There was not a single business house 
 within its limits tall enough to require 
 an elevator, and if there had been, an ele- 
 vator was no more thought of then than 
 a telephone. Horse-cars were not in ex- 
 istence, steam fire-engines were things 
 of the future, omnibuses and stages were 
 the nearest approach to rapid transit, and 
 the suburbs were indeed " out of town." 
 
 A line of omnibuses which ran from the 
 corner of Beacon and Charles streets to 
 Coolidge's Corner, in Brookline, was pop- 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 9 
 
 ular with the residents of the West End, 
 and a trip in one was a great event for a 
 child. I remember a weather-beaten driver 
 of one of these omnibuses, who, upon being 
 asked the time of starting upon the trips, 
 invariably droned out, " Quarter a'ter, half 
 a'ter, quarter to, and «/," the last word 
 causing me much perplexity until it was 
 explained that it meant " on the even hour," 
 The office of Town Crier was still in 
 use. My sympathies were aroused upon 
 one occasion, when this official drove down 
 West Cedar Street, stopped at the corner 
 of Chestnut Street, just opposite my house, 
 and, after ringing a big dinner-bell, stood 
 up in his wagon and proceeded to read 
 from a paper, " Child lost ! four years old, 
 wore a blue and white checked calico 
 dress," etc., giving a minute description of 
 the little girl. Then he started up his horse 
 with a " g'long ! " and went on to the next 
 corner, where the performance was re- 
 peated. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE games played by the boys of 
 Chestnut and the adjacent streets 
 are most pleasantly recalled ; 
 among which "I Spy," "The Red Lion," 
 and " Punk " stand out prominently. This 
 last was always popular, the only requisite 
 being a soft ball, — not too soft, however, for 
 obvious reasons, when it is known that the 
 first boy holding it plugged, or "punked," 
 the boy that suited him as a mark. A gen- 
 eral scrimmage then ensued for the posses- 
 sion of the ball, and the one securing it 
 promptly "punked "another victim selected 
 from the rapidly scattering boys. 
 
 In the winter, when the snow was thaw- 
 ing, dams, some of which were quite large, 
 holding fully two feet of water, were built 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS ii 
 
 in the gutters. Part of the fun was for an- 
 other gang of boys to build a second dam 
 higher up the street, larger if possible than 
 the first, and then by making a breach in 
 it try to wash out the one below. 
 
 " Follow my Leader " was a game always 
 liked by those boys who were willing to 
 take risks ; and for these there was a fine 
 field, as the budding Back Bay district 
 fairly bristled with pile-drivers, derricks, 
 and houses in process of construction ; in 
 fact, every opportunity was here presented 
 for the adventurous boy to break his own 
 neck and the necks of his foolhardy fol- 
 lowers. Why some of us were not killed 
 or maimed for life in this game is to-day 
 a mystery to me. 
 
 We used to try to get some fun out of 
 the Public Garden, but for the greater part 
 of the year it seemed a desolate, dreary 
 kind of place, the " garden " part of it con- 
 sisting of a single " greenhouse," located 
 on the Beacon Street path, near Charles 
 
12 , OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Street. Here an effort was once made by 
 the city to provide a few amusements for 
 the public, and several swings were set up, 
 as well as two " fandangoes," as they were 
 called, — long, wooden, open-framework 
 structures, which revolved perpendicularly, 
 with a swinging seat at each end holding 
 perhaps four or five persons. One of these 
 forecasts of the " Ferris Wheel " carried the 
 victims to a height of forty or fifty feet, 
 the other being much smaller, and made 
 presumably for those more timid. 
 
 Thinking of our City Fathers in session 
 considering the appropriation for a " fan- 
 dango," the picture is forcibly suggested 
 of some Hibernian member arising, as his 
 brother alderman of " gondola " fame, in a 
 certain Western city is said to have done, 
 long years afterwards, and moving that 
 " two fandangoes be ordered, a male and 
 a famale ! " 
 
 The pond in the Garden was then not 
 more than half the size of the present one, 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 13 
 
 innocent of any curbing, with an island in 
 its centre, upon which grew a large weep- 
 ing-willow tree. This pond was a popular 
 rendezvous for skaters and a dangerous 
 rival to the Frog Pond, but the twigs from 
 the willow tree had a way of getting frozen 
 into the ice, thereby causing many a "crop- 
 per " to the unwary. 
 
 Just over a low ridge of ground, which 
 is now Arlington Street, was the " Back 
 Bay," a sheet of water that extended from 
 the Mill Dam to Boston Neck, and many 
 a time have we boys struck straight across 
 upon the ice from the corner of Arlington 
 and Beacon streets, to where Chickering's 
 piano factory now stands. Farther up the 
 Bay, however, the skating was most dan- 
 gerous, the tide water, rushing in and out 
 through the two gates in the Mill Dam, 
 which separated this water from Charles 
 River, wearing away the ice in its course 
 and rendering it too thin to bear a person's 
 weight. 
 
14 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 I was one day going up the Bay at full 
 speed, before the wind, and suddenly found 
 myself upon ice which undulated under me 
 like stage waves, and the water, black as 
 ink, could be seen swirling along under- 
 neath it. Fortunately the strip was not very 
 wide, although it seemed a mile, as with 
 bated breath I skimmed across it. But 
 when once again on safe ice, I realized, 
 with a sickly feeling, that the strip must be 
 recrossed ; so without stopping an instant 
 to consider the matter, I took a long flying 
 start, threw the throttle wide open, shut 
 my eyes, and, not daring to breathe, glided 
 back over the death trap. The horrible, 
 reptile-like movement of that ice, with sure 
 death underneath it, comes back yet, and 
 brings a creepy feeling along my spine. 
 
 Skates in those days were clumsy affairs, 
 the front end piece curling back over the 
 foot in a large scroll, usually ornamented 
 with a brass acorn fixed upon its tip. A 
 simple straight spike fitted a hole bored in 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 15 
 
 the boot heel, and the skate was held on to 
 the boot by straps, necessarily drawn up 
 almost to the breaking point, and crossing 
 over the top of the foot, thus most effect- 
 ually stopping all circulation and causing 
 an excruciatingly painful coldness in that 
 member. Compare this with the modern 
 method, by which skates are fastened on 
 in a twinkling by steel clamps, either upon 
 arrival at the ice, or at leisure at home, 
 before starting, upon an extra pair of boots 
 to be slipped on when needed! 
 
 Jamaica Pond was, far and away, the 
 favorite and fashionable skating ground. 
 Here, almost any afternoon or evening 
 when the ice was good, could be seen 
 hundreds of skaters. Skating parties com- 
 posed of Boston's elite were formed for 
 visiting the pond, both by day and on 
 moonlight evenings, and this custom re- 
 mained popular for years. Here also was 
 the boys' paradise for ice hockey ; the boys 
 frequently lined up fifty or more strong 
 
1 6 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 on a side, and the constant " mix-ups " that 
 occurred, in which a hundred or more 
 hockeys were flying about in reckless con- 
 fusion, gave onlookers a decided impres- 
 sion that " something was doing." Surely 
 those of us now living who took part in 
 them will feel our pulses beat a trifle 
 quicker as we recall these hard-fought 
 contests on old Jamaica Pond. 
 
 To go back for a moment to the Public 
 Garden, it should be said that it was the 
 camping ground for all visiting circuses. 
 The Garden was surrounded by a wooden 
 fence at that time (replaced by the present 
 iron one in 1862); the entrance to the big 
 tent was usually at the corner of Beacon 
 and Charles streets, and later at the gate- 
 way about half-way along Charles Street. 
 These circuses were small, one-ring affairs, 
 and could be put into one of the side 
 shows of the present circus ; but the people 
 got just as much fun out of them, and no 
 doubt many of the clown's "brand-new 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 17 
 
 jokes " of to-day were heard there, and were 
 not in the first flush of youth even then. 
 A great drawing card, always, was the an- 
 nouncement in the papers that the ele- 
 phants would bathe in the Frog Pond, at 
 a given hour ; the big beasts would wade 
 in. to the end of their chains, and, filling 
 their trunks with water, douche themselves 
 with enjoyment as huge as their bodies. 
 
 Probably any boy of the present day and 
 generation, if told that fifty years ago there 
 was neither baseball nor football (as we 
 know them to-day) ; that tennis, polo, golf, 
 lacrosse, and basket ball were unknown, 
 besides many other athletic sports now so 
 common, would at once ask, with surprise, 
 not unmingled with pity, what the boys of 
 that day did, anyway, for sport and recrea- 
 tion. Well, he should remember, in the 
 first place, that it is easy to do without 
 things of which one has never heard nor 
 dreamed; and, in the second place, that he 
 is to-day doing the same thing himself; for 
 
1 8 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 undoubtedly some future boy will one day 
 be commenting with like surprise and pity 
 upon the meagreness, as it will then seem, 
 of to-day's recreations. Sufficient unto the 
 day are the sports thereof. 
 
 The American boy is nothing if not in- 
 ventive, and anything that can be produced 
 which will make a noise is dear to his 
 heart. One of the earliest of such inven- 
 tions which I recall was named the "locust," 
 a harmless production, and one that no 
 doubt paved the way for the later abomi- 
 nation known as the " Devil's fiddle." The 
 locust was made of an old-fashioned, round 
 wooden match-box, over the open end of 
 which a piece of kid was tightly stretched ; 
 a strand or two of horse hair was then 
 passed in and out of this improvised drum- 
 . head, and the long ends were made into a 
 loop which ran around in a groove, with a 
 little resin in it, made at the end of a stick. 
 The box was then whirled around rapidly, 
 the result being a sound which almost ex- 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 19 
 
 actly resembUd the note of the insect from 
 which it received its name. 
 
 There were many other ingenious pro- 
 ductions that were common ; not all, how- 
 ever, as harmless as the foregoing ; but the 
 names have passed beyond recall. The 
 bean-blower, however, can never be forgot- 
 ten by any boy who ever possessed one; 
 not only on account of the joys which 
 came to him through its use, but also the 
 sorrows, which were visited upon his head 
 and elsewhere. The bean-blower still gets 
 in its work, but not with the same beau- 
 tiful precision as it did then. It had to 
 be used with stealth, of course, and to be 
 hidden away in secret places from the eyes 
 of stern parents. 
 
 Speaking of its precision recalls an inci- 
 dent which occurred at the time the horse- 
 cars were introduced into Boston. There 
 was a great protest from the good old Bos- 
 ton people against laying rails in the hith- 
 erto unobstructed streets. It seemed like 
 
20 OLD BOSTON bOYS 
 
 desecration to them, and the fight against 
 the innovation was a warm one. The cars 
 came, however, and the rails were laid. 
 While a gang of laborers was engaged in 
 the latter work in Park Square, two of the 
 sons of one of Boston's best known phy- 
 sicians, determining to make it as hot as 
 possible for the invading force, intrenched 
 themselves behind their blinds and opened 
 fire with such effect that every time a la- 
 borer stooped to lift a rail a stinging bean 
 would pink him where his overalls were 
 stretched tightest, and he would come to 
 the perpendicular with a spring like that 
 of a jack-knife. As smokeless powder was 
 used, it was some time before the sharp- 
 shooters could be located ; but they were, 
 finally, and a call was made at the house, 
 a complaint laid, apologies tendered, and a 
 treaty of peace forthwith ratified. 
 
 As beans did not always produce the de- 
 sired effect, pellets of putty were resorted 
 to eventually, sometimes driven through 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 2i 
 
 glass tubes ; but these did such deadly work 
 with window panes and street lamps that 
 they were speedily banished into outer 
 darkness. A putty ball has been known to 
 penetrate the side of a tall hat with almost 
 the ease of a Mauser bullet. 
 
 Then there was the bow-gun, a weapon 
 which made the owner thereof envied by 
 those of his companions who were not for- 
 tunate enough to possess one. This was a 
 homemade article, some of the boys pro- 
 ducing beautiful specimens, which those 
 less gifted eagerly purchased ; they had 
 finely finished black walnut stocks, polished 
 lancewood bows, strings of catgut, and deli- 
 cately hung triggers. These guns would 
 throw a buckshot most spitefully and with 
 fair precision. When buckshot ran short, 
 screws and other articles of hardware were 
 used. During the reign of this weapon, 
 feline mortality ran high, and the wail of 
 the widow and orphan was heard upon 
 rear sheds and fences. But the bow-gun 
 
22 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 multiplied too rapidly, and pet cats disap- 
 peared with too great frequency, and so it, 
 too, was rigorously stamped out of exist- 
 ence. 
 
 The game of hockey was deservedly 
 popular, and, as then practiced, was jio 
 child's play. Sides would be formed on the 
 Parade Ground of the Common, and con- 
 tests would be waged almost daily. Hock- 
 eys, too, were a homemade article, few 
 being found for sale in the shops. The 
 sticks, usually hickory, were cut in the 
 suburbs, steamed or soaked in boiling water 
 until the end was pliable, and then bent 
 to the required curve and tied with stout 
 cord until perfectly dry. Some were then 
 wound with copper wire at the point of con- 
 tact with the ground, and no better hockey 
 has ever been made since. 
 
 The hockey also proved a convenient 
 weapon when needed, as it often was if the 
 " South Enders " proved troublesome. And 
 this brings us to the famous South and 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 23 
 
 West end scrimmages. Scrimmages, do I 
 say ? Aye! fights ; battles ; indeed it could 
 be called a war ; nothing less, for it raged 
 for years, — winter and summer. In winter 
 the war was somewhat less deadly, as snow- 
 balls were the only ammunition at hand ; 
 but in summer stones, half bricks, any old 
 thing, were used ; and then, look out, boys ! 
 For a time, when the Boylston Street end 
 of the Parade Ground was being filled in, 
 hundreds of loads of oyster shells were 
 dumped there, which proved most formid- 
 able missiles, and razors were indeed " fly- 
 ing through the air." They were extremely 
 difiicult to dodge, owing to their swallow- 
 like flight and seeming ability to turn sharp 
 corners, so that many were the ugly wounds 
 they inflicted, as they cut like knives. In 
 these battles, bodies of skirmishers would 
 be sent around by devious ways to attack 
 in the rear, and charges would be made at 
 intervals, when either the West Enders 
 would be routed and sent flying up Spruce 
 
24 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Street for reinforcements from the " Hill," 
 or else the South Enders would beat a 
 quick retreat through Carver Street or Park 
 Square. 
 
 At this time it was quite perilous for 
 any boy known to be connected with 
 either side to walk through a street in the 
 enemy's district, and boys were not unfre- 
 quently pretty roughly handled while thus 
 innocently passing on their way. I recall 
 a case which occurred upon the Common 
 one morning when I was there before break- 
 fast for an early run. A West End negro, 
 well known to me, met a South Ender, 
 each, no doubt, carrying a well-balanced 
 chip upon his shoulder, and some grudge 
 to be settled. Lurid conversation ensued. 
 Each recommended a warm climate for 
 the other's health, and picked flaws in his 
 ancestry, until the representative from the 
 South End volunteered the advice that 
 the other should keep out of Carver Street 
 or he might get " pasted." The negro re- 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 25 
 
 plied, "You might get pasted, yourself, 
 and right here and now ; " and with that 
 he let fly a stone which he had been hold- 
 ing in his hand and struck the other fairly 
 in the forehead. The fellow dropped as 
 limp as a piece of chain, the blood flowing 
 in a stream. I was thoroughly frightened, 
 and to avoid connection with a murder, as 
 I fully thought it to be, got away as fast 
 as possible. The negro ran another way, 
 and I never heard the sequel. I think he 
 died years ago, but I frequently see his 
 brother upon the street, and always won- 
 der if he ever knew what happened that 
 morning. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THERE was a large vacant lot 
 on West Cedar Street, between 
 Mt. Vernon and Pinckney streets, 
 the ground of which, at its farther end, 
 was a good bit higher than that bordering 
 upon the street. Here was a fine position 
 for building a snow fort, which we often 
 did, and then scouts would be sent out 
 to provoke an assault by the negroes in 
 Revere Street. One or two well directed 
 snowballs would stir up the hornets' nest, 
 and then the scouts would beat a hasty 
 retreat to the " works," and the fun would 
 begin. 
 
 It must be confessed, however, that if 
 the enemy got too numerous, and capitu- 
 lation seemed imminent, the friendly back 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 27 
 
 gate of one of the Louisburg Square houses 
 was available, it being the residence of one 
 of our boys, and through this we retreated 
 to safety with as much dignity as the cir- 
 stances would permit. 
 
 We had the art of making snowballs 
 down pretty fine, as the saying goes, and 
 in a very few seconds one could be turned 
 out as round as an orange, particularly if 
 the snow was a trifle damp. If a fight was 
 anticipated for the next day, a large stock 
 of snowballs was made the afternoon be- 
 fore and carefully left to freeze over night, 
 and if one of these struck an adversary, he 
 did not have to be told of the fact. Any 
 one who has been hit by a cold snowball, 
 upon a cold ear, upon a cold day, will at 
 once recall the sensation and remember 
 that instead of his feeling the cold, the 
 thought instantly occurred that something 
 red-hot had happened to him. 
 
 To test our skill in throwing, we used 
 to draw a ring around us with a hockey 
 
28 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 or any other implement handy, and then, 
 standing stationary, throw the ball as high 
 as we could, straight into the air, and see if 
 it would fall back within the circle. Some 
 of us could do it nearly every time. There 
 was a boy named John Faulkner, who 
 lived on West Cedar Street, who could 
 throw a snowball as swiftly and as accu- 
 rately as any boy I ever saw, and I hope 
 that if he is living this tribute to his 
 boyish skill will come to his notice and 
 awaken pleasant remembrances. He was 
 a valuable hand in a fight, and the enemy 
 sought cover when he opened fire. 
 
 The Italians who used to vend plaster 
 casts of Apollo, Venus, etc., carried upon 
 a long wooden tray, resting upon the head, 
 and who used to cry " Eemo-gees ! " were 
 sometimes marks for snowballic skill ; but 
 they were unfair targets, as no chance for 
 retaliation was afforded the victim ; he had 
 to lower his tray with great deliberation 
 and care in order to see what damage had 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 29 
 
 been done, and when this had been accom- 
 plished the boy was probably out of sight 
 two blocks away.. 
 
 When defending a fort, the best shots 
 were given the places of honor, and snow- 
 balls were made and passed to them by the 
 lesser lights. These picked men generally 
 held in their left hands a bit of flat stick 
 which was used as a shield, upon which 
 the enemy's snowballs were received, 
 thus enabling them to stand upright to 
 their work with far more effect than if 
 they had been kept dodging and ducking 
 behind the ramparts. These sticks also 
 discouraged opponents from rushing the 
 fort, as they were then turned into weapons 
 of defense and used with great effect upon 
 any part of the enemy attempting to scale 
 the breastworks. 
 
 Of course the winter sport /«r excellence 
 was coasting, and those Boston boys whose 
 boyhood was at the zenith in the fifties 
 include coasting, as it was then practiced, 
 
30 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 among the lost arts. If any of the young- 
 sters of to-day are inclined to laugh at 
 this statement, let any one of them, athlete 
 though he may be, take a running start 
 of from three to ten yards at full speed 
 with the sled following at the end of its 
 cord, and when sufficient impetus has 
 been acquired, throw it ahead, letting the 
 line fall along the seat, at the same time 
 launching his body, curved bow-wise, for- 
 ward through the air, alighting breast first, 
 with no apparent effort, jar, or retardment 
 of speed as softly as a falling snowflake, 
 upon the flying sled as it shoots under- 
 neath. This would be called a pretty, acro- 
 batic feat to-day, but was too common then 
 to attract special notice. That 's the dif- 
 ference. 
 
 All coasting in those days was racing, 
 pure and simple. Prominent sleds were as 
 well known among the boys as race horses 
 and yachts are to-day, and on any Satur- 
 day afternoon hundreds of spectators might 
 
OLD BOSTON* BOYS 31 
 
 be seen hedging in . the " Long Coast," 
 which ran from the corner of Park and 
 Beacon streets to the West Street entrance 
 and as much farther along Tremont Street 
 Mall as one's impetus would carry him. 
 A squad of coasters would be bunched 
 together at the top of this coast, holding 
 their sleds like dogs in leash, waiting for 
 some " crack " to lead off. As he straight- 
 ened himself and started on his run with 
 the cry of " LuUah ! " to clear the way, it 
 was the signal for all to follow, and one 
 after another would string out from the 
 bunch after him, in rapid succession, each 
 keen to pass as many of those ahead as 
 possible, the lesser lights being careful not 
 to start until the " heavyweights " had 
 sped on their way. 
 
 The walk back uphill was made inter- 
 esting by discussing the merits, faults, 
 lines, etc., of the noted sleds, and if, as 
 often happened, invidious comparisons 
 were made between a "South End" and 
 
32 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 a " West End " sled, a lively and not altd- 
 gether unwelcome scrap, then and there, 
 was usually the logical outcome. 
 
 Sleds (the first-class ones) were made 
 with much care and skill, and cost propor- 
 tionately. Natural black walnut was a fa- 
 vorite material, finished either with a fine 
 dead polish or a bright surface, varnished 
 with as much care as a coach ; the name, 
 if it bore one, was usually a fine specimen 
 of lettering in gold or bright colors. The 
 model was carefully planned, and the lines 
 were graceful and a delight to the eye of a 
 connoisseur. Black enameled leather, bor- 
 dered by gold or silver headed tacks, made 
 a popular seat, and the " irons," as they 
 were called, were made of the best "silver 
 steel," whatever that meant. They were 
 kept burnished like glass, with constant 
 care and fine emery and oil, and a streak 
 of ashes or a bare spot was avoided as a 
 yacht steers clear of rocks. 
 
 The amount of " spring " given to the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 23 
 
 irons was also a matter oiE moment, and a 
 nice gradation of the same was thought to 
 have influence on the speed; it certainly 
 added greatly to one's bodily comfort. 
 
 " Let 's see your irons " was a common 
 request, and the owner thus honored would 
 jerk his sled up on its hind legs, so to 
 speak, wipe off the steel with mitten or 
 handkerchief, and show off the bright sur- 
 face with much pride. 
 
 The most popular coasts were the " Long 
 Coast " already mentioned, the Joy Street 
 coast. Beacon Street Mall, and the " Big " 
 or " Flagstaff " Hill, the flagstaff standing 
 on the spot now graced by the Soldiers* 
 Monument. The hill was much higher 
 than it is now, the ground around it hav- 
 ing been raised in recent years. Many of 
 the boys will recall the evenings spent on 
 Mount Vernon and Chestnut streets and 
 Branch Avenue, — the latter then known 
 as " Kitchen " Street. 
 
 Fancy a laughing, shouting crowd, in 
 
34 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 these days of police surveillance, coasting 
 down public streets until eleven o'clock 
 at night! But the Civil War came and 
 changed many things, coasting among the 
 rest. Most of the laughing, careless crowd 
 enlisted at the first note of the country's 
 call, and their boyhood came to a sudden 
 end as the sound of drum and fife stirred 
 all hearts to sterner things. Some came 
 back, but many, alas, stayed behind with 
 the great silent army, and it is for us who 
 are left to keep their memories green until 
 we too are enlisted in the same ranks. 
 
 It will, I am sure, be of interest to many 
 who remember those days, to see once 
 more the old familiar names of a few of the 
 crack sleds of Boston at that period, and 
 to have recalled to their minds who the 
 owners of them were. 
 
 Wivern Bob Clark 
 
 Raven Arthur Clark 
 
 Brenda Dan Sargent 
 
 Charlotte Alfred Greenough 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 35 
 
 Comet Frank Wells 
 
 Southern Cross . . . Frank Lawrence 
 
 Eagle Jim Lovett 
 
 Arrow John Muliken 
 
 Wild Pigeon .... Ned Kendall 
 
 Tom Heyer .... Jack Carroll 
 
 Titania Nate Appleton 
 
 Multum in Parvo . . Frank Peabody 
 
 Cave Adsum .... Ned Amory 
 
 Dancing Feather . . Charlie Greenough 
 
 Flying Childers . . . Frank Wildes 
 
 Juniata Horace Bumstead 
 
 Trustee Charlie Chamberlin 
 
 Santiago Dick Robins 
 
 Whiz ! Will Freeman 
 
 Flirt Horace Freeman 
 
 Scud Eben Dale 
 
 Flying Cloud .... Billy Fay 
 
 Cygnet Jim Chadwick 
 
 Alma Fred Crowninshield 
 
 Tuscaloosa .... Horatio Curtis 
 
 Viking Edgar Curtis 
 
 Moby Dick .... Henry AUine 
 
 Of course there were many sleds equally 
 
 fine which bore no name; prominent 
 among this latter class should be men- 
 
^6 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 tioned the one owned by Tom Edmands 
 and also one which was made and owned 
 by Charlie Lovett, both of them beautiful 
 in grace, workmanship, and finish. There 
 was one sled, named the " Edith," which 
 always appealed to me as being more nearly 
 perfect than any that I can remember. I 
 cannot recall the owner's name, but I 
 fear that whenever I saw this sled the 
 tenth commandment was handled pretty 
 roughly. 
 
 Steering a first-class sled in those days 
 was not accomplished by sticking out one's 
 leg and digging gullies in the snow with 
 the toe of the boot. Heaven forbid ! Those 
 who owned crack sleds knew how to handle 
 and get all the speed possible out of them, 
 and would no more have retarded the speed 
 by employing the above method than a 
 yachtsman would think of steering his boat 
 by towing a spar overboard. The correct 
 form for a coaster who knew the game was 
 to lie on the sled with head well down, feet 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 37 
 
 firmly crossed and knees flexed as far over 
 the back as possible, both hands resting 
 easily upon the same runner near its point ; 
 the steering was done by "pulling her head 
 'round " in the desired direction, by little 
 short jerks of the runner upon which the 
 hands rested. 
 
 Dan Sargent conceived the idea of steer- 
 ing by holding out in front of his sled 
 a second one of diminutive proportions. 
 This, however, could only be done on a 
 steep coast, where no running start was 
 necessary. I saw him try it several times, 
 but it was never adopted. The first step to 
 the " double runner " was two sleds hitched 
 together tandem, and then the long con- 
 necting board quickly followed. 
 
 Street coasting was dangerous and re- 
 sulted in accidents of all kinds, especially 
 where the coast was intersected by another 
 street. A big, heavy negro was one day 
 coasting down Mt. Vernon Street on glare 
 ice, and just before he reached Charles 
 
38 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Street a sledge drawn by one horse moving 
 at a walk came into sight. The coaster had 
 no time to think or swerve from his course, 
 and with lightning speed shot under the 
 horse's belly without touching a hoof. It 
 was a close shave. 
 
 Usually a boy stood at such a place to 
 signal to those about to start, when the 
 coast was clear. I remember a boy going 
 down the " Long Coast" with one leg 
 stuck out for a rudder, as I have mentioned 
 above, when another sled, overtaking him, 
 struck the projection, whirling him around 
 so that he faced up hill, and the next sled 
 struck him full in the face, making sad 
 work. 
 
 A funny incident occurred one morn- 
 ing upon the Joy Street coast. A colored 
 washerwoman, weighing some two hun- 
 dred pounds, was ponderously and labori- 
 ously picking her way down the icy path, 
 carrying upon her head a large bundle of 
 laiindered clothes. She was so absorbed in 
 
FIRST LIEUT. DANIEL SARGENT 
 24th Mass. Vol. Infantry 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 39 
 
 her efforts to maintain her footing that she 
 failed to hear, or else did not understand, 
 the cry of " Lullah ! " behind her. At all 
 events, she kept stolidly upon her way, and 
 the coaster, rattling down behind, kept 
 upon his, perforce, being held to the coast 
 by the ruts and going too fast to turn out. 
 Of course the inevitable happened, and 
 the colored lady, first lifted with startling 
 abruptness, was then, fortunately for her, 
 seated astride the back of the frightened 
 boy, who continued on down the coast 
 faster than ever, owing to the added weight. 
 When she collected her senses, and found 
 herself neither killed nor wounded, she fell 
 to berating the poor lad with a wonderful 
 flow of language, at the same time pound- 
 ing and whacking him about his ears and 
 shoulders during the remainder of the trip. 
 The gentleman who told me of this con- 
 tretemps added with a laugh that he would 
 not have minded it quite so much if she 
 had only landed " side saddle." 
 
40 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 But enough of old-time coasting. We 
 old boys who knew it then, and loved the 
 sport, will still think that it should be 
 classed among the lost arts. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 IN the spring, as soon as the frost was 
 out of the ground, many games stood 
 waiting for us. Probably to the boys 
 of to-day " marbles " sounds rather weak, 
 and " Go and play marbles " is a phrase 
 which one often hears hurled at the head 
 of some unsuccessful competitor in field 
 sports. It is true that it cannot be classed 
 among athletics, but it was a much more 
 serious business then than it is to-day, 
 and was played with a good deal of skill. 
 To shoot an " alley " with force and pre- 
 cision, " knuckling down," that is, with the 
 knuckles resting upon the ground, is not 
 so easy and requires much practice. 
 
 A boy's stock of marbles was usually car- 
 ried in a bag with a running string, and 
 
42 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 consisted of "Alleys," "Jaspers," "Chi- 
 nees," " Pewees," "Agates," " Bulls' Eyes," 
 and several other kinds. A special marble 
 was kept for long shots, which might per- 
 haps have been six feet, and it was remark- 
 able how many times a small marble would 
 be struck at this distance, with only the 
 snap of the thumb. 
 
 I wonder if Mr. Rogers, a most courteous 
 and dignified gentleman, whom I often 
 see, remembers his skill at this sport I He 
 was as expert as any boy of whom I can 
 think. He, among many others, used to 
 run a " bank," as we called it, — which con- 
 sisted of a strip of wood, perhaps twelve 
 or fifteen inches long, with six or eight lit- 
 tle arches cut in it, each somewhat wider 
 than a marble, and numbered from one 
 up. This row of arches was held upright 
 upon the ground, and the marksman, a 
 few feet away, would shoot his marble 
 with the object of entering one of the 
 arches ; if he succeeded, he was given the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 43 
 
 number of marbles which corresponded 
 with the number over the arch, while, if he 
 failed, the marble was appropriated by the 
 banker. 
 
 Then there was " ring taw " and " three 
 holes," and lots of other names which have 
 been forgotten. These games were good 
 fun, and kept boys out of doors as well as 
 out of mischief. 
 
 Kite-flying had and always will have a 
 fascination for boys. Few "grown-ups," 
 however, give it any attention at the pre- 
 sent day, except in the interest of science. 
 Formerly many gentlemen used to make 
 kites for their children, and meet upon the 
 Common to fly them. The late Dr. Na- 
 thaniel B. Shurtleff, once mayor of Bos- 
 ton, the writer's father, and several others 
 made fine kites. Dr. Shurtleff was very 
 skillful in making Chinese kites ; I remem- 
 ber several which resembled owls, with 
 large, blinking eyes, and which were most 
 effective in the air. My father once made 
 
44 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 a bow-kite seven feet high, a piece of rat- 
 tan forming the bow. It had a " pull " which 
 would have delighted the heart of a politi- 
 cian ; one afternoon I was allowed to hold 
 the cross-bar to which the string was at- 
 tached, but I did not hold it long, as, al- 
 though I dug both heels into the ground, 
 it drew me along with the utmost ease. 
 Stout gloves were required in letting out 
 and pulling in the string of this kite. 
 
 Many gentlemen used to fish for perch, 
 flounders, and eels off " Perch Rocks," as 
 they were called. These rocks were the 
 commencement of the wall bordering upon 
 Charles River, back of the Beacon Street 
 houses, and extended at that time perhaps 
 an eighth of a mile out from River Street, 
 several hundred yards beyond where the 
 filling had been done. Here the gentle- 
 men would meet and spend a pleasant 
 afternoon, and right glad was I when taken 
 along and allowed to hold a line. Once I 
 grew tired, waiting for the bite which did 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 45 
 
 not come ; so, fastening my line, I wan- 
 dered off to the stone-cutters' sheds near 
 by, to watch the men at their work. Upon 
 coming back and taking hold of my line, 
 I was surprised and delighted to feel that 
 there was a monster upon the hook. I 
 commenced to haul in the line with shouts 
 of triumph, and as the prize rose to the 
 surface I gazed into the leg of an old rub- 
 ber boot that one of the party had attached. 
 As he afterwards salved my wounded dig- 
 nity with a bright dime, which looked big 
 to a boy in those days, the wound quickly 
 healed. 
 
 Tops, of course, had their innings, and 
 some of the older boys used to get theirs 
 turned to order, from hard, fancy woods, 
 such as lignum vitse, rose, box, tulip, leo- 
 pard, and many other woods. These had 
 long and sharp steel spikes fixed in them, 
 with which we would try to split each 
 other's tops while spinning. Since then I 
 have never seen boys, playing at this sport, 
 
46 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 throw the tops with their utmost strength, 
 as we used to do. 
 
 Stilting, too, was a fad for a time, and 
 some got to be quite expert at the game, 
 hopping upon one stilt and shouldering 
 the other. We would in this fashion have 
 jousts, necessarily short-lived, handling the 
 unused stilt as a lance. Games of tag, too, 
 were played upon stilts, and in fact we got 
 to feel pretty much at home upon them. 
 
 " Tip-cat " was also a popular game. 
 One occasionally sees it played to-day, but 
 not to the extent that it was then. Not 
 content with small soft wood cats, two or 
 three inches in length, we made them of a 
 section of broom handle and about six or 
 eight inches long, using the remainder of 
 the handle for the cat-stick. With the 
 three strokes which were allowed in this 
 game, I have seen a cat of the latter kind 
 sent from the Spruce Street path on the 
 Common over the Public Garden fence. 
 Charlie Troupe, who was a fine player at 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 47 
 
 the old " Massachusetts " game of baseball, 
 made these three strokes; they held the 
 record, and I very much doubt if any cat 
 has ever jumped as far since. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THERE was a startling announce- 
 ment in the papers one morning to 
 the effect that an ancient cave had 
 been discovered upon the Common. Many- 
 people went to see it, I among the number; 
 and there, sure enough, near the Boylston 
 Street end of the Parade Ground, a sort of 
 canvas covering had been erected over a 
 good-sized excavation into which people 
 were entering by means of a rudely made 
 stairway. I forget whether or not a small 
 admission fee was charged (probably there 
 was, or I should have gone in) ; but any- 
 way, those who came out looked a little 
 sheepish, at the same time urging others 
 to go in and get their money's worth of 
 the mysterious. Of course it soon dawned 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 49 
 
 upon everybody that it was April i ; this, 
 however, did not deter them from going 
 in just the same, to see what the joke 
 was like, and all seemed to enjoy it ; prob- 
 ably the originators reaped quite a little 
 harvest. 
 
 There was one spot in Boston which will 
 never fade from the memories of those who 
 knew it. This was " Braman's Baths " at 
 the foot of Chestnut Street. In the fifties 
 there was a competitor in " Morey's Baths," 
 but these latter were discontinued, if I re- 
 member aright, some time before the Civil 
 War. Braman's was a notable institution, 
 and possessed attractions for a boy that 
 can hardly be overestimated. It was, in the 
 first place the only bath-house in tide water 
 in Boston. It consisted of a series of low 
 wooden buildings built on piles, and was 
 redolent of a strong odor of salt water, 
 with which it seemed to be saturated, like 
 no other place I have ever known, except 
 perhaps the moss-covered piles under a 
 
50 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 bridge ; and even more than these, it seemed 
 to have a distinct quality of salty smell all 
 its own. 
 
 Long, curious passageways and gang- 
 planks led finally to the swimming basin, 
 which was anchored in the river. There 
 was a fee charged of course, for baths, and 
 some of us were the possessors of season 
 tickets, entitling the holders thereof to one 
 bath per diem; but if we wanted two, it 
 was a cold day for us when we could n't 
 get them in one way or another known only 
 to boys. Rainy days offered no obstacles, 
 and even a hail storm which I well recall, 
 in which we felt as though being tattooed 
 upon every exposed part of our bodies at 
 once, could not keep us from the water. 
 There was an outside row of dressing- 
 rooms upon a platform, from which one 
 could enter the river itself ; but only expert 
 swimmers were allowed there. In the fall, 
 these bathing houses were towed up the 
 river and grounded for the winter upon the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 51 
 
 flats. Apart from the bathing, " Braman's " 
 was certainly a most fascinating place. In 
 vacation time we would congregate early, 
 and literally spend the day there, with only 
 an interim for a hurried dinner. 
 
 There were two or three big rafts, where 
 boats were to let, the rowboats tied to them 
 and the sailboats anchored off a short dis- 
 tance. Many boats of all kinds were owned 
 by private persons and were kept either 
 in their own boat-houses, or in club-houses 
 along with a number of others. 
 
 Although these recreations — swimming, 
 rowing, and sailing — are so common to- 
 day, it must be borne in mind that, at this 
 period of which I am writing, this was the 
 only rendezvous of the kind in Boston. 
 It was here that, on regatta days, all the 
 rowing celebrities congregated, and here 
 such men as Josh Ward, the Biglin Bro- 
 thers, Hammill, Walter Brown, and many 
 others were revealed to us. Merely to catch 
 a glimpse of them I have squirmed between 
 
52 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 the legs of a crowd and all but crawled 
 over their heads ; but these were state oc- 
 casions and occurred, alas, like angels' 
 visits. 
 
 Yes, " Braman's" was a unique collection 
 of queer buildings, and as different from 
 the cut-and-dried public baths of to-day as 
 fragrant country lanes are from the city 
 streets. Such a place would be impossible 
 nowadays. There was within its depths a 
 well-remembered lunch counter, past which 
 it was difficult for a hungry boy (and when 
 were we not hungry?) to pass without a 
 business transaction. Boys, do you re- 
 member those black mince "slugs," the 
 turnovers, the hard-tack which we used to 
 soak in the swimming basin and eat while 
 bathing, the spruce beer, and the apple 
 " dough bats " ? The exterior of these last 
 was of a beautiful doughnut brown, and 
 they contained in some part of their depths 
 a trace more or less of apple sauce, like the 
 ring in a cake ; one never knew when the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 53 
 
 prize would be reached, but if it was there 
 we never failed to reach it, and the won- 
 der of it is that all these things tasted so 
 good. 
 
 From the raft of the Beacon or Union 
 Club a small party of us used, in the early 
 sixties, to row almost daily either up to the 
 Harvard Boat-house or else down, under the 
 bridges, to the harbor. Usually the party 
 was composed of two, three, or four, as the 
 case might be, of the following named: 
 Bill and Tom Blaikie, John Tyler, Ned 
 Clark, John Hall, Billy Sanguilly, Frank 
 Jackson, and myself. Sometimes Bob, Fred, 
 or Sam Frothingham was of the party. 
 Who of us who knew the last named will 
 ever forget him or cease to regret his sad 
 death? Handsome of face, with broad 
 shoulders, deep chest, small waist, narrow 
 hips, and a big, kind heart, he was a rare 
 combination of manly beauty, strength, and 
 grace. I cannot pass him by without this 
 slight tribute to a dear old friend. 
 
54 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Upon our way home from these pulls 
 we would usually stop for a swim, either 
 at " Horseshoe Point " or at " Sugar Loaf." 
 Bill Blaikie at that time used always to 
 row bareheaded, declaring that the Al- 
 mighty knew the correct headgear for a 
 man and gave it to him accordingly. The 
 rest of us, however, lacked sufficient faith 
 in this theory to brave the risk of sun- 
 stroke. Blaikie, by the way, could at that 
 time, with his hands alone, lift a dead 
 weight of sixteen hundred pounds. This, 
 for a man not over twenty years of age, 
 was surely a gigantic feat. He did it re- 
 peatedly at the old Tremont Gymnasium. 
 Later on he was a power in the Harvard 
 'Varsity boat, and the crew of which he 
 rowed stroke was never beaten. The other 
 members of this celebrated crew were Bob 
 Peabody, Ned Fenno, A. P. Loring, Ned 
 ^Wilkinson, and Charlie McBurney. In 
 action, with bronzed bodies, capped with 
 crimson, plying that piston-rod stroke, this 
 six was a sight to remember ! 
 
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CHAPTER VI 
 
 IN the late fifties Boston could boast 
 of having some of the best oarsmen 
 in the country, amateurs though they 
 might be. As a single sculler, "Bob" 
 Clark (lately chairman of the Boston 
 Police Board) was unapproachable. Upon 
 June 22, 1859, in his shell L'Esperance, 
 he made the time of 13.52 over a two-mile 
 course, one mile out and return, against 
 Tom Doyle and Eben Harrington; the 
 former finishing in 14.42 J^ and the latter 
 in 15.50. This time of Clark's held the 
 record for sixteen years! He literally 
 played with all comers. In one of his 
 races he came in so far ahead of his op- 
 ponents that the spectators would not 
 believe that he had turned the stake- 
 
56 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 boat, until all doubts were set at rest 
 by the other participants in the race and 
 by the judge who was stationed at that 
 point. 
 
 The old Volant crew was also well-nigh 
 invincible, and was made up of such metal 
 as Robert H. Stevenson and his brother 
 Thomas (afterwards that magnificent sol- 
 dier, Brigadier-General Thomas G. Steven- 
 son), Robert F. and Arthur Clark, John 
 Putnam, and Robert M. Pratt. In chroni- 
 cling the prowess of this splendid crew, of 
 which Boston was so proud, I cannot do 
 better than to give verbatim the following 
 report of their riace with the Huron, as 
 it appeared in " Ballou's Pictorial " for 
 June 20, 1857, along with a sketch of the 
 finish, referred to therein. 
 
 "boat race on CHARLES RIVER." 
 
 "The exciting scene depicted on this 
 page, by our artist, Mr. Hill, who made 
 the drawing expressly for us, is the con- 
 
ROBERT F. CLARK 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 57 
 
 elusion of the race between the club boats, 
 Huron and Volant, which took place on 
 the 1 6th ult., in presence of a large con- 
 course of spectators. The locality is faith- 
 fully represented. The houses in the back- 
 ground of the picture are the fine ones 
 recently built on Western Avenue; in 
 front and to the left, are Braman's baths 
 and boat-houses. From the baths, a line 
 was drawn to the judges' boat, to form a 
 starting point for the race ; the Volant is 
 represented as having crossed it, and the 
 Huron coming up. In the foreground is 
 the judges' boat ; beyond the Volant is one 
 of the boats of the Union Club ; and the 
 gentleman pulling the extremely narrow 
 one is Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, the 
 poet, who is very partial to this manly 
 exercise, for which no city in the world 
 has such facilities as Boston, the fine ex- 
 panse of Charles River being unimpeded 
 by navigation and the dangers incident 
 to the passage of steamers. Our sketch. 
 
58 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 through the kindness of Mr. Braman, was 
 made from the judges' boat. 
 
 " Of the two boats engaged in this spir- 
 ited race, the Huron is owned by a club 
 of Harvard College students, and the Vo- 
 lant is well known as the champion of the 
 Charles River Association, The race was 
 not for money, but a set of colors was to 
 be given by the loser to the winner in 
 the generous contest. The race was to be 
 pulled over the usual three-mile course on 
 Charles River, the boats to be governed 
 by ordinary rules, to start from the judges' 
 line at half-past four, to round the stake 
 at the upper end, pulling starboard oars. 
 Both crews had been thoroughly and 
 severely trained and came to the line in 
 most excellent condition. The following 
 are the names and positions of the crews, 
 as reported in the ' Traveller : ' Volant — 
 Stroke, R. H. Stevenson, No. 2, A. H. 
 Clark, No. 3, J. C. Putnam, No. 4, R. Pratt, 
 No. 5, R. F. Clark, No. 6, T. G. Steven- 
 
VOLANT AND HURON BO 
 O. W. Holmes, at 
 
BOAT RACE, JUNE i6, 1857 
 al left, in wherry 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 59 
 
 son ; Huron — Stroke, S. B. Parkman, No. 
 2, C. F. Walcott, No. 3, W. H. Elliot, No. 
 4, W. G. Goldsmith, No. 5, A. E. B. Agas- 
 siz, No. 6, J. J. Storrow. Mr. Grenville T. 
 W. Braman acted as judge for the Volant, 
 and Mr. Alfred Whitman, Jr., for the 
 Huron. 
 
 "At quarter-past four the gun was fired, 
 the boats disappeared under their houses 
 for a moment, and in another minute came 
 out — the crews stripped and ready for the 
 race. The Volants wore scarlet caps, white, 
 close-fitting body shirts, and dark trousers ; 
 the Hurons, white flat caps, with red band, 
 white shirts, and white trousers. Both 
 crews looked admirably. The judges were 
 between the boats, able to see that they 
 were even and to direct their movements 
 with much greater facility than is possible 
 from a boat moored at the end of the line. 
 The word was given by Mr. Whitman, and 
 the boats started at 4 h. 37 min. 30 sec. 
 The Volant led. She had gained a length 
 
6o OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 at the end of the first eighth of a mile, and 
 throughout the race pulled steadily ahead 
 of her rival, at no time losing any part of 
 her advantage. Off the lower breakwater, 
 on the up-stretch, there were two lengths 
 of clear water between the boats. The dis- 
 tance of the Volants increased to three or 
 four at the upper breakwater — they were 
 at least five ahead after rounding the stake, 
 and on the home-stretch gained in about 
 the same proportion, coming in with a 
 lead of ten or eleven lengths. Both boats 
 having started at 4 h. 37 min. 30 sec. re- 
 turned as follows : Volant, 4 h. 58 min. 
 30 sec. — time, 21 min.; Huron, 4 h. 59 
 min. 8 sec. — time, 2 1 min. 38 sec. ; differ- 
 ence in favor of the Volant, 38 sec. The 
 time is good ; better, the ' Traveller ' says, 
 than any amateur six-oar has made in pub- 
 lic on this course. Neither boat, however, 
 came down to its practice time. The Hu- 
 ron has been round in 20 min. 50 sec. ; and 
 it is said the Volant has accomplished it 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 6i 
 
 in 19 min. 52 sec, which, if correct, is very 
 much better than anything recorded. This 
 sport was witnessed with much interest by 
 the spectators." ^ 
 
 Besides the Volant, there were the Fort 
 Hill Boy, Maid of Erin, Robert Emmet, 
 Shamrock, Sterling, Bunker Hill, and 
 others — most of them manned by hardy 
 longshoremen, all fine athletes, some of 
 whom were nearly always to be found in 
 the 1 7th of June and 4th of July regattas, 
 and they always gave a good account of 
 themselves. I give a few brief sketches of 
 some of these old races, which were taken 
 from the files of the Boston " Herald " and 
 " Transcript." 
 
 Upon July 4, 1856, in the single-scull 
 race. Daw, in the Brooklyn Boy, beat Tom 
 Daly in the Stephen Roberts, by a small 
 margin, and on the same day the Rob- 
 ert Emmet was beaten by the Harvard 
 manned by Parkman, Crowninshield, El- 
 
 • See Appendix, p. 211. 
 
6a OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 liott, Erving, Walcott, Ropes, and Gold- 
 smith. In 1857, July 4, the Harvard 
 beat Fort Hill Boy, Robert Emmet, Sham- 
 rock, Bunker Hill, and Sterling in 19.22. 
 In the single sculls, Bob Clark, in the 
 Blackbird, took things easily and beat Tom 
 Doyle and two or three others by several 
 lengths, in 14.54. Doyle rowed the D. E. 
 Poland. The prizes were awarded by Mr. 
 Charles F. Shimmin — he and the two 
 Stevenson brothers being the judges. 
 
 June 19, 1858, on the Charles River, in 
 the second annual Beacon Regatta, the 
 Harvards once more beat the Fort Hill 
 Boy, their rival of the previous year, in a 
 three-mile race, in 19.22, — the latter com- 
 ing in second, two minutes behind them. 
 
 The Fort Hill Boy's crew of longshore- 
 men, being now thoroughly disgruntled by 
 these repeated defeats by those whom they 
 termed " Beacon Street swells," determined 
 to arrange a race with them that should 
 effectually show the difference between 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 63 
 
 brawn and brains, and put these " lady's 
 pets " in their proper place in boat-racing. 
 Accordingly they challenged the Harvards 
 to row a six-mile race (twice over the usual 
 three-mile course). The Harvards, nothing 
 daunted, accepted the challenge with the 
 responsiveness of a gamecock, and upon 
 July 5 again showed their heels to the 
 Irish crew in 40.25, beating them by nearly 
 a minute and a half.^ 
 
 The time made by these oarsmen has 
 since been beaten, mainly owing to im- 
 provements in boat construction and to the 
 valuable addition of the sliding seat, which 
 was then unknown. Race horses have been 
 improved since the 2.40 days, by careful 
 breeding, and in this era of the pneumatic 
 sulky the old records are laughed at ; but 
 no improvement has been made, ok can be 
 made, on the splendid athletes and water- 
 men of the old days of which I write. 
 
 » See Appendix, p. 213. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 DURING this period I was, of 
 course, a mere lad; but in the 
 early sixties, through the experi- 
 ence which I have related I grew to know 
 Charles River thoroughly, in its every 
 nook and corner, from Braman's to the 
 Harvard boat-house, and loved it well. I 
 often used to start off alone on pulls, and 
 the mere drifting along with lazy strokes, 
 feeling as free as a bird in air, was an un- 
 mixed delight, never to be forgotten. 
 
 In rowing around to Boston Harbor 
 there was a railroad bridge, which at high 
 tide nearly touched the water, and was at 
 such times a ticklish place to pass in a 
 boat. John Tyler, one of the best oarsmen 
 of his day (in the sixties), was once work- 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 65 
 
 ing his way under the bridge at full flood 
 tide and got jammed in some way just as 
 a train came roaring along, barely three 
 feet above his head. He could only lie 
 down and await the issue, — and he used 
 to tell of the trying experience through 
 which he passed as the train thundered 
 above him, while hot ashes came sifting 
 down upon him and his boat. He never 
 tried it again except when there was 
 plenty of space to row quickly beneath 
 this bridge. 
 
 A pleasant remembrance of this time is 
 a fast little green dory, owned by Ned 
 Holmes, youngest son of Dr. Oliver Wen- 
 dell Holmes ; for in it he and I made many 
 delightful trips to all points of the Charles 
 as well as Boston Harbor. Young Holmes 
 was a delightful companion, and I am 
 sure that Dr. Fred Sturgis will recall the 
 " green dory," as we called it, with as much 
 pleasure as I do, for he rowed in it as often 
 as I. 
 
66 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 In the winter Charles River afforded 
 plenty of sport in duck shooting, and spear- 
 ing for eels through the ice, for those who 
 were hardy enough to brave the cold. My 
 brother is the only one whom I can recall 
 who used to " lay out " for ducks, night 
 after night, upon the ice. He had built 
 himself a skiff with iron rods laid along the 
 bottom, to act as runners ; and with the 
 aid of these he would proceed from one 
 "pond hole" to another. The skiff was 
 disguised with hay and pieces of eel grass 
 and ice, so that it resembled a mass of 
 floating debris, of which the ducks had no 
 mistrust. He would quietly slide his skiff 
 into a pond hole, and, if a flock of ducks 
 was there, feeding at low tide, lie upon his 
 back, sculling noiselessly over his shoulder 
 until within range, and he seldom failed to 
 bring home a good bag in the morning. 
 
 He used to tell of an amusing incident 
 which occurred one morning before it was 
 fairly light, while he was upon his way 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 67 
 
 home. He was close in to the Mill Dam 
 and saw three or four laborers walking to 
 their work. Thinking to see how they 
 would take it, he lay back in the boat 
 until they were opposite, and then, when 
 they were looking his way, suddenly sat 
 up in what must have appeared to them a 
 floating coffin, and, stretching out his arms, 
 gave a loud and sepulchral yawn. The 
 men were confounded and then panic- 
 stricken, and with the cry of " Begod, it 's 
 a monk! " incontinently fled. As my 
 brother had on a nearly white overcoat, 
 trimmed with white fur, the effect in the 
 dim light may have warranted their belief 
 that something supernatural was happen- 
 ing. 
 
 When the old hand engines went out of 
 business, a lot of fun went with them. I 
 " ran " with Cataract No. 4, it being in- 
 cumbent upon every boy to run with and 
 "blow" for the engine in his district; and 
 a boy without a " tub," as they were called 
 
68 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 in the vernacular, was like a man without 
 a country. There was Mazeppa No. i, Per- 
 kins No. 2, Eagle No. 3, Cataract No. 4, 
 Extinguisher No. 5, Melville No. 6, Tiger 
 No. 7, Boston No. 8, Maverick No. 9, Dun- 
 bar No. 10, Barnicoat No. 11, Tremont 
 No. 12, and two or three more. 
 
 Number Four's house stood on piles over 
 Charles River directly opposite the foot of 
 Mt. Vernon Street. It was built of wood, 
 but has since been replaced by a brick 
 structure, turned around into line with the 
 rest of the buildings on Mt. Vernon Street 
 and occupied by Steamer No. 10. 
 
 There was great rivalry between certain 
 engine companies, and this party feeling 
 was, of course, communicated to the boys 
 residing in the rival districts. " What tub 
 do yer blow for ? " when sprung upon one 
 by a strange boy, who looked as though he 
 were " spoiling for a fight," was a hail to be 
 answered with great circumspection and 
 diplomacy. Prevarication was deemed jus- 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 69 
 
 tifiable if the one asked this straight-from- 
 the-shoulder question was a smaller boy. 
 If the latter knew what tub the questioner 
 himself favored, it was plain sailing, and a 
 little of the aforesaid prevarication covered 
 a multitude of troubles ; but if this impor- 
 tant fact were unknown, aye, there was 
 the rub! Then was the time to exercise 
 finesse, remembering that a soft answer 
 turneth away wrath : to temporize, or 
 squarely aver that you did n't " blow " for 
 any tub, and so avoid issue. But, on the 
 other hand, if one felt a little " scrappy " 
 himself and thought he had a good fight- 
 ing chance, then the flag was boldly flaunted 
 and he waded in. 
 
 The engine companies themselves in 
 going to a fire were bound to get there, if 
 possible, before a rival, so as to get the first 
 stream started ; if they met, — well, one of 
 them had to give way, and oftentimes this 
 involved some pretty free fighting. , The 
 motto in these cases seemed to be, "Let 
 
yo OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 the old thing burn, if it will, but you don't 
 get there before we do." 
 
 Sometimes, by way of diversion, an en- 
 gine would try to " wash " a rival, — that 
 is, endeavor to pump water into her faster 
 than her boys could pump it out, and if 
 this were effected, and she were overflowed, 
 great was the rejoicing thereat. But if, on 
 the other hand, the receiving engine's boys 
 could pump off the water faster than it 
 came in, so that the hose could be heard 
 to suck air, then the victory lay with them 
 and was duly heralded abroad. 
 
 It certainly was exciting to see two or 
 more rival engine companies pitted against 
 one another upon the Common, to decide 
 which could throw a stream the farthest. 
 Judges were selected and the crews would 
 " man the brakes " and at a given signal 
 fall to, the water being drawn from the 
 Frog Pond. A captain would stand on the 
 top of his machine and exhort his men to 
 " break their lazy backs." " Don't go to 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 71 
 
 sleep, men," he would roar, and, working 
 himself into a frenzy, with his arms gestic- 
 ulating wildly, and waving aloft his speak- 
 ing trumpet, he would swear that they were 
 a set of " stiffs." " For God's sake, my 
 bully boys, work as if you were alive." 
 " That 's the stuff, now, my beauties ; don't 
 let her strike " (meaning the shoulder of 
 the piston upon the chamber in which it 
 played). " Shake it out of her, now ; one, 
 two; one, two; now you've got it! Oh, 
 just one foot further, if you love me ! " 
 And so he would keep it going until the 
 time was up and a verdict was rendered. 
 Yes, lots of fun went out when the steam- 
 ers came in. 
 
 The engine was drawn by a long rope 
 manned by the firemen, and any boy who 
 could get a hand on that rope felt that he 
 had won his spurs. After a fire the men, 
 upon returning to the engine house, usu- 
 ally had a long table set out with a lunch 
 of crackers and cheese, — or at least it was 
 
72 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 so at Cataract's house, and as I knew Alex. 
 Towne, one of the best men of the com- 
 pany, I often got in and partook of the 
 feast. 
 
 Towne was the strongest man on the 
 team, and could, standing with his back 
 to the engine, lift her hind wheels clear 
 of the ground. I do not know how many 
 pounds this represented, but he was the 
 only one who could do it. 
 
 The loyalty of the fire laddies to their 
 engine is well illustrated by the legend 
 which was told of one of them who was 
 dying, and whose last request was, " When 
 I die, cut off me ears and bury 'em under 
 de engine house, so that I can hear de old 
 mashine rattle as she rolls out." 
 
 Charlie Chamberlin, then living on 
 Charles Street, had a miniature engine, the 
 exact counterpart of a full grown " tub," 
 with which we had lots of fun. Among its 
 crew were George Mifflin, Fred Crownin- 
 shield, George Johnson, myself, and others. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 73 
 
 It was made of copper and stood about 
 three and one half feet from the ground to 
 the brakes, which were five feet long. It 
 held about a barrel of water and would 
 throw a good fifty-foot stream. It had ac- 
 tually seen service at fires before its advent 
 into our neighborhood. It bore the name 
 of "Hydrant No. 4." Charlie tells a good 
 joke on himself in connection with it. Its 
 original color was red, with gilt lines ; but 
 the company, thinking it would look bet- 
 ter blue, voted to repaint it, and the order 
 was forthwith given; before it was com- 
 pleted, however, the crew for some reason 
 disbanded, leaving the owner to foot the 
 bill and to stand, barring the cannibalism, 
 in the position of Gilbert's " Elderly Naval 
 Man," who, it will be remembered, recited 
 " in a singular minor key," 
 
 " Oh, I am a cook and the captain bold. 
 
 And the mate of the Nancy Brig, 
 And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, 
 And the crew of the captain's gig." 
 
74 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 I understand that this engine is still in 
 good working order ; but, alas ! Pegasus, 
 with bound wings, stands harnessed to the 
 plow ! This " fiery " engine, instead of 
 being borne as a conqueror to subdue 
 flames, now plays the modest role of a gar- 
 den pump, and its owner may expect any 
 day to see it soar away to heaven. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 IN the late fifties the game of cricket 
 tried hard to get a foothold in Boston 
 and several clubs were formed, among 
 which were the " Bostons," the " Bay States," 
 "Star and Thistle," "Young Bostons," 
 " Mount Vernon," and a few others. I 
 belonged to the " Young Bostons," which 
 numbered among its first eleven Collins 
 Wa.rren, George Mifflin, Horatio Curtis, 
 Phil. Mason (afterwards killed in battle), 
 Charlie and Jim Jackson, Frank Higgin- 
 son, Nathan Appleton, Frank Loring, 
 Harry Sturgis, and myself. 
 
 I was very enthusiastic over this game, 
 and if it had even held its own, should no 
 doubt have remained loyal to it ; but the 
 Common was an impossible place for 
 
76 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 cricket, the hard baked ground making 
 a good wicket or bowling crease out of 
 the question ; and the Bostons, procuring 
 grounds in East Cambridge, while the re- 
 maining clubs gradually disbanded, I with 
 others drifted into baseball. From that 
 time until about 1885, when I joined the 
 Longwood Cricket Club, I hardly had a 
 cricket bat in my hands. I played with 
 the latter organization about ten" years 
 and then retired ; at that time an honor- 
 ary membership was conferred upon me, 
 which I prize highly. 
 
 Upon the East Cambridge cricket 
 ground, in the year 1863, appeared for the 
 first time on Massachusetts soil a lad six- 
 teen years of age, who came on from New 
 York, with the St. George Cricket Club, 
 to play against the Bostons. He was 
 called " Little Georgie," and proved him- 
 self well able to hold a position upon this 
 then crack eleven, and gave undoubted 
 promise . of the fine player and genial 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 77 
 
 friend which he afterwards turned out to 
 be, both upon the cricket and the baseball 
 field. All old-timers will at once recognize 
 in this rough outline the boy who in later 
 years ripened into the deservedly popular 
 and brilliant all-round athlete, George 
 Wright. Wright still has hosts of friends, 
 and as long as he played baseball was the 
 acknowledged "king" of the diamond. 
 Age being, as somebody has said, simply 
 a " quality of the mind," he is still a young 
 man and sets us all a good example by his 
 continued practice of outdoor sports. May 
 he live long to enjoy them ! 
 
 Somehow American soil is not conge- 
 nial for cricket — more 's the pity ! as it is 
 one of the finest and noblest of all outdoor 
 sports ; it is a gentleman's game from start 
 to finish, and brings forth and into play 
 the best sporting instincts of which a man 
 is possessed. Philadelphia has clung to it 
 tenaciously and has produced players who 
 lose nothing in comparison with our Eng- 
 
78 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 lish cousins ; but even there it seems to 
 be losing its grip. It seems as if the lean 
 years were upon it, and its days were num- 
 bered. 
 
 There is no doubt that the length of 
 time required for a full two innings match 
 (frequently two days) is a serious handicap 
 for it in this country, and is at variance 
 with the American temperament. The 
 office boy can occasionally get a few hours 
 off in the afternoon to see a baseball game, 
 with the "grandmother's funeral" plea; 
 but obviously this could not be worked two 
 days running, for a cricket match. 
 
 Several of the Bay State Eleven even- 
 tually joined the Bostons, thereby greatly 
 strengthening the latter. Among the best 
 of these were Henry AUine, Bill Joslin, 
 Tom Blanchard, Moses Mellen, and John 
 Barron. AUine was a fine thrower, a sure 
 catch, and a tower of strength in the field. 
 Joslin also was a crack fielder, and had a 
 way of running in to meet a batted 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 79 
 
 grounder, picking it up with one hand and 
 throwing it to the wicket without stopping, 
 which always called forth applause. The 
 mere presence of these two men in the 
 field served to discourage batsmen from 
 attempting runs which might otherwise 
 have been made without difficulty. They 
 both afterwards played upon the Lowell 
 Baseball Nine. 
 
 Blanchard was a fearless batter, and 
 seldom if ever wore leg guards or batting 
 gloves. This was doubtless a mistake upon 
 his part, as, unconsciously, part of an un- 
 protected batter's attention must be given 
 to avoiding personal injury ; whereas a man 
 feeling moderately secure against bodily- 
 hurt can " wade in " to his limit, Mellen 
 was a fine batter, could drive with great 
 force; and was a good, all-round clean hit- 
 ter. He too played with the Lowells at 
 one time, catching for the second nine. 
 John Barron was left-handed and would 
 to-day be called a " South paw " batter. 
 
8o OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 He bowled an exceedingly puzzling ball to 
 play, as most left-handed bowlers do. 
 
 I think that all of these last named were 
 graduates of the old Phillips School, then 
 located at the corner of Pinckney and An- 
 derson streets, — which, by the way, turned 
 out many good players at all kinds of 
 sports. Ward 6 used to vote in this old 
 schoolhouse, and political meetings were 
 sometimes held in it. It was here that I 
 once heard our great War Governor, John 
 A. Andrew, speak, not long before his 
 election. I did not know at the time who 
 John A. Andrew was, but I remember how 
 his clean-cut, crisp, and blood-stirring elo- 
 quence moved everybody to wild applause. 
 Once after that, during the Civil War, I 
 heard him again ; but this time it was a 
 dinner conversation between him and the 
 late John M. Forbes, at the latter's house 
 in Milton, where I and a few other young 
 fellows were present as friends of his son 
 Malcolm. I well recall how fascinating 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 8i 
 
 the talk was between these two brilliant 
 men. 
 
 In October of i860, Gerrit S. Miller, or 
 " Gat " as his multitude of friends love to 
 call him, came on from Peterboro', N. Y., 
 to enter the private Latin school of Mr. 
 E. S. Dixwell ; he was at once hailed as a 
 most valuable addition to our boy world, 
 and has continued valuable to all of us for 
 forty-five years. Mr. Dixwell's school, 
 founded in 1851, was located in Boylston 
 Place, in a house which he built specially 
 for it, and was recognized as the finest 
 private school in Boston. Boys were here 
 fitted for college, and any graduate who 
 bore Mr. Dixwell's hall-mark was suffi- 
 ciently guaranteed without further ques- 
 tion. 
 
 At the time that Miller entered this 
 school it had a fine football team, upon 
 which he at once took a prominent place. 
 In that same fall they played against the 
 Boston Public Latin School and beat them. 
 
8a OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 with a team composed of Walter Hunne- 
 well, "Bunty" Bradford, Bill Goddard, 
 Charlie Rand, Jim Chadwick, Bob New- 
 ell, Lawrence Tucker, Charlie McBurney, 
 Bob Peabody, Tom Dwight, Pat Jackson, 
 Alfred Greenough, and three others. 
 
 In the fall of 1861 they played another 
 match game with the Latin School; but 
 this time the latter played with a team 
 picked from the first and second classes. 
 It was a memorable game and worthy of 
 special mention, in that it was the most 
 stubbornly fought match that ever took 
 place upon the Common in those days, and 
 also the longest ever played anywhere, so 
 far as my knowledge goes. 
 
 I have said that the Latin School team 
 was composed of first and second class 
 boys, and this is true with but one excep- 
 tion. Although I belonged to the third 
 class, my playing was deemed sufficiently 
 good to warrant its being utilized upon this 
 occasion, as our full strength was needed 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 83 
 
 to meet Dixwell's game fighters. Upon 
 our team there were Tom and Bill Blaikie, 
 Jim Bodge, Sam Frothingham and his 
 brother Donald, Sumner Paine, Tom Nel- 
 son, Ned Fenno, Jack Oviatt, Ned Clark, 
 and myself, while upon the eleven opposing 
 us were Charlie McBurney, Ned. Arnold, 
 Bob Peabody, Tom Dwight, John Duff, 
 Bob Boit, Fred Shattuck, Frank Peabody, 
 Gat Miller, Cliff Watson, and Bob Law- 
 rence. 
 
 Usually matches were decided by the 
 best two games out of three ; but in this 
 instance our opponents, reasoning that 
 though we averaged heavier and older boys, 
 they were the better trained, and might 
 eventually wear us down if the contest were 
 a long one, proposed that it should be best 
 three out of five ; to which luckily for us 
 we consented, since it resulted in their un- 
 doing, as will be seen. 
 
 The goals were Beacon Street Mall upon 
 one side, and the path leading from Flag- 
 
?4 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 staff Hill to Charles Street upon the other. 
 There was quite a wind blowing, and 
 Dixwell's boys, winning the, toss, chose 
 :he side. with the wind, thus giving us the 
 Icick-off. In this game they started in like 
 young tigers and did us up in fifteen min- 
 utes. In the next game we woke up a bit, 
 but although we had the wind to help us, 
 it took forty minutes to land the ball past 
 their goal. This evened things up as far 
 IS games went, but it could be seen at a 
 glance that we were being outplayed. 
 
 In the third game we managed to stand 
 them off five minutes longer than in the 
 first ; but they finally " warmed " us again, 
 this time requiring twenty minutes to do 
 the trick. Right here was where their un- 
 doing came in ; for if the match had been 
 two out of three, they would have had 
 us beaten then and there ; but we have all 
 had, I take it, more or less experience with 
 that short but potent "if." 
 
 We started in at once upon the fourth 
 
Gerrit S. Miller R. Clifford Watson 
 
 John P. Hall 
 
 James D'Wolf Lovett 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 85 
 
 game, and though we again had the wind 
 to contend with, after a protracted struggle 
 of forty-five minutes we gained the coveted 
 goal. The match now stood two all, and 
 every belt was drawn up another hole ; for 
 the tug of war was on, and the wind hav- 
 ing died down, we were upon an equal 
 footing. The fifth and deciding game was 
 at once called, and I cannot do better than 
 to quote the late lamented Cliff Watson's 
 entertaining version of it forty years after- 
 wards at a reunion dinner (several of which 
 he gave at the Union Club to four of us 
 veterans. Gat Miller, Jim Ames, John Hall, 
 and myself), relating how Jim Lovett 
 loafed around with his hands in his pock- 
 ets, during the first four games, and then, 
 when everybody else was used up, finally 
 woke up and finished the game, after forty- 
 seven minutes, by kicking the winning 
 goal, thus ending the match and justifying 
 the selection of a third class player. 
 Right here let me say that the cherished 
 
56 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 nemory of Cliff Watson will always be a 
 lelight and a joy to everybody who knew 
 lim. He was at all times loyal to the 
 riends of his ante-collegiate days, and no- 
 ihing delighted him more than to gather 
 :hem around him and to fight over again 
 :he old battles lost and won, of our boyhood 
 lays. Vale, old friend, vale ! 
 
 In this match, for two hours and forty- 
 ieven minutes we were engaged in con- 
 stant action except when the ball went 
 3ut of bounds, and then it was at once 
 Drought back and put into play again. 
 Dne game followed another in rapid suc- 
 ;ession, with no opportunity for a rest 
 md a rub-down between times, so that the 
 ;est was one of endurance as well as skill. 
 [, personally, am sadly ignorant of the 
 nodern game of football, and will let those 
 viser than I comment upon and discuss its 
 nerits as compared with those of the old 
 jame, open, full of stirring episodes, and 
 ntelligible at any stage to every onlooker. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 87 
 
 I attended a Harvard- Yale game not so 
 many years ago, and as I sat trying to 
 study out what was being done in one cor- 
 ner of the gridiron, where both teams were 
 apparently welded into one solid mass 
 which every few seconds would sway and 
 heave, perhaps a foot or two, in one direc- 
 tion, and then, as though having changed 
 its mind, sway and heave back again, the 
 simile (a lame one, I admit), would occur 
 to me of the situation in a billiard match 
 where the skillful wielder of the cue gets 
 the balls " jawed " in a corner. With won- 
 derful delicacy of touch he plays the third 
 ball upon them, back and forth, an inch at 
 a time, click, click, back and forth, back 
 and forth, until, after ten or fifteen minutes 
 have been spent in this way, the spectator, 
 while fully appreciating the manipulator's 
 skill, yawns and frets and fidgets, and 
 longs to see the balls break ; when at last 
 this happens, he instantly resumes his in- 
 terest, and with kindling eye hails with 
 
18 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 )leasure the beautiful round - the - table 
 ihots, and feels that he is now seeing 
 jilliards. Far be it from me to attempt to 
 lepreciate the splendid output of muscular 
 mergy displayed in the aforesaid corner 
 )f the gridiron; nor do I for a moment 
 question the skill and strategy exercised 
 n the planning and execution of these 
 ittacks ; but somehow I felt that the balls 
 jvere constantly being "jawed," and I 
 onged to see more round-the-table shots, 
 — in fact, " billiards." 
 
 And then the suits of armor, together 
 with the presence of the ready surgeon 
 ind the waiting stretcher (and, for aught 
 [ know, the undertaker), made it all savor 
 1 little too strongly of the Roman amphi- 
 :heatre to be compatible with what foot- 
 aall seems intended for, namely, a healthy 
 ind invigorating pastime. 
 
 I remember once seeing some boy, I 
 orget whom, overtake and spring upon 
 :he back of Tom Nelson, who was running 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 89 
 
 with the ball ; no doubt he thought there- 
 by to down Tom and get the ball away 
 from him. Nelson, who, by the way, was 
 one of the most powerful men who ever 
 entered Harvard College, continued pla- 
 cidly upon his way, apparently unconscious 
 of the other's presence, and, when he got 
 ready, calmly shook the passenger from 
 off his back much as a mastiff might get 
 rid of a troublesome pup, and proceeded 
 to kick the ball according to original in- 
 tentions. 
 
 On another occasion I was chasing one 
 of Dixwell's boys who had the ball and was 
 a very fast runner. Finding I could not 
 catch him, I made a flying leap of some 
 ten or twelve feet and landed between his 
 shoulders. The impact sent us both sprawl- 
 ing, but he, in falling, released the ball, 
 and I, who was uppermost, got it and saved 
 the situation. I sometimes see this gentle- 
 man upon the street, and wonder if he re- 
 members the circumstance as well as I do. 
 
90 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 When chasing an opponent Billy Sar- 
 gent, a fine player, had a neat trick of 
 ranging up alongside the other man, 
 reaching around, grabbing hold of his far- 
 ther shoulder, and by a quick jerk turning 
 him half round, so that he suddenly found 
 himself " facing backwards;" the impetus 
 acquired by running did the rest, and nine 
 times out of ten his legs would get so 
 tangled up that he would tumble all over 
 himself. I know all about it, for I have 
 been there. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 IN 1863, the Oneida Football Club 
 was organized and composed of mem- 
 bers of Mr. Dixwell's school and three 
 outsiders, namely, Malcolm Forbes and 
 John Hall from the English High, and 
 myself, from the Public Latin School. It 
 was a very strong club and played matches 
 repeatedly with the Boston Public Latin 
 School, the English High and Dorchester 
 High schools, beating them so easily that a 
 match was made with the combined forces 
 of the Boston Latin and English High 
 schools, Mac Forbes being their captain ; 
 but even this array could make no head- 
 way against us, and they did not score 
 once. In fact, we were never beaten, and 
 what is more remarkable, no combination 
 ever made a single goal against us. 
 
92 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 The word " goal " here used seems to 
 need some explanation in view of what is 
 now understood by that term. In the old 
 game there were no "touchdowns" nor 
 was the ground marked off by lines of any 
 kind; in fact, there was no "gridiron," 
 nothing but straight football, — and by 
 straight football I mean that from the time 
 of the "kick-off" there was no cessation, 
 no " let-up " (except when the ball went out 
 of bounds, and then it was at once brought 
 back and put into play again), until one 
 side or the other landed the ball over any 
 part of the opponents' boundary line. 
 When this was effected, a goal was 
 claimed, which ended the game ; so that 
 the terms "goal" and "game" were syn- 
 onymous. The difference between guard- 
 ing a line the entire width of the ground 
 and one a few feet long between the up- 
 right poles of to-day's game can readily 
 be seen. 
 
 This champion team was made up of 
 
Won^by 
 
 ^ov.r- 
 
 1863. 
 
 from 
 
 Arnold, E. L. 
 Boit, K. A. 
 Bowditch, E. 
 Brooks, W. 
 Davis, F. 
 
 RUBBER FOOTBALL 
 
 WON HY THE ONEIDA FOOTBALL CLUB 
 
 Names of team painted on tlie ball 
 Hall, J. 
 
 Lawrence, R. ^L 
 Lovett, I. D'W. 
 Miller, n. S. (Capt.) 
 Peabody, V. G, 
 
 Sctidder, W. S. 
 Thies, L. 
 Tucker, L. 
 Watson, K. C. 
 Wolcott, 1 1 . F. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 93 
 
 the following players : Gat Miller, captain, 
 Ned Bowditch.Ned Arnold, Bob Boit, John 
 Hall, Frank Peabody, Winthrop Scudder, 
 Lawrence Tucker, " Hunty " Wolcott, 
 Cliff Watson, Bob Lawrence, Louis Thies, 
 Walter Brooks, Frank Davis, and myself. 
 It is needless to say that each one of the 
 above was a very strong player in his 
 position, and to particularize would be dif- 
 ficult after so many years ; but I can say 
 that on the rush line Cliff Watson, Frank 
 Peabody, Walter Brooks, Frank Davis, 
 and John Hall were tough propositions to 
 run up against. Watson was a strategist, 
 par excellence, and could extricate the ball 
 from more tight places than any one else 
 upon the team. Gat Miller was our sheet 
 anchor as " tender out," or " full-back " as 
 it is called to-day, and a tower of strength 
 when the ball got past the rest of the team ; 
 the fact I have stated above, that a goal 
 was never made against us, is sufficient 
 testimony to his reliability, steadiness, and 
 
94 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 skill in that most important position. Ar- 
 nold was the fleetest of foot, with Boit and 
 Tucker good seconds. Bowditch, Scud- 
 der, Lawrence, Wolcott, and Thies were 
 ever watchful and played into each other's 
 hands with skill and judgment. 
 
 Roger Wolcott, also a member of this 
 club, was a boy whom we all loved and 
 respected; ever fair and square, high- 
 minded, honest and above-board ; with the 
 passing years these qualities deepened and 
 strengthened and came to be recognized 
 universally, until the people of Massachu- 
 setts gave him the highest gift in their 
 power and made him governor. It is not 
 for me to say how faithfully and wisely he 
 upheld and added fresh lustre to the honor 
 of the old Bay State. It was said of the 
 late Jonas Chickering, the founder of the 
 house of Chickering and Sons, that his 
 character was like his pianos, "upright, 
 square, and grand." Surely the same trib- 
 ute can truthfully be applied to the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 95 
 
 straightforward and beautiful life of Roger 
 Wolcott. 
 
 In one match game Ned Arnold and one 
 of our opponents were both running at top 
 speed towards each other, intent only upon 
 kicking the ball, which lay about midway 
 between them, and apparently with that 
 same utter contempt for personal danger 
 which Farragut so forcibly expressed for 
 torpedoes in Mobile Harbor. The ball 
 was fairly struck, simultaneously, from 
 either side, with the result that it was 
 ripped asunder like a paper bag. The fact 
 that Ned's opponent flinched a hair and 
 swerved slightly was all that prevented a 
 bad " head on " collision. As it was, how- 
 ever, two surprised bodies, tumbling head- 
 long past each other for ten or fifteen feet 
 was, fortunately, the extent of the damage. 
 
 The Common was the only playground 
 in Boston to which we had access, and 
 among those who congregated there daily 
 for football, hockey, or what not, were 
 
96 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Henry Cabot Lodge, William Walley, 
 Sam Cabot, Arthur Brooks, George Ly- 
 man, Charlie and Rollins Morse, George 
 Mifflin, Cabot Russell, Sam and Gus Brad- 
 street, Arthur Beebe, Henry and Joe 
 Fay, Billy Field, Lem Stanwood, " Ren " 
 Thayer, Ned Burgess, Malcolm Green- 
 ough, Frank Manning, Frank Nicholson, 
 Tom Motley, and a host of others. 
 
 It is a somewhat mournful pleasure to 
 look with retrospective eye, through forty 
 years, and see once more the familiar faces 
 gathering upon the old Parade Ground for 
 the afternoon's game of football. Well may 
 we marvel to-day to see ourselves again 
 sprinting across the grassy stretch; eyes 
 bright with youth and health ; muscles firm 
 and each joint supple and moving like 
 clockwork. Yes, it is undeniably a plea- 
 sure to us who survive, to know that we old 
 fellows could and did enjoy these things ; 
 the remembrance of them will remain with 
 us a joy forever. Is it indeed possible that 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 97 
 
 this young fellow whom we, looking back- 
 wards, see bounding with the spring of an 
 antelope, is the gray-haired man, walking 
 a trifle stiffly, with whom I was chatting 
 yesterday ? 
 
 What fun it was to see Arthur Beebe, 
 with body bent close to the ground, patting 
 the ball with his hands, this way and that, 
 steering it clear of the ravening wolves 
 who were pursuing and rapidly hemming 
 him in, until, suddenly straightening him- 
 self, he deftly tossed the ball over the sur- 
 rounding heads into the ready hands of an 
 alert partner, who in his turn helped it on 
 the way to the enemy's boundary line. Bob 
 Peabody and Walter Hunnewell were also 
 adepts in these tactics. Such players might 
 be likened to the torpedo boats of a fleet, 
 darting rapidly about and causing confu- 
 sion to the enemy. Battleships were typi- 
 fied in powerful Tom Nelson, Frank Davis, 
 Malcolm Forbes, Sam Bradstreet, and 
 others. Swift cruisers and indeed all the 
 
98 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 types of our modern vessels, except sub- 
 marine craft, were represented in these 
 football battles. 
 
 Before commencing the afternoon's 
 games, it was the custom to place our 
 coats, vests, etc., in a pile upon one side of 
 the ground. Not unfrequently strangers 
 of a predatory turn of mind would be seen 
 showing undue curiosity about the collec- 
 tion of clothing, and this uncalled-for in- 
 terest would demand prompt attention. 
 Upon these occasions we usually looked to 
 Sam Bradstreet to take the initiative, and 
 he never failed us. Sam was a peace-loving 
 boy like the rest of us, but at the first 
 smell of powder he would make a bee-line 
 for the biggest and toughest looking of the 
 invaders, and, with an apparent zest which 
 was lovely to see, sail in, rarely failing to 
 bag his game and strike consternation to 
 the hearts of the rest of the intruders, who 
 would thereupon flee from the wrath to 
 come and leave us in peace. I know Sam 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 99 
 
 will not mind my telling these tales out of 
 school, for we were all proud of him ; and 
 then, he did it all with such abounding 
 good nature ! 
 
 Pat Jackson was very effective in taking 
 a " free kick," that is, with no one to inter- 
 fere with him. He sent the ball a long dis- 
 tance, and in the act of kicking used to 
 clear the ground with both feet. 
 
 Sam Cabot was a tough customer to run 
 foul of, and whoever he tackled might as 
 well give it up first as last, for when he set 
 his grip it " stayed put " until he thought 
 proper to release his victim. 
 
 " Lurking," known to-day as being " off ' 
 side," was considered by fair-minded boys 
 as an offense not to be countenanced for a 
 moment, even if the boy guilty of it was 
 on one's own side. It was a trick very 
 rarely resorted to in those days, in which 
 a boy tried to sneak around in among 
 the enemy and wait for his own side to 
 kick the ball his way, when his chances for 
 
loo OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 getting it past the opponent's full-back 
 were much increased. Our law was to 
 "keep moving towards the ball," wherever 
 it might be. 
 
 Ned Burgess, who in later life became 
 the world renowned yacht designer, was a 
 very agile player and always seemed to be 
 in the right place. This agility he kept up 
 all through his too short life, as is testified 
 by his famous handspring upon the deck 
 of his boat after each victory. 
 
 The Parade Ground, and that part of 
 the Common between "Flagstaff" and the 
 smaller hill known to us as the " hollow," 
 were the two football grounds. The latter 
 has since been filled in, and beneath the 
 new earth lie buried many pleasant mem- 
 ories of some of our happiest boyhood 
 days. 
 
 In the early afternoons, before the foot- 
 ball devotees had assembled, some half a 
 dozen of us would get up impromptu jump- 
 ing matches. In these contests Gat Miller 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS loi 
 
 and I usually took the lead. We were very 
 evenly matched and could cover eleven 
 feet six inches in one standing jump with 
 weights, and in three standing jumps a 
 shade better than thirty-four feet. The 
 professional jumpers of to-day will smile 
 at these figures ; but we were only boys of 
 seventeen or eighteen years of age, and 
 could no doubt have done better if we had 
 taken to it seriously. 
 
 Speaking of jumping reminds me that 
 so far as I have ever known, Horatio Cur- 
 tis and myself were the only two boys who 
 could vault over the Common fence. It 
 was not alone the height that made the 
 feat difficult, but the pointed iron pickets, 
 which presented a formidable obstacle, 
 owing to the danger involved, besides the 
 difficulty of getting a firm hold upon them. 
 Later, when in Harvard College, Curtis 
 was a crack oarsman and pulled stroke for 
 the 1864 'Varsity crew. 
 
 The ability to vault this fence served 
 
I02 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 me a good turn one afternoon when some 
 home-coming regiment was encamped upon 
 the Parade Ground, and gained for me the 
 coveted admission inside the lines. I was 
 standing upon Charles Street, outside the 
 fence, and the imperturbable policeman, 
 to whom I had made several touching ap- 
 peals to be allowed to pass within the lines, 
 remained obdurate. A final effort, how- 
 ever, on my part, elicited from him the 
 information that he had received " sthrict 
 ordthers to prevint anywan from climbin' 
 the fince, but," he added with withering 
 sarcasm, " if you can squaze yoursilf through 
 the bars or fly over thim, come on in and 
 divil a word '11 I say." The last word was 
 still vibrating under his moustache when 
 I had hold of the pickets, and before he 
 could wink landed in front of him. He 
 looked at me for a moment in amazement, 
 and then, " Howly Moses ! me b'y, that 
 was a grand le'p, but," reflectively, " I hope 
 no more of thim out there has wings like 
 
at the age of 14, hy Edwxn H. UlashJUlU 
 
(JDINO 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 103 
 
 that, or I '11 lose me job ! " (I stood close 
 beside the old fence the other day, at the 
 same spot, and it is my firm conviction 
 that it has grown at least two feet since I 
 was a boy.) 
 
 One afternoon, while some of us were 
 throwing a ball, striving to carom on the 
 golden one which tipped the flagstaff on 
 the big hill, it got lodged upon the cradle, 
 perhaps fifty or sixty feet from the ground, 
 whereupon John Hall coolly went to work 
 in a business-like way and with the help 
 of the halliards mounted to the ball's rest- 
 ing place and rescued it, amidst the cheers 
 of those looking on. I often afterwards 
 looked at the old flagstaff and wondered 
 how he ever managed to get up there and 
 how many of the rest of us could have 
 accomplished the feat without its having 
 proved to be a case of " from the cradle to 
 
 the grave." 
 
 Among our contemporaries were, of 
 course, many boys who, lacking the inch- 
 
I04 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 nation to join in the rough sports, sought 
 recreation through gentler channels. 
 Among friends of this class I recall the 
 names of many who have achieved fame 
 and won recognition as being leaders in 
 their chosen pursuits. 
 
 Prominent among them stands the name 
 of Edwin Howland Blashfield, an artist of 
 international reputation, who attended the 
 Latin School during the Civil War and 
 who won the admiration of his school- 
 mates as well as stirred their patriotism by 
 producing innumerable charming little war 
 sketches which he distributed among the 
 boys with reckless generosity. 
 
 One of his classmates of that period 
 writes of him as follows : " My wonder 
 at Blashfield's achievements in drawing in 
 the old Latin School days is even now a 
 very distinct recollection, 
 
 " I can see as clearly as if it were yester- 
 day his vividly earnest and intellectual face, 
 bent over his drawing, and used to marvel 
 
( Uie age q/ 14, by Edwin H. Blaskfield 
 
QVANCE 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 105 
 
 daily at recess at the lifelike sketches of 
 war scenes which this kindly magician 
 turned out to feed the rather truculent 
 patriotism of his fourteen-year-old class- 
 mates. The only examples that I have 
 been able to get were of the same period, 
 and inspired by the ever-present Civil War, 
 but were fancy sketches of Napoleonic 
 conflicts. They are very remarkable for a 
 boy of fourteen." 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 STEWART'S Gymnasium was one 
 of Boston's institutions and flour- 
 ished in the fifties. Stewart was a 
 colored man and had been a clever boxer 
 in his day, but a crippled hand spoiled 
 his effectiveness as a fighter. Neverthe- 
 less, he still donned the gloves and gave 
 lessons. The gymnasium was in old Boyl- 
 ston Hall, and possessed great attractions. 
 Here Francis Gardner, Master of the 
 Boston Latin School, used to take almost 
 daily exercise. I can see him, powerful 
 and active as a cat, in undershirt and 
 duck trousers, performing feats upon the 
 horizontal bar, parallel bars, and vaulting 
 horse, easily out doing much younger men, 
 perhaps with not much grace, but with a 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 107 
 
 splendid rugged vigor which it was a plea- 
 sure to see. 
 
 There was a big five-hundred-pound 
 weight near the door which seemed to stand 
 there for the purpose of enticing unwary 
 patrons to come and burst a blood-vessel 
 in vain attempts to lift it from the floor. 
 This, although often tugged and strained 
 at, was seldom raised. 
 
 Some dissatisfaction with the manage- 
 ment of the gymnasium having arisen, a 
 half-dozen of the most prominent gymnasts, 
 among whom were Henry K. Bushnell, 
 John C. Doldt, and " Tread " Kimball, with- 
 drew and were instrumental in establishing 
 a new and finely equipped gymnasium in 
 Eliot Hall, upon the corner of Eliot and 
 Tremont streets. It was called the Tre- 
 mont Gymnasium and was owned by Mr. 
 George H. Bacon. It was formally opened 
 on September i, 1859, with John C. Doldt 
 as manager and instructor. It continued 
 to flourish until 1872, when it was bought, 
 
io8 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 together with all its , apparatus/ by the 
 Young Men's Christian Association.' 
 
 It was here that many of the boys pre- 
 viously mentioned in this volume obtained 
 their first lessons in physical culture, which 
 later on stood some of those who went to 
 college in good stead, and no doubt was of 
 material assistance in gaining for them a 
 seat in the 'Varsity boat or a place upon 
 the ball team. The janitor of this gymna- 
 sium was kindly old John Coulighan, whom 
 we all pleasantly remember. The best per- 
 formers were Henry K, Bushnell and John 
 Doldt, who were both gymnasts of a high 
 order; indeed, Bushnell's giant swing and 
 his front and back horizontals are not sur- 
 passed by any one upon the stage to-day. 
 Doldt was superb in the flying rings, and 
 could reach the high ceiling in three or four 
 swings. His one arm back horizontal- is 
 well remembered also by all who ever saw 
 it. The late Dr. Rimmer considered Bush- 
 nell's back to be the best developed he 
 
Doldt's iine-aini hold 
 Kendrick's arm develnpment 
 
 Bu^hnell's ball-aii]] li,.ld 
 liiishnell's back development 
 
 A GROUP OF GYMNASTS 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 109 
 
 had ever seen, and made repeated sketches 
 of it. 
 
 Oliver Coe was a fine athlete, and his 
 pectoral muscles were something wonder- 
 ful. Kimball was good, too, as were also 
 John Alden and John Parker, the latter 
 afterwards developing into a fine oarsman. 
 Butts was the strong man of the gymna- 
 sium, and was truly Herculean. He used 
 to swing an Indian club nearly as big and 
 heavy as himself. Sam Austin's " pull up " 
 with one arm was the fairest and squarest 
 possible. His one hundred and eighty 
 pounds, hanging from his fully extended 
 arm, would slowly start, with no suggestion 
 of a jerk, and with no apparent effort rise 
 until his chin was well above his hand. I 
 forget how many times he could do this 
 feat. He did it with either arm alike. 
 Then there were Alfred and Henry Whit- 
 man (both fine oarsmen), Otis Howland, 
 Everett Julio, H. P. Plummer, George 
 Goss, George Procter, Billy Fisk, Mort 
 
no OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Kennedy, Doctor Codman, Lee Streeter, 
 Billy Spring, Dan Crowley, Harry Bryant, 
 Charles Dilloway, the Snow brothers, 
 Charles French, John Shea, Tom Kendrick, 
 and many more. Nearly all of these were 
 older than we were and shone as stars at 
 the exhibitions. 
 
 Doldt afterwards became a professional 
 athlete, and, with George Mansfield as 
 partner, traveled with various companies. 
 He was universally liked, being quiet, 
 gentlemanly, and unassuming. In later 
 life he was instructor in a Providence, 
 R. I., gymnasium, and died not many 
 years ago. The genial Joe Mudge suc- 
 ceeded him as instructor. Doldt was also 
 a good boxer, and, although somewhat 
 short of stature and reach, " got there " 
 just the same. He taught several of us 
 the " manly art." 
 
 I suppose nearly all who went there re- 
 member Jim Hill, who also taught boxing. 
 He was a powerfully built man, and was a 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS iii 
 
 policeman upon the Fort Hill beat, — then 
 about the toughest part of the city. He 
 was inclined to be a bit boastful of.what he 
 could do with the gloves, and one day some 
 of us got him to have a friendly bout with 
 John Hall, one of the Oneida football team. 
 Now John, although but a lad of about 
 eighteen, was the best natural boxer I have 
 ever seen, and in later years, ripened by 
 practice with the best amateurs and such 
 professionals as Godfrey and others, was 
 undoubtedly as good as any, if not the best, 
 amateur boxer in Boston. He never knew 
 the word fear, no matter who faced him. 
 As I have said, he was only a lad at this 
 time, while Hill was a man, and a good one 
 at that ; but John was possessed of a few 
 points which Hill lacked, — a long reach, 
 great hitting power, and a head that never 
 got rattled. The consequence was that 
 he "landed" at will, and Hill was much 
 crestfallen. The whole affair was, how- 
 ever, perfectly friendly on both sides, and 
 
112 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 the promoters of the little scheme were 
 delighted at John's victory. 
 
 Poor Jim Hill's end was a sad one. In 
 one of his many rough experiences with 
 the Fort Hill toughs, he was so hard 
 pressed that he had recourse to his revolver 
 and had the misfortune to shoot an inno- 
 cent bystander, for which accident he was 
 dismissed from the force. He never re- 
 covered from the blow, took to drink, and 
 died a complete wreck. 
 
 Ned Fenno was another fine boxer, and 
 made a name for himself while at Harvard. 
 Malcolm Forbes was a splendid exponent 
 of the art, being a very quick and powerful 
 hitter. Joe Fay, too, was among the best, 
 as well as being a noted oarsman. In 1869 
 he pulled bow in the Harvard international 
 crew that rowed Oxford on the Thames.^ 
 
 But the sport has changed since the 
 
 days of which I write, and the tactics and 
 
 present mode of boxing would render it 
 
 extremely doubtful if the straight-from-the- 
 » See Appendix, p. 218. 
 

 O 
 
 o 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 113 
 
 shoulder hitting of a man like John C. 
 Heenan or Tom Sayers would prevail to- 
 day against the shifty, swinging blows, 
 half hooks, vicious jabs, lightning-like at- 
 tacks and retreats of such men, for in- 
 stance, as Britt, " Battling " Nelson, and a 
 score of others, to say nothing of Fitzsim- 
 mons, who in his prime could no doubt 
 have put the finish to any of the old fight- 
 ers of the forties, fifties, or sixties in less 
 than fifteen rounds ; whereas we read of 
 old-time battles frequently lasting over 
 one hundred rounds, both in^ this country 
 and in England. The longest battle upon 
 record consisted of two hundred and 
 seventy-six rounds ! 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE Tremont Gymnasium was 
 often visited by the H anion Bro- 
 thers when performing in Bos- 
 ton, and William, the imitator of the 
 French Leotard in the great triple trapeze 
 act which Hanlon called by the wonderful 
 name " Zampillaerostation," was looked 
 upon by us as more than an ordinary mor- 
 tal. 
 
 Tom Hanlon was the most powerful of 
 the brothers and was truly a wonder in his 
 line of business. His skill as a gymnast is 
 well shown by the following example. He 
 dropped into the office of the gymnasium 
 one afternoon and Doldt told him that he 
 had just received a new horizontal bar 
 and added, " Come out, Tom, and see what 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 115 
 
 you think of it," and they accordingly went 
 into the hall to inspect it. 
 
 Hanlon, who by the way, had not re- 
 moved his overcoat, jumped up, caught 
 hold and tested it with his weight several 
 times and said it had a good spring and 
 was a fine bar. He then grasped it again, 
 with his palms towards him, and gently 
 and. apparently with no exertion drew him- 
 self up until his arms were at full length 
 above the bar ; the marvel of this feat ly- 
 ing in the fact that his full weight during 
 the greater part of the time occupied in its 
 execution was supported entirely by his 
 thumbs. 
 
 There was an Englishman who used to 
 attend the gymnasium for a while, very 
 strong in the wrists, with a strange symbol 
 tattoed upon his upper arm. He one day 
 explained to us, in reply to questioning, 
 that he had hunted big game in Africa; 
 belonged to a hunting club there and that 
 a certain mark was put upon each member 
 
ii6 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 as a means of identification in case of 
 death in the jungle. It may be supposed 
 that this did not tend to diminish our in- 
 terest in him, and I have often wondered 
 if he ever returned to Africa, and was 
 finally identified by the very mark upon 
 which we had gazed. 
 
 Dr. Winship, whom many will remem- 
 ber as a wonderful lifter of heavy weights 
 with a shoulder harness, opened a gymna- 
 sium on Washington Street, next door to 
 the Boston Theatre, which, after the Tre- 
 mont Gymnasium had closed its doors, 
 several of us attended. 
 
 Dr. Winship seemed to take a fancy to 
 me, perhaps because I could beat him at 
 vaulting and taught him a few little tricks 
 which he had never seen. 
 
 He was one of the very few men who 
 could pull himself up to his chin by one 
 little finger. It is a wonderful feat, and the 
 record is six times in succession. He could 
 do it, however, but once, and had to do it 
 
Julio Taylor Biishnell Heard McDiiff Mullen 
 
 Kimball Coe Miidge Bianchard 
 
 Roberts Stieeter Unknuwn Kendrick Dean 
 
 Spring Bacon Plummer Dr. Codnian 
 
 GYMNASTS AT TREMONT GYMNASIUM 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 117 
 
 every day, as a skip of a day made it 
 harder to do next time. 
 
 When his Httle finger, hooked on to a 
 strap, commenced to stretch and straighten 
 with his dead weight upon it, it always 
 seemed as if the tendons must give way ; 
 but he did it without much apparent effort. 
 
 He carried the heavy weight system, 
 however, to extremes, and died a compar- 
 atively young man. As we all know now, 
 this system of exercising is dead wrong, 
 and will probably never again come into 
 vogue, except with professional strong 
 men, or with those working for some par- 
 ticular record in that line. 
 
 Dr. Winship invented a dumb-bell which 
 could be graduated from twenty pounds up 
 to one hundred and four, one of which I 
 owned for years. 
 
 During these days the Civil War was in 
 full swing, and although boys' sports, to- 
 gether with the various amusements of the 
 day, went on much as usual, still there was 
 
1 8 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 I minor chord running through it all, which 
 vould not down until the glorious tidings 
 ;ame from Appomattox. 
 
 The Common presented scenes which 
 vill never be repeated, thank God ! Here 
 Nere encamped regiments passing through 
 Boston en route for the front, and it was 
 1 joy, which still comes back with a thrill, 
 to get through the lines, which I always 
 iid, and mingle with the soldiers, collect 
 six or eight canteens at a time, take them 
 to the drinking fountain at the corner of 
 Charles and Beacon streets, and fill them 
 Eor their owners. 
 
 The famous Ellsworth Zouaves gave 
 an exhibition here one afternoon of their 
 wonderful lightning drill, and a short time 
 afterwards came the news of Ellsworth's 
 tragic death in Alexandria, while in the act 
 of lowering a Confederate flag. 
 
 At another time two gigantic soldiers in 
 a Maine regiment gave what they called 
 the " bear dance." It was irresistibly funny 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 119 
 
 to see these big fellows drop upon all fours 
 and approach each other, with growls and 
 grotesque antics, until, rising upon their 
 hind legs, they embraced in the death hug 
 and finally rolled over and over, each well- 
 nigh exhausted. 
 
 Later on, however, the scene was 
 changed, and instead of the outgoing, full 
 regiments leaving us amid cheers, waving 
 handkerchiefs, and stirring military music, 
 behold the home-coming of the veteran 
 remnants of the same, with stern, bronzed 
 faces and carrying the same dear old flags, 
 some tattered into ribbons, with here and 
 there but a shattered staff where one had 
 hung, but borne more proudly because of 
 their having been consecrated by heroes' 
 blood in defense of the Union. 
 
 Upon these occasions the cheers would 
 again roll forth, but with quavers and sobs 
 in them; and eyes were filled with tears 
 as the thinned ranks filed past. 
 
 It was a wonderful time for an American 
 
20 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 loy in a Northern city, far removed from 
 he scenes of actual carnage, to have lived 
 hrough. May it be the last ! 
 
 Recruiting tents were erected on the 
 Common ; one in particular I remember 
 ipon the big hill, where crowds listened 
 o ringing speeches made by any one who 
 elt moved by the spirit to do so. Many 
 ipoke who had just returned from the 
 ront, and enlistments usually followed 
 luch speakers in rapid succession; one 
 roung fellow, a little the worse for wear, 
 leclaredthat he 'd enlist if he were a " para- ■ 
 yzed corpse," amid cheers and shouts of 
 aughter. Oh, yes, there was lots of fun 
 ningled with it, too. 
 
 One man from the front, while exhort- 
 ng others to enlist, mentioned the fact 
 :hat he had been on the fighting line and 
 lad been wounded, but that he did n't 
 nind little things like that and was going 
 jack for more. Some one in the crowd 
 sang out, " Where 's your wound ? " where- 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 121 
 
 upon he retorted, " Come inside the tent, 
 dubious Thomas, and I '11 show it to you ! " 
 The crowd laughed at his doubtful ad- 
 jective, and he continued his exhortation 
 without further interruption. 
 
 Among our own comrades who died 
 that the old Flag might live, three names 
 stand out prominently in my memory : 
 " Hunty" Wolcott, brother of our late gov- 
 ernor, and Will Freeman, who were both 
 stricken with disease and were sent home 
 invalided, but to die; and Cabot Russell, 
 who, though of quiet and modest bearing, 
 which made him seem better fitted for 
 peace than for war, was nevertheless made 
 of the same heroic stuff as were Stevenson, 
 Shaw, Bartlett, Cushing, Merriam, and a 
 host of others. Russell fell in the gallant 
 charge upon Fort Wagner. Aye, hats off, 
 boys, to such names as these ! 
 
 Any boy who saw a military funeral in 
 those days will never forget it. The scene 
 comes back to me of the funeral proces- 
 
122 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 sion of Colonel Fletcher Webster, of the 
 Twelfth Massachusetts. 
 
 The band, with muffled drums, was play- 
 ing the " Dead March " in " Saul ; " the 
 :oloners horse, with trappings, was led by 
 bis colored servant; the flag, furled, was 
 iraped with black ; and the slow tread of 
 the soldiers, with reversed arms, was all 
 inexpressibly pathetic, and I crept into a 
 doorway and silently wept. 
 
 Many evenings were spent by hundreds 
 3f families in scraping lint for the hospit- 
 ils — " lint bees " they might be called, as 
 iriends were invited to help, refreshments 
 ivere served, etc. At these meetings mit- 
 tens for the soldiers were also made with 
 1 place for the forefinger, thus allowing it 
 "reedom in pulling the trigger. 
 
 The Public Latin School presented a 
 lag to Company D of the Twelfth Massa- 
 :husetts, which was commanded by gallant 
 I^aptain. Nathaniel B. ShurtlefE, Jr., himself 
 in old Latin School boy, and while this 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 123 
 
 regiment was stationed at Fort Warren 
 we pupils went down to attend the presen- 
 tation. The speech was made by Arthur 
 Brooks, brother of the late Bishop Brooks, 
 and we had been drilled in singing a song 
 for the occasion, the words of which were 
 composed by a son of Mr. Capen, after- 
 wards principal of the Latin School. They 
 went to the tune of " Yankee Doodle," and 
 the first few lines, which are all I can 
 recall, ran as follows : — 
 
 " Still first, as long and long ago, 
 Let Massachusetts muster, 
 Give her the post right next the foe ; 
 Be sure that you can trust her." 
 
 To those of us who had near relatives 
 in the army, the war seemed of course a 
 much sterner reality than to those who 
 had not. 
 
 My brother enlisted twice, and during 
 his absence each day's news from the front 
 seemed to have, as it were, some family 
 
124 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 connection about it, or direct, personal 
 message. 
 
 True it is that times of peace can only 
 be appreciated at their full value by those 
 who know, by personal experience, what a 
 long, heart-breaking war means. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 IT seems to be the natural instinct of a 
 boy, as soon as he finds the use of his 
 arms, to want to " bat " something, ac- 
 companied by the desire to see the object 
 thus batted give some evidence of having 
 been affected by it, either in the exclama- 
 tion of Nurse, as he lands his dimpled 
 boxing glove upon her physiognomy, or, 
 if the object be an inanimate one, to see 
 it recoil before his prowess. This latter 
 is naturally a ball of some kind, and is pa- 
 tiently brought back that he may repeat 
 the operation ad infinitum. 
 
 As soon as he can toddle alone he pur- 
 sues and kicks the ball from place to place, 
 or strikes it with his hand, stick, or what 
 not, thus developing the incipient stages 
 
126 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Df football or baseball, until his efforts grad- 
 ually increasing through the coming years, 
 finally culminate upon the " gridiron " or 
 ' diamond." This natural affinity between 
 bat and ball is as old as the human race. 
 
 The affinity between " bats " of a differ- 
 ent nature and "high balls" will not be 
 touched upon, though it might be noted 
 that this relaxation also sometimes culmi- 
 nates in the gridiron, the bars, however, 
 assuming a perpendicular, instead of a 
 tiorizontal position. 
 
 Games in which a ball was used are of 
 irery ancient origin, as we know ; but when, 
 where, and by whom first played is beyond 
 Dur ken. Homer, in the Odyssey, mentions 
 the Phaeacian damsels as playing ball to 
 the sound of music ; and later, Shakespeare 
 jpeaks of the games of " base " and " round- 
 ers." This latter some authorities claim to 
 36 a direct ancestor of our present game 
 jf baseball, while others differ from this 
 jpinion. Mr. A. G. Spaulding disclaims 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 127 
 
 the rounders ancestry, and thinks that the 
 game as now played was evolved from what 
 was known as " two old cats, three old 
 cats," etc. 
 
 That veteran and "father" of our na- 
 tional game, Mr. Henry Chadwick, in a 
 treatise upon the subject, published in 
 1868, holds to the opinion that '' rounders " 
 was changed to "town ball," and that this 
 later on was again changed into our old 
 Massachusetts game, the change consist- 
 ing mainly in the fact that the ball was 
 increased in size and weight and thrown 
 to the batter instead of being pitched or 
 tossed ; and that this latter was in turn 
 converted into the " New York " or Na- 
 tional game as we know it to-day. 
 
 In view of the fact that when we could 
 not get hands enough for the Massachu- 
 setts game we used to content ourselves 
 with two, three, or four old cats, as the case 
 might be, and counted the latter as merely 
 a makeshift instead of a distinct game by 
 
[28 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 tself, it seems to me that each of them 
 :ontributed something towards the game 
 IS played to-day, instead of either one be- 
 ng the direct parent of it. 
 
 However, whatever the origin of our 
 National game may have been, it is to-day 
 I good, healthy recreation, calling for re- 
 :ruits who must be sound mentally and 
 physically, and therefore a game making 
 :or the good of our young men, and, to- 
 gether with other outdoor sports sprung up 
 since its adoption, it has effectually freed 
 us Americans from the reproach that used 
 to be cast upon us by our English relatives, 
 of being a nation given only to seeking the 
 almighty dollar. 
 
 Moreover, the game has come to stay, 
 and while, doubtless, still capable of many 
 improvements, it will increase in popularity 
 as time goes on, rather than fall off, as 
 cricket has, in this country. 
 
 The first regularly organized club to 
 play the Massachusetts game in New 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 129 
 
 England was the " Olympics " of Boston, 
 in 1854. In 1855 the " Elm Trees " took 
 root, and in 1857 the "Green Mountains" 
 and " Hancocks " saw the light. 
 
 The last named was a junior club for 
 which Sam Bradstreet caught and I threw. 
 We played many matches with other ju- 
 nior clubs from the suburbs but were never 
 defeated. Bradstreet was a fine catcher 
 and could almost pick a ball off the striker's 
 bat. I used to throw a swift ball about 
 where he signaled for it, and the battery 
 was counted a good one. The ball had a 
 small buckshot in its centre and was cov- 
 ered with buckskin or chamois leather. 
 
 Instead of throwing to the baseman, to 
 cut off a runner, as is now done, the ball 
 was thrown directly at the runner himself : 
 a moving object, however, is not so easy to 
 hit and many misses were made as well as 
 bull's-eyes. I remember once seeing Harry 
 Forbush of the Olympics in a hard-fought 
 game with a HoUiston club, which was one 
 
[30 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 )f the best in the State, following up a base 
 unner, but a little afraid to throw at him 
 or fear of a miss, the man being ready 
 :o " duck at the flash," so he feinted and 
 :he man dropped like lightning upon his 
 stomach, whereupon Harry, who was now 
 learly over him, grinned with triumph and 
 et him have it as tight as he could throw. 
 The fellow squirmed a little, but nothing 
 :ould be said. The close rivalry between 
 ;he clubs no doubt put a little unnecessary 
 finger into Forbush's arm ; but that was 
 the game. 
 
 Four stout stakes driven into the ground, 
 leaving about five feet out, were used as 
 bases. In one of the Hancocks' games a 
 runner was playing well off the first base 
 and I, instead of throwing to Bradstreet, 
 changed the direction a little and struck 
 the unsuspecting runner full in the stom- 
 ach. It did not hurt him much, but the 
 surprise and dismay upon his face at thus 
 suddenly finding himself put out caused 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 131 
 
 much laughter. It was a risky shot, but 
 the game was a close one and I took the 
 chances. 
 
 Fred Nazro, Bert Bradish, Jack Oviatt, 
 and Gus Bradstreet also played on this 
 team. 
 
 As there were no foul balls in this game, 
 some of the players had a knack of short- 
 ening up their bat, — that is, grasping it 
 near the middle, — and by a quick turn of 
 the wrist striking the ball, as it passed 
 them, in the same direction in which it 
 was thrown, thus avoiding the fielders and 
 giving the striker a good start on his bases. 
 This mode of striking, however, led to lots 
 of trouble for the catcher, who sometimes 
 got a bad blow from the bat as it was swung 
 back; and it moreover led to bad blood 
 between rival teams, as there is no doubt 
 that catchers were sometimes intentionally 
 disabled in this way. 
 
 A purse was usually played for by the 
 senior clubs, which naturally encouraged 
 
132 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 any sharp practice of this kind. This mode 
 of back striking was carried so far that bats 
 not more than twelve or fifteen inches long 
 and with a flat surface were used, and in- 
 stead of making any attempt to strike with 
 it, this bat wais merely held at a sharp an- 
 gle and the ball allowed to glance off it, 
 over the catcher's head. 
 
 The back of a hairbrush would have 
 served this kind of batter's purpose equally 
 well, and afterwards might and should have 
 been vigorously applied to him, in the good 
 old-fashioned way. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 TO go back a little way, let me say, 
 not as a matter of interest to any- 
 body, but simply as a means of 
 connecting the events in the career of a 
 mature ball player with the circumstances 
 which led up to them, that my first attempts 
 at this game were made with the leg of a 
 chair and a quilted ball which my father 
 made for me. 
 
 The ready-made ball of those days, for 
 sale, was either a mushy, pulpy-feeling 
 thing, with a soft cotton string quilting 
 over it which wore out in a few days ; or 
 else a rubber one, solid or hollow, as one 
 preferred ; but all equally unfit for batting 
 purposes. 
 
 The balls which my father taught me to 
 
134 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 make were of tightly wound yarn, with a 
 bit of rubber at the core, quilted with good, 
 tough twine, and would last a long time ; 
 and when needed new jackets could be 
 put upon them. 
 
 Thus equipped I used to whack the ball 
 about in my back yard, until I felt the 
 need of a real bat ; but bats could not be 
 bought then as they are now — hundreds 
 to choose from, of all shapes and sizes. 
 
 Clubs had them made to order, and 
 boys had to do likewise or make them 
 themselves. There were no shops carry- 
 ing "athletic goods," and bats were not 
 often enough called for to be carried in 
 stock by anybody. 
 
 This being the case, my father again 
 came to the rescue, as he always did, God 
 bless him ! and made me a little bat of 
 black walnut. I can see it now ; it had a 
 round handle for about a foot and was then 
 gradually widened out into two flat sides, 
 being perhaps an inch and a half thick. I 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 135 
 
 describe it thus minutely simply because I 
 can see it so plainly and thought so much 
 of it. 
 
 He took me onto the Common with 
 him one afternoon to see how it would 
 work and it was a great success. Once a 
 boy stole it from me, and I ran after him, 
 crying, until a man rescued it and made me 
 happy again. 
 
 Like all the other boys I saw, I used to 
 toss up the ball and then swing the bat 
 around my head, describing a great circle, 
 and perhaps connect with the former once 
 in five or six times. 
 
 I puzzled my head trying to find a bet- 
 ter way to do this and finally hit upon the 
 plan of drawing the bat back in a straight 
 line, instead of round in a circle, and by 
 this method I could soon strike the ball 
 nearly every time. 
 
 I once saw Charlie Troupe bat a solid 
 rubber " peach " ball, as they were called, 
 straight up into the air, where it went so 
 
136 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 high that I could scarcely believe my eyes. 
 Several of us who saw him do it laughed 
 in a silly sort of wonder at the length of 
 time it remained up there. It really was a 
 most remarkable stroke and I have never 
 seen a ball knocked so " sky high " since. 
 
 I have sometimes thought that it might 
 prove rather interesting to time balls 
 knocked up in this way, in order to test a 
 batter's powers in this direction. 
 
 Well, the little black walnut bat at last 
 went the way of all bats, and broke ; but 
 by this time I had outgrown it and wanted 
 one like the others in use, — that is, round 
 and not square, — so I got a carpenter to 
 make me one out of spruce, according to 
 my directions ; it was good enough for a 
 boy of my age, and stood all the strength 
 that I could put into it. 
 
 At this time a lot of the mechanics, fire- 
 men, etc., of the West End occasionally used 
 to meet on the Common for a game among 
 themselves, and would let me take a hand ; 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 137 
 
 but I could not strike a thrown ball with 
 any great success and so they would toss 
 them to " young Jimmy," as they called 
 me. I did not, however, distinguish myself 
 in spite of this leniency, and they would 
 laugh to see me cut stripes in the atmos- 
 phere. I suppose that I did sometimes 
 make a hit, but I can't recall one. How- 
 ever, I enjoyed the fun and kept at it and 
 a little later got in with some older boys 
 who, though not a regularly organized 
 club, used to congregate almost every day, 
 choose sides, and take in any boy who 
 might want to play, if the sides were not 
 already filled. 
 
 With these boys I was put upon my 
 mettle and improved rapidly. I was natu- 
 rally a good thrower for a short distance, 
 and my " batting eye " grew to be pretty 
 accurate, so that I soon came to be chosen 
 among the first. 
 
 The mode of choosing sides was about 
 as follows : one of the two captains would 
 
138 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 sharply toss a bat, held in a perpendicular 
 position, to the other, who would catch it 
 wherever he could. The one who tossed 
 it would then place one of his hands above 
 and touching that of the other, and so on, 
 alternately, until the knob on the end was 
 reached, when the last one would endeavor, 
 by digging his thumb and finger nails 
 down inside the other's grip, to get such a 
 hold upon it as would enable him to swing 
 the bat three times around his head. Fail- 
 ing to do this, the other had his first choice 
 of the players for his side, and then the 
 choosing proceeded alternately and rapidly. 
 The reader will, no doubt, wonder why 
 a coin was not " flipped " up and the first 
 choice decided in a jiffy. Well, it was a 
 boy's way of deciding ; and it afforded 
 some sort of fun, mingled with a mild ex- 
 citement, as the two neared the top of the 
 bat, to watch the last one try to get a hold 
 upon the rounded knob and with clenched 
 teeth swing the bat around his head. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 139 
 
 Boys are queer animals, anyway. The 
 proverbial old maid is not a circumstance 
 to him as I knew him fifty years ago. He 
 had to do things in just such a way and at 
 just such a time. Each game had its spe- 
 cially appointed season. Kite flying was 
 not allowed to infringe upon top spinning, 
 nor could the latter be continued when 
 marbles came on deck, and so on. 
 
 Old maid, indeed ! 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 IN 1857 the Hancock Club was started, 
 as I have related ; and in that same 
 year the New York game got the 
 thin edge of its wedge into New England. 
 Mr. E. G. Saltzman, a member of the 
 Gotham Club of New York, for which he 
 played second base, came to Boston in this 
 year, and feeling the lack of his favorite 
 pastime, set to work to form a club and 
 teach the members the mysteries of this 
 latest form of the game. It was uphill 
 work, however, as the Massachusetts game 
 was in full blast, and new-fangled ideas 
 were looked upon with that coy conserva- 
 tism which came over from England and 
 landed upon a Rock down Plymouth way 
 some years previously. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 141 
 
 Mr. Saltzman, however, was a " stayer," 
 and he had a good article ; the consequence 
 being that the Tri-Mountain Club was 
 formed that fall and had the honor of be- 
 ing the first organization in New England 
 under the new rules. 
 
 The next city to follow the Tri- Moun- 
 tain's lead was Portland, Maine, where 
 the Portland Club was formed in 1858 
 and in the fall of that same year visited 
 Boston to try its newly fledged strength 
 against its yearling rival. This of course 
 was the first match ever played in New 
 England under the new rules, and took 
 place on the Common. 
 
 The Portlands won by the score of 47 
 to 42. This match was attended by many 
 ball players, local and otherwise, who were 
 curious to see what the new thing was like, 
 and who looked on with a dignified toler- 
 ation befitting those who " guessed " that 
 the old game was good enough for them. 
 
 But some who came to scoff remained 
 
142 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 to pray. It was evident that this new type 
 was "catching" and that many present 
 were in that condition when they are said 
 to " take things." There were points about 
 the new game which appealed to them. 
 
 The pitching, instead of swift throwing, 
 looked easy to hit, and the pitcher stood 
 o£f so far, and then there was no danger 
 of getting plugged with the ball while run- 
 ning bases ; and the ball was so lively and 
 could be batted so far ! Yes, decidedly, 
 there were points about this new game 
 which pleased many who had never played 
 ball before, and who thought that they 
 would like to try it ; so the reports spread 
 until they reached Springfield, and there, 
 the next spring, 1858, the Pioneer Club 
 was formed, and also the Atwater of 
 Westfield, the Nonotuck and Union of 
 Northampton, as well as two or three 
 others. The first-mentioned two were the 
 leading clubs in Western Massachusetts, 
 and, later on, played some fine games. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 143 
 
 In 1859 the Bowdoin Club was formed 
 in Boston with the intention of playing 
 ball in the good old Massachusetts way ; 
 but, just for the fun of the thing, they tried 
 the new rules to see how they worked and, 
 behold! the whole nine proved to be in 
 the receptive condition above alluded to, 
 and were promptly infected with the new 
 germ, so that the New York game was 
 adopted forthwith, and their conversion 
 was of great assistance to the cause, as 
 they were one of the leading clubs in New 
 England until 1863, when they disbanded. 
 
 They played but one game in this, their 
 first season, which was with the Tri- 
 Mountains, beating them 32 to 26. 
 
 As it will interest some of the old-timers 
 to know who played in this game, the 
 names are herewith given : The Bowdoin 
 Club was John Lowell, catcher ; Archibald, 
 pitcher ; Albert Crosby, first base ; Sawyer, 
 second base ; Crowley, third base ; Harry 
 Gill, short-stop; Gardner, right field; 
 
144 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Leach, centre field ; and Harry Forbush, 
 left field. 
 
 Tri-Mountains : Ben Guild, catcher; 
 Saltzman, pitcher; Dinsmore, first base; 
 Coe, second base ; Bigelow, third base ; 
 Arnold, short-stop; Chandler, right field; 
 Fletcher, left field ; Lyons, centre field. 
 
 This is not intended in any way to be 
 a history of baseball in New England; I 
 am only striving to give some of the more 
 salient features of its progress amongst us 
 which came under my own observation, 
 and to relate a few of my own personal 
 experiences and those of the club with 
 which I played. Consequently, the Lowell 
 Club will of necessity stand out promi- 
 nently in the following pages, which fact 
 I trust will be pardoned by the reader. 
 
 The return game between the Tri- 
 Mountains and Bowdoins was played on 
 the Common September 22, i860, when 
 the latter again won, 36 to 19. 
 
 In 1 86 1 the Civil War cloud burst and 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 145 
 
 many baseball plans were disarranged 
 thereby, some of the players enlisting upon 
 the first call for troops; and during the 
 war's progress upwards of fifty members 
 of Boston clubs were to be found in Uncle 
 Sam's ranks. 
 
 Before this time many of us boys had 
 been allowed occasionally to take a hand 
 in the Tri-Mountains' or Bowdoins' games, 
 and were found to be ready converts to 
 the new style of playing, our previous 
 training, of course, proving of great ser- 
 vice to us. 
 
 Our aptness was quickly recognized by 
 the seniors, and one evening Mr. Horace 
 Chandler, one of the Bowdoins, and son of 
 the late Hon. Peleg W. Chandler, called 
 at my house and said that he did so at the 
 request of John Lowell, who, with himself 
 and others, thought it most desirable that 
 a junior club be formed, as the material 
 promised well, etc., etc. 
 
 The result was that I and several others 
 
146 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 went at once to work and procured enoughf : 
 names without any difficulty. In fact, no* 
 body, as far as I can remember, refusedjui 
 We held the first meeting at John A. 
 Lowell's office, then on the corner of Sum- 
 mer and Washington streets, over Shrevej'i 
 Crump & Low's jewelry store, and elected 
 the following officers : President, George G. 
 Richards; Vice-President, Samuel Brad- 
 street, Jr. ; Secretary, George S. B. Sulli- 
 van ; Treasurer, William French ; DireCf ■ 
 tors, Marsh P. Stafford, George B. Wilder,' 
 and J. D'W. Lovett. 
 
 , The club was named in honor of Mr. 
 Lowell, then President of the Bowdoin^^ 
 and who had most kindly encouraged us 
 in everyway. The Bowdoins gave us a 
 good send-off by voting us a full set; of 
 implements,, and we went at it with a will.; 
 This was in March, i86i,and by the next 
 October we, tried our wings in, a, game; 
 with the Medford Club at Medford, Therer 
 was a good-sized crowd to see our maidien 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 147 
 
 effort, as we had lots of friends who anti- 
 cipated for us a fair chance to win from 
 the senior club. 
 
 The result was entirely satisfactory to 
 us, we winning, 17 to 10; and as some of 
 our old friends may like to know what 
 was said of us in our first match, I take 
 the liberty of quoting from the report as 
 it appeared in the paper next day. 
 
 " On the i6thinst. a very exciting match 
 of baseball between the Lowell Club of 
 Boston and the Medford Club of Medford 
 was played on the grounds of the latter. 
 This being the debut of the Lowells 
 (which, by the way, is a junior club), called 
 out quite a concourse of the friends of 
 both parties. Miller's pitching on the 
 Lowell side was swift and to the mark, and 
 the way he generaled the game does good 
 credit to himself and his club. Wilder, as 
 catcher, was very effective and marked his 
 play by some difficult catches of foul balls ; 
 one in particular, a left-hand catch oh the 
 
148 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 fly. Lovett's short was brilliant through- 
 out, he not missing a single stop or throw 
 to the bases, and his backing up of the 
 bases was a specimen of good fielding. 
 Adams held with vice-like grip every ball 
 that was passed to him. Joslin's second 
 was well attended to, as was also the third. 
 In the outfield some tall fielding was done 
 by Hawes and Richards; Fuller, as is 
 quite unusual, not having anything to do, 
 owing to Miller's swift pitching. 
 
 "Of the Medfords, Rapp, as short, al- 
 though the position was new to him, did 
 good execution ; Clark pitched in a 
 steady manner and watched the bases 
 well. Banker^ is a cool player and his 
 score of no outs and three runs looked 
 well for his side. Burbank played his sec- 
 ond in good shape, but was very unfortu- 
 nate at the bat. Another season the senior 
 clubs will have to look out for their laurels, 
 
 1 He afterwards played first base upon the Class of 
 '66 team at Harvard. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 149 
 
 for such fielding as was shown by the 
 Lowells seldom occurs." 
 
 Thus were we fairly launched upon a 
 career which continued for nearly twelve 
 years. 
 
 In looking back over this period it seems 
 evident to me that it would have been for 
 the best interests of the club to have dis- 
 banded either in the spring or fall of 1869, 
 when it was at its best ; for, although we 
 afterwards won games occasionally, still, as 
 I shall later on endeavor to show, for good 
 and sufficient reasons and through no fault 
 of ours, '70, '71, and '72 were regrettable 
 years to the original members and their 
 friends, and would much better have been 
 forestalled by non-existence of the club. 
 
 The season of 1862 opened with bright 
 prospects for us, and in June we played 
 our second match, this time with the Bow- 
 doins, who beat us 23 to 14. 
 
 On July 10 the Excelsiors of New York 
 
I50 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 arrived in Boston. They were in their 
 prime at this time, and, being the first 
 New York club to visit Boston, created 
 much excitement. Their nine consisted of 
 Young, Russell, Pearsall, Polhemus, Brain- 
 ard, Flanley, Creighton, Cook, and Leg- 
 gett. Ball players from all parts of New 
 England came to see them play, and our 
 eyes were opened to many things. 
 
 Theybeatthe Bowdoins4i to 15. Much 
 good-natured chaff was passed back and 
 forth between John Lowell and Joe Leg- 
 gett in this game, which made fun for every- 
 body. Once when the latter was at the bat, 
 he motioned to John, who was then playing 
 centre field, to go back a little further; 
 John backed off about ten feet, upon which 
 Leggett sung out, " A little further, still, 
 John," and the latter, laughing, backed 
 away another ten feet, whereupon Leggett 
 struck a ball and sent it flying over John's 
 head for a home run, amidst shouts of 
 laughter from the crowd. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 151 
 
 It was certainly a privilege to have seen 
 Jim Creighton pitch and Joe Leggett catch 
 him. Creighton was at this time but six- 
 teen years old ! And yet nobody had ever 
 approached him in speed and accuracy of 
 delivery. He was equally popular in cricket 
 and baseball. He died at the age of twenty 
 one years, mourned by the entire athletic 
 community. He went through an entire 
 season without making a single out, — a 
 feat nobody has ever accomplished before 
 or since, to my knowledge. The Excelsiors 
 erected a fine monument to his memory, 
 and he is to-day spoken of as the " lamented 
 Creighton." 
 
 Creighton had a great influence upon 
 my success as a pitcher. I noted him very 
 carefully and found that his speed was not 
 due to mere physical strength, but that 
 this latter was supplemented by a very long 
 arm and a peculiar wrist movement, very 
 quick and " snappy " — so much so that he 
 was accused of underhand throwing, as I 
 
152 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 was, afterwards; and I have only to say 
 that if a throw can be accomplished with a 
 perfectly rigid elbow-joint, then he and I 
 were both guilty ; but a throw was never 
 proven and neither of us was ever ruled 
 out. 
 
 However, as I have said, I studied his 
 style very carefully and acquired as well as 
 I could (a very poor copy, by the way) his 
 effective wrist movement. Later on, when 
 the rules compelled the pitcher to deliver 
 the ball with both feet planted firmly upon 
 the ground, I found this movement of great 
 assistance in getting a good pace on the 
 ball. 
 
 On the next day, July ii, 1862, the Ex- 
 celsiors played a picked nine, composed 
 of four Tri-Mountains — Chandler, Saltz- 
 man, Troupe, and Arnold — and five Low- 
 ells, — Miller, Wilder, Joslin, Adams, and 
 myself. We were beaten 39 to 1 3. 
 
 In this game Joslin's playing at left field 
 was mentioned as a " feature of the game ; " 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 153 
 
 and Chandler, Miller, and I had the honor 
 of making a home run apiece off Creighton. 
 
 Moses E. Chandler, mentioned here, has 
 always been a lover of clean and healthy 
 sport. In 1867 he presented to the New 
 England Baseball Association a beautiful 
 silver-mounted bat made of six pieces of 
 wood, each of which possessed historic 
 value. 
 
 Mr. Chandler had also the distinction 
 of being the first ball player in New Eng- 
 land who, when running the bases, made 
 a " dive " for one of them. This happened 
 in 1859 in Portland, Maine, in a match 
 between the Tri-Mountains and Portlands, 
 and the feat fairly astonished the natives, 
 who at first roared with laughter; but Chan- 
 dler scored the run, and they then woke up 
 to the fact that a large, new, and valuable 
 " wrinkle " had been handed out to them. 
 
 About this time we lent our aid to the 
 Class of '66 in organizing the first club 
 at Harvard under the New York rules. 
 
154 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 We helped them lay out their grounds on 
 Cambridge Common, near the Washing- 
 ton Elm, and several of us used frequently 
 to go out and teach them what we knew of 
 the game. 
 
 The prime movers in starting this game 
 at Harvard were George Flagg, Frank 
 Wright, Arthur Hunnewell, Tom Nelson, 
 Eugene Greenleaf, Frank Harris, now the 
 well-known veteran Medical Examiner, 
 Ned Sprague, George Parker, Putnam 
 Abercrombie, Charlie Fiske, and others. 
 
 Thus was the pioneer Baseball Club of 
 -Harvard College duly organized, and a lit- 
 tle later on the Nine appeared in a uniform 
 of gray flannel, with a large Old English 
 " H "worked in magenta upon the front of 
 the shirt. It was a very neat and attrac- 
 tive suit ; but why a magenta " H " instead 
 of the time-honored crimson.? 
 
 This query involves an interesting bit of 
 College history, which seems to be but lit- 
 tle known to-day, and it will interest many 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 155 
 
 to read the following graphic account of 
 how the substitution came about, written 
 for the " Harvard Bulletin " by the late 
 Frank Wright, captain and pitcher of this 
 Nine. Wright says : — 
 
 I take pleasure in giving you a bit of ancient 
 history regarding the change in the colors of 
 Harvard from crimson to magenta, the history 
 of which has never been written. 
 
 We have all heard that Rome was saved by the 
 cackling of geese, but few, only the very select 
 few who were honored by the ministration of 
 Dr. Peabody during the middle 60' s, know that 
 the Harvard colors were changed from crimson 
 to magenta by an obscure Boston seamstress, 
 and that magenta remained the color of Harvard 
 for eight years. 
 
 The change of the Harvard color is interwo- 
 ven with the origin of baseball at Harvard, and I 
 must account for them both in the same breath. 
 
 One afternoon in March of 1863 a classmate 
 of mine, during Professor Lane's Latin recitation, 
 passed a slip of paper to me asking if I would 
 help him in starting a baseball club. We had 
 
156 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 talked of this before, and I adopted the sugges- 
 tion and wrote upon a slip of paper and passed 
 it round, asking the fellows to meet in Flagg's 
 room in Stoughton at eight that evening and 
 form a baseball club. After the recitation the 
 hint was given out to men of other divisions, 
 and the result was that the room was well-filled 
 at the appointed hour. An organization was 
 effected without much delay, and the question 
 of the kind of baseball was discussed. A major- 
 ity of the fellows wished to form a club to play 
 Massachusetts baseball, which was then in 
 vogue, a game slightly improved upon town ball, 
 which was an improvement upon the old English 
 game of rounders, but a few of us who hailed from 
 New York state carried the meeting in favor of 
 the new game, then called the " Brooklyn " game. 
 A committee of two was appointed, consisting 
 of George A. Flagg and myself, to arrange the 
 preliminaries and to suggest a uniform. Flagg 
 and I went to Boston the following day, and 
 under the guidance of John A. Lowell, the pre- 
 sident of the Lowell Baseball Club of Boston, 
 went to Hovey's in Summer Street to select 
 cloth for a uniform. At that time all the base- 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 157 
 
 ball clubs wore a fierce, fireman-like uniform of 
 red or blue flannel shirts with any kind of trou- 
 sers and a gaudy leather belt. We decided to 
 try some quiet color and selected a gray French 
 flannel, to be trimmed with crimson, with a 
 crimson " H " to be embroidered upon the shirt 
 front. We bought flannel enough for one shirt, 
 and it was decided that I was " to bell the cat " 
 and have the first shirt made for me. Mr. Lowell 
 steered me to a seamstress in Essex Street, who 
 made uniforms for his club, and she took the 
 order for a shirt to be embroidered with an old 
 English " H " in crimson. When the shirt was 
 sent to me a note came from the seamstress that 
 she had taken the liberty to embroider my " H " 
 in magenta instead of crimson, as magenta was 
 much more fashionable and much prettier than 
 crimson. I was of course disgusted, but the 
 shirt was there and the magenta " H " looked 
 fine. I called a meeting of the club and appeared 
 in my outfit. 
 
 Every one liked the shirt and the color, and it 
 was decided to adopt it. The crew could wear 
 crimson if they liked, but the baseball color 
 should be magenta. 
 
158 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 A nine was selected, uniforms were made, 
 and we played a game with the old Tri-Moun- 
 tain Club of Boston, which resulted in an easy 
 win for us. We then arranged a match with the 
 Brown University Club and went to Providence 
 for the game and won easily. Our success at- 
 tracted the attention of the college, our girl 
 friends began to wear our magenta colors, and 
 by the time the boat-races were on at Worces- 
 ter, magenta was talked of as the Harvard color. 
 In those days the crew rowed in the " buff," 
 but with crimson silk handkerchiefs about their 
 heads. When Horatio Curtis of '65 and his crew 
 appeared on Lake Quinsigamond with magenta 
 handkerchiefs, magenta as Harvard's color was 
 established. 
 
 Frank Wright, '66. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 IN 1863 there was a little more activity 
 among the clubs, but the war kept 
 down anything like a furor. The Bow- 
 doins disbanded in this year, having been 
 foremost among the New England clubs 
 for four years and sustaining but two de- 
 feats, — by the Pioneers of Springfield and 
 the Excelsiors. 
 
 On May 29 we beat the Tri- Mountains 
 by the score of 37 to i, and, to use the 
 words of a report of the game next day, 
 " we doubt the ability of either club to do 
 the like again." (This score was duplicated 
 by the Eckfords in 1868 against the 
 Uniques.) 
 
 In 1864 John A. Lowell, with his well- 
 known generosity, public spirit, and kindly 
 
i6o OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 intentions, presented a silver ball to be 
 played for, thinking that by this means a 
 greater number of crack clubs would be 
 brought together in friendly rivalry and 
 thus the best interests of the game would 
 be greatly advanced. 
 
 This no doubt is as it ought to have 
 been and would have been under normal 
 conditions ; but unforeseen circumstances 
 arose which led to contentions; and the 
 end sought for by the donor was frus- 
 trated, and in 1867 it was deemed advisable 
 to withdraw the trophy from the field. 
 
 The records of seventeen match games 
 were beautifully engraved upon this ball, 
 and it should undoubtedly have been pre- 
 served in some museum ; but instead, it 
 was injudiciously voted by the Committee 
 of the Association that it should be de- 
 stroyed, which vote was forthwith carried 
 into effect. 
 
 On July 9 of this year, before the silver 
 ball had appeared, we played our first match 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS i6i 
 
 with the Harvards (Class of '66 team), de- 
 feating them 55 to 25, This game was won 
 by heavy batting, Miller, AUine, and I each 
 making one out and eight runs. The re- 
 port of the game gives Joslin the credit of 
 making " the most beautiful one hand catch 
 at left field which we have ever witnessed," 
 and adds, " it does one good to see such 
 fielders as JosHn and Alline play." 
 
 On September 27, 1864, the first game 
 for the silver ball was played by the Tri- 
 Mountains and the Osceolas of Portland, 
 Maine, the former winning by the score 
 of 53 to 18, and on October 4 we won it 
 from the Tri- Mountains, 33 to 18. 
 
 On October 18 the Hampshires of 
 Northampton came to Boston to " lift " the 
 silver ball ; but, like more recent attempts 
 to " lift " things, it proved a bit too heavy 
 for them, and we retained it after a game 
 of 83 to 10. The next year, 1865, on July 
 15, the Harvards, wanting to have a finger 
 in the championship pie, came for us with 
 
i62 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 such good effect that the ball took a horse- 
 car for Cambridge that evening amid great 
 rejoicings. This, our first real defeat, 
 coming just before our departure for a 
 "New York trip, was a little discomposing ; 
 but no doubt it was good medicine and 
 taught us that there were " others." So we 
 took the dose and lay low until after the 
 College vacation, hoping for better luck 
 next time. On July i8 we started for New 
 York to play the Resolutes, Atlantics, and 
 Excelsiors. 
 
 The Resolutes beat us 33 to 14. The 
 Atlantics, helped by a stupid decision of 
 the umpire, which cost us thirteen runs, 
 beat us 45 to 17, and the Excelsiors made 
 39 to our 31. 
 
 I quote from an account of this last 
 game, which shows that the Lowells made 
 a pretty good impression in spite of the 
 scores against them : — 
 
 " The batting in the last four innings on 
 both sides was really excellent ; indeed, no 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 163 
 
 better has been seen on the grounds this 
 season. Jewell (of the Excelsiors) obtained 
 two home runs in one inning, by splendid 
 hits to long field, and Fletcher, Brainard, 
 and Flanley also marked their batting by 
 similar runs. Lovett, of the Lowells, also 
 secured two home runs, his score being 
 the best on either side, in any of the three 
 games, by six runs, no outs, besides being 
 left three times on bases, he making his 
 base by his hits no less than nine times. 
 In batting, in the whole series of games 
 Lovett is first. Miller second, and Joslin 
 third. In fly catching, out of 33 catches 
 AUine took 8, taking the lead, Lovett 7, 
 Lowell 5, Joslin 5, Wilder 3, and G. Miller, 
 Adams, and Sumner 2 each. G. Miller 
 deserves warm praise for his fine play 
 in his position (pitcher), and seemed as 
 fresh at the conclusion of the game as 
 on the first day's play. Lovett is certainly 
 a splendid player and gives great pro- 
 mise of rivaling the very best short-stops. 
 
i64 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Lowell's catching was first-class in every 
 respect. Adams is an Ai player at first 
 base, and Sumner a very effective man for 
 second base; and three finer outfielders 
 than Joslin, Alline, and Wilder, the two 
 former especially, it would be difficult to 
 obtain outside of our very strongest clubs." 
 
 Favorable comment was also made in 
 the report upon our " deportment ! " and 
 in this respect we were held up as an ex- 
 ample to all other clubs, at which we all, 
 no doubt, blushed with pleasure and be- 
 coming modesty. 
 
 Physically, also, they sized us up pretty 
 accurately, describing us as " exceedingly 
 young and light-built men, their average 
 ages being 19, and their average weight 
 only reaching 130 pounds." 
 
 In the Atlantic game John Lowell 
 brought down the house by stealing a base 
 on " Dicky " Pearce, who was catching. 
 Pearce had a habit of leisurely rolling the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 165 
 
 ball back to the pitcher; John had just 
 made his first base and at once " caught 
 on " to this trick of Pearce's, so as soon 
 as the latter started to roll the ball, away 
 went John, safely reaching second, amidst 
 much laughter and applause. 
 
 This trip was memorable in that it 
 brought us in contact with the late Morti- 
 mer Rogers, who met us upon our arrival 
 at the station, and instantly won the es- 
 teem, friendship, and regard of us all. 
 This feeling deepened and strengthened 
 as years went by. Eventually he played 
 with the Lowells, and later still made Bos- 
 ton his home. 
 
 As an outfielder, Mort. was ahead of his 
 time, and to-day there is no player who can 
 run in to a swiftly batted liner and pick it 
 up within six inches of the ground better 
 than he could ; and those players who can 
 do it at all to-day are not any too numer- 
 ous. Long, high hits, which are caught 
 with one hand, or taken over the shoulder, 
 
1 66 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 the fielder running with the ball, are more 
 showy and appeal to the " gallery ; " but 
 every real player knows that the true test 
 of a fielder lies in his ability to take the 
 low flies while running into them at full 
 speed. 
 
 And here just a word about the up-to- 
 date outfielding where a padded contriv- 
 ance, like a huge mitten, is worn upon 
 one hand. These mittens measure about 
 ten inches in length and the same in 
 breadth, with a hollow in the palm wherein 
 the ball fits like a " baby in a basket." 
 
 What credit is there in catching a ball 
 in such a trap ? True, it protects the fin- 
 gers of a high-priced player, and he must 
 exercise judgment in timing the ball and 
 getting under it ; but there all skill ceases. 
 
 I have seen an outfielder jump into the 
 air and stop a ball with this invention 
 which he could not possibly have touched 
 with his bare hand, thereby just as surely 
 robbing the batter of a fairly earned two 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 167 
 
 or three base hit, perhaps a home run, as 
 if he had held up a plank and intercepted 
 the ball with it. 
 
 There is no more call for this mitten in 
 the outfield to-day than there was forty 
 years ago, as balls are batted there no 
 oftener, no harder, and no farther. The 
 average bare hand covers an area of some 
 thirty-one or thirty-two square inches, 
 whereas this mitten covers one hundred ! 
 And the thumb, clear to its tip, is con- 
 nected with the body of the mitten by a 
 gore-shaped web or membrane, like that in 
 a duck's foot, so that the ball cannot pos- 
 sibly be forced through this opening. O 
 tempora., O mores ! 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 ON September 25, 1865, we played 
 the Atlantics of New York, then 
 champions of America, on Boston 
 Common. They had not been defeated for 
 two years, and therefore attracted a very 
 large crowd, as may be supposed. 
 
 We gave them a pretty good game, but 
 they beat us 30 to 10. The famous Joe 
 Start, of first base fame, played on this 
 team, and also Frank Norton, the finest 
 catcher of his day. Thirty-nine years after 
 this game, during which interval we had 
 not met, a rather stout, full-whiskered, gray- 
 haired man of about — well, never mind 
 the age — called at my ofifice and greeted, 
 me with, " Hello, Jim." I looked him over 
 and had to acknowledge that he had the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 169 
 
 drop on me. He laughed and wondered if 
 I remembered Frank Norton and I thought 
 of the graceful, brilliant young fellow as I 
 had last seen him. I think he was fully as 
 surprised as I was at the changes which 
 time had wrought upon its victims. 
 
 The next day the Tri-Mountains were 
 beaten by the Atlantics, 107 to 16; and 
 on the 27th the Harvards engaged them 
 and came off with a score of 22 to the 
 Atlantics' 58. This game of ours with the 
 Atlantics was a memorable one, it being 
 the last in which our captain, pitcher, and 
 all-round most reliable man, Gat Miller, 
 made his appearance upon the Lowell 
 team for several years. 
 
 He had entered Harvard College, and 
 in the natural course of events would have 
 played with them against us in the game 
 for the championship, which was to take 
 place in five days, on September 30; but 
 Gat was " true blue " and would not resign 
 as a Lowell man and consequently could 
 
I70 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 not play against his old nine; and it should 
 be said, on the other hand, that he was 
 equally loyal to his college, and never 
 would play with us against it. 
 
 He was so popular with both parties that 
 he was unanimously invited to umpire this 
 game, and although it was a trying posi- 
 tion, he fulfilled the duties to the perfect 
 satisfaction of both sides. We had, of 
 course, for some time been anticipating 
 Miller's leaving us, and I had been at work 
 practicing to fill his position as well as I 
 could. 
 
 I had never before pitched in a match 
 game, and I think that the rest of the team, 
 and our friends generally, had many large- 
 sized misgivings about the as yet untried 
 man in so important a game; but I felt 
 eager to get into it and see what I could 
 do, and the result after all was not so bad, 
 as we beat them 40 to 37. This gave us 
 the championship once more ; but our 
 possession of it was short-lived, as the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 171 
 
 Harvards, with their indomitable gameness, 
 wanting to winter the silver ball in Cam- 
 bridge if possible, asked for one more game. 
 
 In the mean time I was disabled and 
 was unable to play. Jim Burton, however, 
 took my place and no doubt batted better 
 than I should have done, his score being 
 one out and five runs. The college boys, 
 however, struck a batting streak and 
 knocked out 73 runs to our 37. 
 
 There occurred in this game a most 
 remarkable hit made by Tom Nelson, 
 which is to-day often referred to as " Nel- 
 son's great strike." 
 
 There was a high west wind blowing 
 during the game and Tom caught the ball 
 square on the nose with the full swing of 
 his great strength and away it soared, truly, 
 upon the wings of the wind. Over the Flag- 
 staflf hill it flew and bounded down the 
 other side, in the direction of West Street. 
 There are numerous legends extant as to 
 where it was finally picked up. 
 
172 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 One was that it was stopped while try- 
 ing to get through West Street gate. An- 
 other, that it went down West Street, 
 bounced aboard a passing horse-car and 
 went out to the Norfolk House. 
 
 As I was confined at home, I do not 
 know anything about it, but anyway Nel- 
 son wandered around the bases, and then 
 " waited patiently about until it did appear," 
 and often laughed about it in after years. 
 
 Speaking of long strikes reminds me of 
 one which I once made where the ball was 
 never heard from afterwards. It gives one 
 a queer sensation to bat a ball up into the 
 air and never see it again, yet that is what 
 happened upon this occasion. I was bat- 
 ting up to the boys one afternoon, and the 
 ball, when thrown back to me, rolled on to 
 Beacon Street Mall. I picked it up and 
 batted it from there. It went straight up 
 into the thickly leaved trees. I do not re- 
 member hearing it make any sound, and 
 never saw it again. Whether it wedged 
 
THOMAS NELSON 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 173 
 Itself into a fork, plumped into a hole, or 
 imbedded itself in a limb, like the cannon- 
 ball in the old Brattle Street Church, I 
 cannot say. 
 
 Another afternoon, while I was again 
 batting to the outfield, Mr. Francis Gard- 
 ner, Master of the Public Latin School, 
 came along the Spruce Street path and 
 stood watching me a while. Presently, he 
 approached and said, " Lovett, I hear that 
 you can put a ball about where you like ; 
 can you send it down to Hawes " (pointing 
 to Henry Hawes, down in the long field), 
 " so that he won't have to move out of his 
 tracks for it ? " 
 
 Now, if Mr. Gardner had asked me to 
 give him a list of the twenty-six preposi- 
 tions (or was it a hundred and twenty-six ?) 
 followed by the accusative, I should prob- 
 ably have balked ; but I was now on my 
 own quarter-deck and so answered with 
 brazen assurance that I thought I could, 
 
 " Let her go, then," he said, and I accord- 
 
174 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 ingly let her go, and knew, the instant the 
 ball left the bat, that it was going true. 
 
 Sure enough, Henry never moved an 
 inch and took it about breast high, upon 
 which Mr. Gardner chuckled once or twice 
 to himself and went on his way without 
 another word. 
 
 That Mr, Gardner was a rugged, stern 
 man is well known, but that he was pos- 
 sessed of a most kind heart and gentle 
 ways when occasion called for them is not 
 so generally recognized. 
 
 At recess one day he called up and was 
 questioning a very frail and delicate look- 
 ing fellow, named Loring, about a lesson 
 in which he had failed badly. Under Mr. 
 Gardner's stern eye he completely broke 
 down, and throwing his arms about the 
 strong man's neck, hid his face upon his 
 shoulder and sobbed passionately. 
 
 The really sweet and tender way in which 
 Mr. Gardner comforted that little fellow, 
 the gentleness with which he stroked the 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 175 
 
 little head with his big hand, and finally 
 brought back the smiles to his face, was 
 a revelation to those of us who were pre- 
 sent. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 MARCH 26, 1866, the Lowells 
 leased a club-room on the coi> 
 ner of West and Mason streets, 
 and for five or six years enjoyed it, sum- 
 mer and winter. Curiously enough, over 
 one of the windows of these rooms was 
 a carved " L," and " 1861," the date of our 
 organization. 
 
 We had two fine pianists in Ned Har- 
 low and Jim Hovey, a vocal quartette was 
 formed, dancing parties were given, and 
 the Lowell Club was at its zenith. 
 
 I am sure that Clude Belches will agree 
 with me when I state that the rendering 
 of the " Larboard Watch," by two promi- 
 nent members has never been duplicated. 
 
 John Lowell's inimitable character 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 177 
 
 sketches, together with songs and stories, 
 were always a source of pleasure, and, 
 what with boxing and social enjoyments 
 of all kinds, the winter months sped rap- 
 idly in those far-off days. 
 
 On June 2, 1866, we met the Flyaways 
 of East Boston, and for four hours ran 
 around the bases, making one hundred 
 and twenty-one runs to fourteen. We went 
 to Portland on July 4 and played the Eons, 
 whom we beat 33 to 23, upon a park a 
 mile or so outside the city limits. While 
 playing we could see that there was a good- 
 sized fire raging in the city, and when we 
 returned thither found ourselves in the 
 midst of the " big Portland fire." 
 
 We had intended returning home that 
 evening, but stayed and worked nearly all 
 night in assisting to save the jewelry stock 
 of Messrs. Lowell & Senter, who very 
 handsomely acknowledged our efforts in 
 the newspapers. 
 
 On July 14 we again tackled Harvard 
 
lyS OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 for the championship, and once more won 
 it, this time by the score of 37 to 27/ 
 
 In this game it seemed as if the "fickle 
 goddess," a little disturbed in her mind 
 for having so heartlessly abandoned us in 
 the last one (73 to 37), had thought the 
 matter over and concluded to square her- 
 self with the Lowell boys. Accordingly, 
 she graciously lent us her aid, which re- 
 sulted in our winning by the above score ; 
 and she, also thinking, no doubt, that it 
 was but fair that Nelson's great strike in 
 that game should be offset by something 
 similar in this one, decreed that one of the 
 Lowells should make a catch to keep the 
 strike company. That Her Royal Fickle- 
 ness booked me for this honor was doubt« 
 less due to the fact that my position as 
 
 1 It is curious to note in how many of the Lowell- 
 Harvard matches the total score on one side or the other 
 was either a multiple of seven, or else a number in which 
 the figure seven appeared ; thus, 28 appears five times ; 
 37, four times; 27, three times; 14, 17, 21, and 73, once 
 each. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 179 
 
 pitcher being nearest the batter, possessed 
 possibilities which the other positions 
 lacked. Be that as it may, Ames was at 
 the bat and I pitched him a ball which he 
 struck with such force that, before any eye 
 in the crowd could mark its flight, it had 
 returned to my hand as the latter was in 
 the act of swinging back after delivery, and 
 was caught without requiring any extra- 
 neous movement upon my part to indicate 
 the fact, so that not a soul excepting Ames 
 and myself knew what had become of it. 
 This circumstance, however, did not occur 
 to me until after I had stood a moment 
 or two, expecting to hear the Lowell yell. 
 But not a sound came ; and then instantly 
 it dawned upon me that nobody knew that 
 I had caught the ball. My position was a 
 peculiar one, and I do not know how long 
 the deception could have been sustained ; 
 but I had to do something, so I tossed the 
 ball into the air, whereupon everybody at 
 once " caught on," and the yell came. 
 
i8o OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 Indeed, tiny, faint echoes of this appliause 
 have filtered down through the forty inter- 
 vening years, and I am, to-day, often' asked 
 questidus about this fcatch by persons who 
 are utter strangers to me. I have actually 
 been asked, " Did you see it coming?" 
 "Did you know you: had caught it?" 
 " Was n't ypur first impulse to dodge it ? " 
 etc., etc. 
 
 I am giving this matter much more space 
 and prominence than it .deserves; but I 
 have been asked, to set forth the incident 
 as it really occurred, as many people saw 
 and,,remem;ber it, arid, it:has been sug- 
 gested that • they ■■ might , be interested in 
 hearing the facts at first hand. I will only 
 add, simply as a matter of record, that 
 upon four later occasions, J repeated this 
 catch, but in rioiie of these latter was the 
 velocity approiaehed with which Ames 
 drove the ball at me. 
 
 It has always been a feather in the 
 Lowell cap to have had Ames (now Dean 
 
Drawn by C. D. Gibson 
 
 "THERE WERE " FANS " IN THOSE DAYS 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS i8i 
 
 of the Harvard Law School), upon its nine 
 for about a year before he entered college, 
 as his ability as captain of the 'Varsity 
 team, his coolness and good judgment at 
 critical moments, his ever alert fielding as 
 second baseman, and his superior batting 
 placed him easily in the front rank of ball 
 players. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 ON July 25, 1866, in a match with 
 the Phillips Academy nine, from 
 Andover, we had the pleasure of 
 making the acquaintance of that model 
 catcher and universal favorite, the late 
 Archie Bush. 
 
 Later on he entered Harvard and suc- 
 ceeded George Flagg, whose fine, plucky 
 catching and brilliant base running made 
 him famous during the four years in which 
 he wore the gray and magenta. 
 
 We won this game only after a sharp 
 fight, by the score of 32 to 20. 
 
 Like all winners we had lots of friends 
 at this time, from the street gamins up to 
 the " Chairman of the Committee on Com- 
 mons and Squares," who very kindly issued 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 183 
 
 to us a permit for two or three consecu- 
 tive years, granting to us the " use of the 
 grounds on which they usually play, on 
 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, in 
 the afternoon, on the Common, to the ex- 
 clusion of others." They also detailed a 
 squad of policemen to guard the ropes dur- 
 ing match games. These policemen were 
 all good Lowell partisans, as the following 
 incident will show. 
 
 Just before game was called with the 
 Phillips Academy nine, a friend of mine 
 overheard two men, evidently strangers 
 who had come to Boston to see the game, 
 discussing the probable result, one saying 
 that he " guessed the Lowells would get 
 beaten this time all right," when a police- 
 man who stood within earshot of the re- 
 mark instantly turned, gave him a wither- 
 ing look of scorn, and quietly said, " You 
 talk like a damn fool." 
 
 It was while this game was in progress 
 that Fred Nazro, ever loyal and true, lost 
 
1 84 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 a good hat but gained a halo in exchange, 
 which metaphorically speaking, he has 
 worn ever since. 
 
 It was like this. At the end of the fifth 
 innings the Academy boys stood i8 to our 
 1 6 and were playing a winning game. In 
 the sixth, we made a rally, knocked out ten 
 runs and gave them a goose egg, and at 
 this point the non-playing boys went wild. 
 Fred, who was frantically waving aloft his 
 hat, all unconscious of the damage that 
 was beirig wrought, finally shook the crown 
 free from the rim and continued to wave 
 this accidently created halo, not noticing 
 anything wrong, until it slipped down over 
 his head when he tried to put his hat on. 
 
 We played two more games that fall 
 for the championship : one, on September 
 15, with the King Phillips of East Ab- 
 ington, which we won by 75 to 17, and the 
 other on September 29, with the Granites 
 of Holliston, which we also won by 47 to 
 II. 
 
•>!£■ 
 
 « 
 O 
 
 o 
 m 
 
 a 
 
 < 
 m 
 D 
 J 
 U 
 
 < 
 
 J 
 
 & 
 
 O 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 185 
 
 In the King Phillip match Sumner car- 
 ried off the honors in fielding, the report 
 of the game describing his play at second 
 base as " the best he ever made and the 
 best we recollect ever having seen in that 
 position, not even excepting Crane" (of the 
 champion Atlantics). 
 
 In the Granite match Mort. Rogers made 
 his first appearance upon the Lowell nine, 
 and proved to be a most valuable acquisi- 
 tion to our outfield, he playing centre. 
 
 In the spring of 1867 the Harvard boys, 
 thinking no doubt that the silver ball was 
 growing dull from too long exposure to 
 the Boston east winds, and that it needed 
 a change of air, determined to take it a 
 few miles further inland, if possible, and 
 " brighten it up a bit," and, incidentally, 
 polish off the Lowells at the same time. 
 
 Accordingly they sent us an invitation 
 to play a series of match games, " best two 
 out of three," for the championship. This 
 was something new, as heretofore one 
 
1 86 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 game had decided the question, thereby 
 saving much valuable time. We therefore 
 notified them of our acceptance of their 
 challenge, and also expressed our prefer- 
 ence that, if agreeable to them, one game 
 should settle the matter. To this they re- 
 plied that the conditions were agreeable 
 (as to the time, place, etc.), but that they 
 preferred that the terms should be best 
 two out of three, as originally proposed. 
 Not caring to prolong the question, we ac- 
 quiesced and at once made arrangements 
 for the series, the first of which was played 
 May 15, on the Common, where we won 
 by a score of 37 to 28. 
 
 The second game was played on May 
 24, on Jarvis Field, Cambridge ; this time 
 the Harvards winning by 32 to 26. 
 
 The third and deciding game was played 
 on a potato patch (I wish I could call it 
 a ball ground), in Medford, where we were 
 again beaten, this time by the score of 39 
 to 28, In this game Bob Shaw of the Har- 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 187 
 
 vards gave us a touch of his quality at first 
 base, which one rarely sees equaled and 
 never excelled by either amateur or pro- 
 fessional. He made five fly catches and 
 assisted in disposing of fifteen base run- 
 ners, thus being instrumental in capturing 
 twenty of the twenty-seven outs, and with- 
 out an error! 
 
 On June 17 the celebrated Athletics of 
 Philadelphia visited Boston, and on that 
 date defeated the Eons of Portland, on the 
 Common, 88 to 22. The next day the 
 Harvards gave them a splendid game, but 
 were beaten by a score of 22 to 10, the 
 Athletics winning only by their heavy bat- 
 ting. The fielding of Harvard was fully 
 equal to that of their powerful opponents, 
 if not better. 
 
 The next day we played the Philadel- 
 phians, and a sort of " dry rot " seemed to 
 take possession of the entire Lowell nine. 
 We played like beginners and allowed 
 them to pile up 53 runs to our 5, in five 
 
1 88 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 innings, when a most welcome thunder- 
 shower put an end to the fun (?). 
 
 It seems evident that the Golden Rule 
 was not intended to be prominent in ath- 
 letic contests, where each participant is 
 endeavoring to the utmost of his ability to 
 do unto the other fellow just what he would 
 not have the other fellow do unto him; 
 and if A beats B, it seems to be the nat- 
 ural thing for B, failing to get back at A, 
 to desire to take it out of C, if he can. 
 
 It is therefore tolerably certain that, if 
 the Golden Rule ever comes to be univer- 
 sally applied, contests of all kinds must 
 cease naturally, as the stronger will refrain 
 from beating the weaker, the weaker can- 
 not beat the stronger, and the result will 
 be " nil." 
 
 As the above rule, however, is at present 
 limited in its workings, and as the Lowells 
 were smarting somewhat from their land- 
 slide with the Athletics, and being actuated 
 by the praiseworthy desire to " take it out " 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 189 
 
 of somebody else, if possible, they accepted 
 with pleasure the kind invitation of the 
 Rockinghams of Portsmouth, N. H., to 
 visit them. The Lowells went to Ports- 
 mouth, met with a hearty reception, and 
 relieved their feelings by prancing around 
 the bases one hundred and seven times. 
 
 The U. S. Navy was represented in this 
 match by Lieutenant Harmony, then on 
 duty at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, and 
 he fully sustained the reputation which 
 the U. S. naval officers have established of 
 being " jolly good fellows," for he was the 
 life of the game. Here 's hoping that his 
 voyage through life has been a calm and 
 prosperous one. 
 
 The green curtain was rung down on 
 the silver ball in September, 1867, after 
 we had lost it to the Tri-Mountains in a 
 series of three games, we winning the first 
 one 20 to 16, and they the other two, 40 
 to 35 and 42 to 22. In the second of these 
 games we once more had the pleasure of 
 
I90 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 having Gat Miller on the team, in his old 
 position as pitcher; and once again and 
 for the last time did we have his valuable 
 and ever-welcome assistance on October 
 4, 1867, when we had the honor of being 
 the first New England club that ever de- 
 feated a prominent New York team. This 
 was the Excelsiors of Brooklyn, the same 
 who paid us a visit in July, 1862 ; but they 
 no longer had a Creighton and Leggett to 
 pitch and catch for them, the former hav- 
 ing died and the latter having given up 
 playing. Still they had the then famous 
 Cummings for pitcher.^ We beat them 29 
 to 2 1, and on the 7th the Harvards repeated 
 our performance, only " more so," making 
 18 to the Excelsiors' 6. 
 
 After a few preliminary games in the 
 spring of 1868, we started on June 9 for a 
 tour through some of the New England 
 cities in an attempt to be "neighborly." 
 The programme was somewhat marred by 
 rainy days, and several games had to be 
 
 ^ See Appendix, p. 224. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 191 
 
 omitted ; but it was a most enjoyable out- 
 ing nevertheless. 
 
 Fitchburg was our first point, where on 
 the 19th we beat the RoUstones, 50 to 14. 
 Two days were then lost on account of 
 rain, after which in New Haven on the 
 13th we ran up against the Yales for the 
 first time. This was a memorable game 
 for us, in that it was the only one of ten 
 innings we ever played. At the end of the 
 ninth the score stood twelve all, and we 
 went in to do or die. I led off at the bat 
 and went out ignominiously at first ; but 
 luckily there were better men who fol- 
 lowed me, and Joslin, Rogers, Sumner, 
 and Jewell worked their passage around 
 the bases, thus again giving us a lead 
 with which the Yale boys were unable to 
 cope, they making but one run, the final 
 score standing 16 to 13. 
 
 Games of more than nine innings were 
 comparatively rare in those days, and 
 some of the boys who accompanied us 
 
192 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 upon this trip nearly died of heart failure 
 during the last innings. 
 
 We stayed at New Haven until the 
 next evening, when we left for Hartford, 
 where, on the 15th, we played the Char- 
 ter Oaks, beating them 61 to 12. 
 
 Rain prevented our game with the 
 Oceanics of New London, which was 
 booked for the i6th, so we left that after- 
 noon for Providence, where on the 1 7th of 
 June we crossed swords with Brown Uni- 
 versity, on the Dexter Training Ground. 
 This was to have been the " wind-up " to 
 our trip, amid red fire, tom-toms, and the 
 rejoicings of a large party of friends who 
 came down from Boston to join in our 
 apotheosis, but somehow we slipped a 
 cog and the programme on the Training 
 Ground got twisted, the Browns making 
 22 runs to our 19, instead of the other way 
 about as was intended. 
 
 Frank Herreshoff, one of the most fa- 
 mous athletes who ever went to Brown 
 
■I'ff. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 193 
 
 University, pitched' against us in this 
 game. He is a brother of Nat Herreshoff, 
 the famous yacht designer. He and I were 
 old friends, and I am glad to say he is 
 still living and prosperous. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THIS ending to our trip took the 
 sharp edge off the pleasures of 
 home-coming, and we laid it up 
 against Brown for a year, when, on the 
 17th of June, 1869, we went back and bal- 
 anced accounts, making 40 to their 13, 
 and then felt better. 
 
 I do not know if the present amateur 
 clubs make these friendly tours, as was the 
 custom in ante-professional days ; but dur- 
 ing the years when the championship of 
 New England was held by either the Har- 
 vards or Lowells, we were treated royally 
 wherever we went and enjoyed all the 
 pleasures and glory that can be derived 
 from ball playing. Private houses were 
 open to us, balls were given in our honor. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 195 
 
 and even cigars were named for us. What 
 more could heart desire ? 
 
 The silver ball being out of the way, 
 a series of friendly games> best two out of 
 three, was now arranged for between the 
 Harvards and Lowells, and on July 4, 1868, 
 the Magenta and Lowell Blue again locked 
 horns. We won, 23 to 20, and the second 
 game was played on July 21, the Harvards 
 winning by a close margin, 28 to our 27. 
 A remarkable feature of the first of these 
 two games was that each of the Harvard 
 boys made just three outs. Up to that time 
 this was, I believe, unprecedented. 
 
 The third game was never played, it 
 being postponed until after the college va- 
 cation and then dropped as another series 
 was arranged for instead. 
 
 These friendly bouts with Harvard were 
 always enjoyable, as we were evenly 
 matched; the college boys were at all 
 times courteous and manly opponents, and 
 both teams played upon the dead level, 
 
196 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 and for every ounce of which they were 
 capable. Every scintilla of the feeling 
 which had been engendered in the strug- 
 gles for the silver ball, and then only by 
 partisans and not participated in by the 
 players themselves, had been buried and 
 replaced by a healthy, virile rivalry, such 
 as merely stimulated without intoxicating. 
 On October 3, 1868, we played the first 
 game of the new series, which was won by 
 Harvard, 27 to 24, and on the 9th we re- 
 turned the compliment, winning by 33 to 
 30. In this game I made my top score, con- 
 sisting of no outs and eight runs, earned 
 first base six times, made seventeen bases, 
 three clean home runs, and one three-base 
 hit. I have always been a bit proud of this 
 score against such a nine as the Harvards, 
 and thus herald it forth with such brazen 
 effrontery. I once made a score of no outs, 
 fifteen runs, and one home run, in a match 
 with the Andersons of Lynn, but this score 
 is left lying around loose, while the former 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 197 
 
 is kept wrapped up in apiece of pink tissue 
 paper, so to speak. In the third game of 
 this series the Harvards again beat us, 
 28 to 15, thus closing the season of 1868. 
 
 In the spring of 1869 the Common was 
 plowed up, and, being thus deprived of 
 all chance to practice, it was right at this 
 point, or at least in the fall, that the 
 Lowells should have disbanded and grace- 
 fully stepped down and out while yet they 
 could have done so with a long string of 
 victories and but comparatively few de- 
 feats for a record. (In the last six years we 
 had played ninety-nine games and won 
 seventy.) 
 
 It is seldom that baseball has figured in 
 politics, but in December, 1869, through 
 fear of being permanently deprived of the 
 use of the Common as a playground, the 
 ball players of Boston decided to take a 
 hand in the political game and do what 
 they could to help elect a mayor and alder- 
 men known to be favorably disposed to- 
 
198 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 wards athletic sports and who were also 
 willing to grant the use of the Common 
 as a playground as it had been heretofore. 
 Accordingly, on Saturday evening, De- 
 cember II, three days before election, a 
 hastily called meeting was held, and on 
 Monday, the 13th, the following notice of 
 it appeared in the " Boston Herald : " — 
 
 " BASEBALLISTS IN COUNCIL. NOMINATION 
 OF A TICKET FOR ALDERMEN. 
 
 " A meeting of gentlemen interested in 
 baseball and other outdoor athletic sports 
 was held Saturday evening, December 
 II, in the Lowell Baseball Club rooms 
 to organize for the municipal election. 
 Mr. John A. Lowell presided. A com- 
 mittee was appointed at a previous meet- 
 ing to nominate candidates for Aldermen, 
 and reported the following statement, 
 which was adopted. 
 
 "'To correct a misunderstanding which 
 appears to exist as to the object of this 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 199 
 
 movement, it becomes necessary to state 
 that the design is to foster not the game 
 of baseball and its interests alone, but out- 
 door sports in general as an important 
 means of promoting the physical training 
 of our youth and consequently the public 
 health. The Common has been taken and 
 nothing left in its place, and the main ob- 
 ject is to select men who will grant our 
 youth some spot for recreation. Beyond 
 this, it has no object or aim, political or 
 otherwise.' After perfecting the organiza- 
 tion of rallying committees for each ward 
 the meeting adjourned." 
 
 The baseball tickets were distinguished 
 by a large red ball printed at the top and 
 bore the names of aldermanic candidates 
 which had been carefully selected, from 
 both Republicans and Democrats. In spite 
 of the short time at their disposal, for or- 
 ganization, printing, etc., the " Red ball 
 ticket," as it was known, was hustled 
 
200 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 through, and upon the 14th, duly appeared 
 at the several polling places, where they 
 were distributed by enthusiastic volunteers 
 who explained to the voters the reasons 
 for their existence. 
 
 The idea "took," a large number of 
 these ballots were cast, and there is no 
 reason to doubt their influence upon the 
 election. At all events, the lower end of 
 the Common was assigned to the boys 
 the following spring, and Mayor Shurtleff, 
 who was reelected, personally thanked 
 Mr. Lowell, and through him the commit- 
 tee, for their efforts. 
 
 In May the Mutuals of New York took 
 a trip to Boston and played the Tri-Moun- 
 tains, whom they defeated 69 to 1 7. Then 
 they played with the Harvards, beating 
 them 43 to II, and wound up with the 
 Lowells, who made 21 to the Mutuals' 26, 
 in an eight innings game. The paper next 
 day said, " The Lowells acquitted them- 
 selves nobly in this game with the Mutuals. 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 201 
 
 They outfielded the Mutuals, as these 
 themselves acknowledged, and batted in a 
 manner that reminded one of old times. 
 With practice they may yet regain their 
 old position as the foremost club of New 
 England." But we could not get the re- 
 quisite practice, and old times do not come 
 back again. 
 
 Business was now the real and serious 
 thing in life for all of us, and neither base- 
 ball nor any other game requiring skill, 
 mental or physical, can be won upon past 
 reputation. This lack of a practice ground 
 affected the Tri-Mountains as seriously as 
 it did the Lowells, and was sufficient ex- 
 cuse for their defeats, as well as ours, by 
 country clubs, which a year earlier would 
 have been victories. 
 
 On June 10 of this year Boston was 
 visited by the renowned Cincinnati " Red 
 Stockings," who were then upon their 
 phenomenally successful tour. They trav- 
 eled from ocean to ocean; played sixty- 
 
202 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 three games with the strongest clubs in 
 the country and won sixty-three straight 
 victories. 
 
 As this trip of the " Red Stockings " has 
 never been equaled by any professional 
 baseball nine, and probably never will be, 
 ball players will be interested to see a few 
 of its statistics. 
 
 They traveled 11,877 miles, played to 
 about 200,000 spectators, and made 2677 
 runs against their opponents' 637. They 
 made 3323 clean base hits and 169 home 
 runs. 
 
 In running the bases, the players trav- 
 eled 222 miles. This celebrated nine was 
 composed of George Wright, short-stop ; 
 Harry Wright, centre field ; Douglas Alli- 
 son, catcher ; Fred Waterman, third base ; 
 Charlie Gould, first base ; Andy Leonard, 
 left field ; Calvin Mc Vey, right field ; Char- 
 lie Sweasy, second base; and Asa Brainard, 
 pitcher. 
 
 George Wright led the batting, with a 
 
GEORGE WRIGHT 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 203 
 total of 339 runs, 304 base hits, a grand 
 total of 614 bases and 49 clean home runs. 
 He assisted 179 times and made 82 fly 
 catches out of 86 chances, thus making 
 good his title to " King." 
 
 The Lowells ran up against this for- 
 midable aggregation on June 10 on the 
 lower end of the Parade Ground and scored 
 9 runs to the " Reds' " 29. Being laid up 
 with a sprained ankle, I had to forego the 
 pleasure of playing against this champion 
 team. 
 
 On the nth they beat the Tri- Moun- 
 tains, 40 to 12, and on the 1 2th made 30 
 to the Harvards' 1 1. 
 
 Very rarely, if ever, during the next 
 two years, did the Lowells play a match 
 with their full nine in the field, the vacan- 
 cies being filled by inferior men ; and with 
 no practice between matches, the result 
 was inevitable. The club lost ground, en- 
 thusiasm waned, many influential mem- 
 bers withdrew to give all their attention to 
 
ao4 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 the Boston Club (professional), then just 
 forming, and in short the end of amateur 
 baseball playing in Boston was near at 
 hand. 
 
 Protracted death struggles make nei- 
 ther a pleasing picture nor an agreeable 
 subject upon which to write, and I do not 
 care to parade those of the Lowell Base- 
 ball Club. Suffice it to say that for two 
 seasons it somehow lingered on in a state 
 of atrophy, during which many games 
 were presented as gifts to clubs who, a 
 little earlier, might have had to whistle for 
 them. 
 
 The end came on December 12, 1873, 
 when a few of us around a dining-table at 
 the Parker House held a coroner's inquest, 
 rendered a verdict of death from unavoid- 
 able causes, wound up its few remaining 
 affairs, and the once famous Lowell Club 
 was no more. Requiescat in pace ! 
 
 Both the Tri-Mountains and Lowells 
 had good stuff in them, and with the same 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 205 
 
 opportunities for practice which were en- 
 joyed by college nines need have feared no 
 amateur club of New England for some 
 time longer. Probably any promising ball 
 player of to-day, of say eighteen years of 
 age, has attained a proficiency equal to 
 that with which we left off at twenty-five, 
 he being born into the atmosphere of the 
 national game, weaned and brought up 
 on it. 
 
 In closing these gleanings of past years, 
 which it has been a pleasure to collect and 
 present to those who care to read them, I 
 should be remiss if I neglected to mention 
 the valuable services of George B. Apple- 
 ton, for many years scorer for the Lowells. 
 He accompanied us upon nearly all our 
 trips, and in victory or defeat was always 
 genial, optimistic, and light-hearted, — 
 qualities which have won for him so many 
 friends through life. 
 
 It is "rather a curious fact, and one to 
 which I called attention a few years ago. 
 
2o6 OLD BOSTON BOYS 
 
 that the surnames of nineteen Lowells 
 who, first and last, played upon the first 
 nine, were composed of six letters. Follow- 
 ing is a list of them : — 
 
 AUine, Arnold, Briggs, Burton, Conant, 
 Crosby, Fuller, Jewell, Joslin, Lovett, 
 Lowell, Mellen, Miller, Newton, Rogers, 
 Sumner, Watson, Wilder, and Wright. 
 
 By way of apology for the frequent use, 
 in the preceding pages, of the " first person 
 singular, tall and perpendicular," as Thack- 
 eray once put it, I can only say that it 
 seemed to be unavoidable in a collection 
 of reminiscences, and I hope that it will be 
 indulgently overlooked. 
 
 A miserly person, when asked why he 
 deprived himself of all luxuries for the sake 
 of hoarding up his money for others to 
 spend after his death, replied, " If they en- 
 joy spending my money one half as much 
 as I have enjoyed saving it, they are wel- 
 come to it." 
 
 And so I close this little volume with 
 
OLD BOSTON BOYS 207 
 
 the thought that if any reader enjoys the 
 trifles contained in it one half as much as 
 I have enjoyed collecting them for him, I 
 shall be well satisfied. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
NOTES 
 
 Page 6i 
 In an admirably written article in the " Har- 
 vard Magazine" for June, 1858, which appeared 
 shortly after this race, urging the imperative 
 necessity for stricter training among the college 
 oarsmen, the Volant crew is held up as an 
 example in this direction ; and the self-compla- 
 cency of the Huron boys, fostered by a recent 
 victory over Yale, and also at Springfield and 
 in the Fourth of July regatta on Charles River, 
 is sat upon vigorously and no doubt with good 
 results. The writer says that through these suc- 
 cessive victories "their exultation was raised 
 to its height." " But," he goes on to say, " we 
 hear strange things about the prowess of the 
 Volant Club ; and so a match is brought about. 
 We hear that the townsmen are in training, and 
 doing well ; we smile complacently and say, 
 'Very good, — as good as can be expected,' — 
 
212 NOTES 
 
 and eagerly double our bets. Reports of extraor- 
 dinary trial speed reach us ; we do not waver, 
 but think with undiminished confidence of that 
 long stroke which is destined to tell in the third 
 mile, when they are exhausted by their rapid 
 rowing, and — we lose our money. The evidence 
 of our eyes is hardly enough to convince us of 
 our defeat. , . . We have been assured by two 
 members that in no one instance did the Volant 
 crew deviate from the rules of training. ... It 
 is a mistake to suppose they beat the Hurons by 
 their weight ; it was their severe, conscientious 
 training ; their stem determination to win when 
 it must have been agony to one of their number 
 to row, and finally, their scrupulous attention 
 to details, however trifling, that gave them the 
 victory." 
 
 The above extract from the " Harvard Maga- 
 zine " is certainly a well deserved tribute to the 
 iron will and grim determination of these old- 
 time athletes, who, in the days when professional 
 coaches were unknown, training tables unheard 
 of, and the stimulus of enormous pecuniary re- 
 ceipts was entirely lacking, could thus consci- 
 entiously and systematically train themselves to 
 
NOTES 213 
 
 such a degree of perfection. And all for what ? 
 Purely and simply for the love of clean, whole- 
 some sport and generous rivalry. Surely it is 
 up to the young men in this day of tainted ath- 
 leticism to lay the lesson of this singleness of 
 purpose well to heart and not entirely lose sight 
 of the fact that there is an ethical as well as a 
 brutal side to field and water sports. 
 
 Page 63 
 This 1858 Fourth of July regatta was the 
 longest race ever pulled in any Harvard College 
 boat, and it is of more than common interest to 
 know who the men were who could row a gruel- 
 ling, six-mile race, under a July sun, without a 
 mishap. Following are the names, weights, etc., 
 of this famous old crew : — 
 
 Benj. W. Crowninshield (stroke) 156 lbs. Class of '58 
 
 Caspar Crowninshield 
 
 Charles W. Eliot 
 
 James H. Ellison 
 
 J. H. Wales 
 
 Alex. E. R. Agassiz (bow) 
 
 The Harvard was the first shell ever owned 
 by the College Navy and was but forty feet long, 
 
 IS4 " 
 
 (( 
 
 
 '60 
 
 138 " 
 
 « 
 
 
 'S3 
 
 141 " 
 
 (( 
 
 
 '59 
 
 i36i" 
 
 (( 
 
 
 '61 
 
 142 " 
 
 t( 
 
 
 '11 
 
214 NOTES 
 
 the shortest of the eight contesting boats, — 
 ■which fact no doubt cut the time of turning the 
 stake boats by some valuable seconds. 
 
 The time made by the four leading boats was 
 as follows : Harvard, 40.25 ; Fort Hill Boy, 
 41.44 ; Lexington, 42.30 ; Stirling, 43.04. 
 
 The generous rivalry in athletic sports in those 
 far-away days, compared with the cutthroat com- 
 petition of the present time, is well illustrated 
 by the fact that the Harvards, after the race, 
 magnanimously added $2^ of their $100 prize to 
 the Fort Hill Boy's second prize of ;^5o — thus 
 making an even division of the money. 
 
 The finish of this race was close by the Union 
 Club House at Braman's, so that the victorious 
 crew was still three miles from home, but they 
 at once started up the Charles and upon their 
 arrival were greeted — not by the martial strains 
 of a brass band and the frenzied cheers of a howl- 
 ing mass of partisans intoxicated with joy over 
 the victory, as would be the case to-day, but by 
 one solitary, professor, the late Frederic Dan 
 Huntington, Bishop of Central New York ; and 
 instead of being tenderly lifted from the boat in 
 which they had done such Spartan work, and 
 
NOTES 21 s 
 
 carried aloft in triumph, they were compelled 
 to go up a rope, hand over hand, to the floor of 
 the boathouse, the dignity of a raft still being a 
 thing of the future. 
 
 Three of this splendid, time-honored crew are 
 still living, one, a star of the first magnitude in 
 the world of science, and another the honored 
 head of the university for which they fought so 
 valiantly. The other three members lived until 
 within a few years. 
 
 The unswerving faith of the backers of the 
 Fort Hill Boy up to the time of the pistol-shot 
 announcing the start, and their consternation a 
 little later at seeing the despised " Fops " sweep 
 grandly over the line as the other pistol-shot 
 rang out, telling of their victory, is humorously 
 told by the Rev. William R. Huntington, Class 
 of '59 (now rector of Grace Church, New York), 
 in two songs, — the first supposed to have been 
 sung before and the second after the race. They 
 appeared in the " Harvard Magazine " for July, 
 1858, and are as follows : — 
 
2i6 NOTES 
 
 FIRST SONG 
 
 MICHAEL TO PATRICK 
 
 (Air, Paddy O'Rafferty.) 
 
 Arrah, me Patsy ! jist look at the College boat : 
 Niver afore did ye see so much knowledge float. 
 Shure it 's a shame that their arms is n't bigger now, 
 For it is muscle, not brains, that will figure now. 
 
 {Chorus) O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
 
 Twinty to wan, and our word that we pay 
 the bets. 
 
 Only step here and obsarve the dhroll make of her. 
 Shavin 's and wire is the notion ye take of her. 
 Round as a pratie, and sharp as a pick, is she. 
 But niver a match in a race for the Mickies she. 
 
 {Chorus) O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
 
 Twinty to wan, and our word that we pay 
 the bets. 
 
 Twig the spoon oars what they pull her, me jewel, 
 
 with! 
 Why don't they keep them to ate their oat-gruel with ? 
 Wooden spoons shure is no sign of good luck at all ; 
 Silver we '11 have, when the prize we have took it all. 
 
NOTES 217 
 
 {Chorus) O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
 
 Twinty to wan, and our word that we pay 
 the bets. 
 
 SECOND SONG 
 
 PATRICK TO MICHAEL 
 (Air, LillebuUero.) 
 
 Look ! look ! will ye, Mike, 
 Ye ne'er saw the like : 
 These childer have waxed us through and through. 
 The studints is here, 
 But, bad 'cess ! it is clear 
 We '11 wait awhile now for the Irish crew. 
 {Chorus) Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spalpeens ! 
 Have n't ye scattered my wages like 
 smoke ? 
 
 I can't pay a quarter 
 The bets that I oughter. 
 Divil fly off wid yer wondherful stroke. 
 
 Jist hark to the yells 
 
 Of thim Beacori Street swells, 
 And see, over yonder, the cambric wave ; 
 
 While Micky there stands, 
 
 A-wringin' his hands. 
 And Biddy is wipin' her eyes on her slave. 
 
2i8 NOTES 
 
 {Chonts) Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spalpeens ! 
 Haven't ye scattered my wages like 
 smoke ? 
 
 I can't pay a quarter 
 The bets that I oughter. 
 Divil fly off wid yer wondherful stroke. 
 
 Let 's scuttle our boats : 
 Nary one of them floats 
 But looks kind o' shamed about the bows ; 
 And oh ! may the crews 
 In future refuse 
 To meddle with race-boats, and stick to their scows. 
 (Chorm) Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spalpeens ! 
 Have n't ye scattered my wages like 
 smoke ? 
 
 I can't pay a quarter 
 The bets that I oughter. 
 Divil fly off wid yer wondherful stroke. 
 
 Page 112 
 The international' four-oar race between the 
 Harvards and Oxfords which was rowed on the 
 Thames, over a course measuring four miles, 
 three furlongs, on August 27, 1869, will long be 
 remembered upon both sides of the big pond. It 
 
NOTES 219 
 
 was the initial race between English and Ameri- 
 can universities and was a superb exhibition of 
 American pluck and endurance in the face of 
 unfamiliar conditions and surroundings as well 
 as of illness, which called forth enthusiastic 
 praise from the generous sporting spirit of the 
 English people, and it was estimated that at least 
 a million spectators witnessed the event. 
 
 The Harvards, being most desirous of meeting 
 the English crew, yielded all disputed points 
 and met them literally upon their own terms by 
 agreeing to row a straight-away, four-oar race, 
 with a coxswain (an officer which had not been 
 known at Harvard for years), and over the Ox- 
 ford's usual course on the Thames, from Putney 
 to Mortlake. The race was rowed up stream 
 with the tide, which runs about four miles an 
 hour. The river, between the two points named, 
 is very crooked, nearly S-shaped, full of eddies 
 and shoals, crossed by three arched bridges, and 
 in some places obstructed by piles. This course 
 had been the scene of no less than twenty con- 
 tests between Oxford and Cambridge, and of 
 course was perfectly familiar to the English- 
 men. 
 
110 NOTES 
 
 The four Harvards originally picked for this 
 race were Alden P. Loring, bow, George Bass, 
 3, Sylvester W. Rice, 2, William H. Simmons, 
 stroke, and Arthur Burnham, coxswain. They 
 sailed for Europe July lo, arriving after a ten 
 days' passage and about five weeks before the 
 date set for the race. The London Rowing Club 
 tendered them every civility and made them 
 honorary members. Two American and three 
 English boats had been built for and tried by 
 them, but finally, three days before the race, an 
 American boatbuilder, Elliott, who had brought 
 over the knees and draughts of a new boat, com- 
 pleted one which was preferred to all the others 
 and forthwith adopted. About two weeks before 
 the event the crew was changed and the follow- 
 ing men rowed in the race : Joseph S. Fay, Jr., 
 bow, F. O. Lyman, 3, William H. Simmons, 2, 
 Alden P. Loring, stroke, and Arthur Burnham, 
 coxswain. Their average weight was 1 50 pounds 
 against their opponents' 1 56^ pounds. 
 
 The English crew were : S. D. Darbishire, 
 stroke, J. C. Tinne, A. C. Yarborough, F. Wil- 
 lan, and J. H. Hall, coxswain. 
 
 They were eight wonderful oarsmen, the flower 
 
NOTES 221 
 
 of two great universities, and were bound to give 
 a good account of themselves. 
 
 This great race is now ancient history, but it 
 is well to recall to later generations the gallant 
 fight which these Harvard boys made against 
 a crew picked from the eight men who had 
 won nine straight victories for the dark blue of 
 Oxford. They were all veterans at the oar and 
 considered the finest four which ever rowed on 
 the Thames. Most unfortunately two of the 
 Harvards were overtrained and stale several 
 days before the race ; but in spite of all obstacles 
 and drawbacks they were game to the core and 
 rowed a grand race, and although beaten, all 
 honor is due to the boys who went three thou- 
 sand miles from home to do battle for their 
 university. 
 
 The time made by the Oxfords was 22.41 J, and 
 the Harvards followed in 22.47^. The referee 
 was Thomas Hughes, of " Tom Brown " fame. 
 
 The great lesson learned from this race was 
 the absolute necessity for a "coach," a man 
 whose word is law in the boat and out of the 
 boat. Such a man, if competent, is of untold 
 comfort to a training crew in managing all the 
 
222 NOTES 
 
 thousand and one little details that worry a cap- 
 tain and take the edge off that keenness which 
 is so all-important for him to carry into the 
 race. In the science of boating the services of 
 a " coach " have long been recognized as indis- 
 pensable. Had this lesson been learned by Har- 
 vard before going to England, — who knows .' 
 perhaps a different tale would have been told. 
 
 It has been shown in the preceding pages 
 how, by mere chance, magenta was made the 
 Harvard color and remained so for eight years, 
 and it may interest those not cognizant of the 
 fact to learn that in 1858, owing to a somewhat 
 similar circumstance, the college color escaped 
 being blue by a very close margin. 
 
 To quote freely from the "Harvard Book," 
 published in 1875, to which I am indebted for 
 many points in the foregoing English race, it 
 came about in this way : When the first 'Varsity 
 crew was organized in 1856, the uniform was a 
 white shirt with a cap copied from that of the 
 St. John Union Club, white with scarlet band 
 and no visor. The 'Varsity crew of 1858 found, 
 however, that handkerchiefs were a convenient 
 sort of head gear and decided to adopt them. 
 
NOTES 223 
 
 After a short discussion as to color, blue was 
 selected. (Fancy a Harvard crew sporting blue 
 handkerchiefs !) 
 
 The stroke-oar who went to Boston to pur- 
 chase them could find none, however, and as a 
 substitute procured six Chinese red silk hand- 
 kerchiefs. This red was nearly a crimson, and 
 this remained the college color until the ma- 
 genta episode in 1866. On May 6, 1875, crimson 
 was formally adopted as the college color. 
 
 The first six-oar shell built in America was 
 ordered and owned by four Harvard students. 
 It was built by McKay in 1858, and to the boat- 
 ing men of that time was as great a curiosity as 
 the Monitor was to naval men in 1862. 
 
 With this shell came also spoon oars, which 
 were then seen for the first time upon the 
 Charles. In the spring of 1858 the first two 
 races in this shell were won with such ease (one 
 being with the Fort Hill Boy which is mentioned 
 elsewhere) that lap-streaks were henceforth use- 
 less for racing, and the fight between the Mer- 
 rimac and the wooden frigates was not more 
 decisive. 
 
 Sliding seats were first introduced at Harvard 
 
224 NOTES 
 
 by the crew of 1872 (used first in a university 
 race by Yale in 1870). Their use met with much 
 opposition by the old oarsmen, but it was found 
 by careful trials that better time could be made 
 with them though they were of the rudest sort 
 — flat boards 4X 12 inches, with grooved box- 
 wood runners sliding on steel rods. There was 
 nothing to regulate the length of the slide or to 
 keep the seats from jumping off the runners. 
 This crew was also the first for several years 
 that sat " hard up," that is, the men rowing port 
 oars sitting close against the starboard side of 
 the boat and vice versa. 
 
 Thus was the present perfection of the science 
 of boating slowly evolved until it is now difficult 
 to see in what direction further improvement 
 can be made. 
 
 Page 190 
 
 Arthur Cummings, here alluded to, is justly 
 famous in baseball history, not for the discovery 
 of the curve described by a ball in its flight 
 through the air, but for being the first one who 
 'saw that it could be broken and driven to har- 
 ness and who made practical use of it in his 
 pitching. 
 
NOTES 225 
 
 This happened, as near as I can find out, in 
 1 87 1. Of course the knowing ones at once got 
 busy and vigorously disputed the curve and pro- 
 nounced it to be an impossibility as they had 
 formerly demonstrated scientifically — on paper 
 — that an iron ship could not float. The fact 
 that a ball, in long-distance throwing, describes 
 a very decided curve, had been well known for 
 years to baseball players and cricketers, but it 
 was never thought of as possessing any practi- 
 cal advantages until Cummings showed them. 
 
 Other pitchers, earlier than this, notably 
 J. Cheever Goodwin of the Harvard nine, in 1870, 
 had come dangerously near the truth, but the 
 time for the advent of the curve was not then 
 ripe. Goodwin developed great speed for the 
 old underhand pitching days, and also a now un- 
 deniable up-curve ; but this last was quite with- 
 out intent on his part, and escaped recognition. 
 He and Archie Bush, Harvard's greatest catcher, 
 formed a most powerful battery which achieved 
 great success. 
 
 To the minds of many of us old-timers Archie 
 Bush was one of the greatest catchers whom the 
 game has ever seen. As he stood erect, close 
 
226 NOTES 
 
 behind the batter, in an easy, graceful pose, 
 gloveless, maskless, fearless, to those of us who 
 remember him, he made a picture of what the 
 ideal ballplayer should be. 
 
 To-day the curve, in its various forms, is the 
 chief stock in trade of all pitchers, and is too 
 common to excite special comment. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Aeercrombie, D. Putnam, 
 
 IS4- 
 Adams, T. Spencer, 148, 152, 
 
 163, 164. 
 Agassiz, A. E. B., 59. 
 Alden, John, 109. 
 AlHne, W. H., 35, 78, 161, 163, 
 
 164. 
 Allison, Douglas, 202. 
 Ames, Prof. James Barr, 85, 
 
 179, 180. 
 Amory, Edward, 35. 
 Anderson B. B. C, 196. 
 Andrew, John A., 80. 
 Appleton, George B., 205. 
 Appleton, Capt. Nathan, 35, 75. 
 April I hoax, 48. 
 Archibald; Edward, 143. 
 Arnold, Edward L., 83, 93-95- 
 Arnold, George, 144, 152. 
 Athletic B. B. C, 187. 
 Athletic goods, 134. 
 Atlantic B. B. C, 162, 168, 169. 
 Austin, Samuel, 109. 
 
 Back Bay, 13. 
 Bacon, George H., 107. 
 Banker, 6., 148. 
 Barron, John, 79. 
 
 Base, 126. 
 
 Baseball, origin of, 126. 
 
 Baseball, old Massachusetts 
 game, 127, 128, 140; boy's 
 method of choosing sides, 
 137; New York game, 140; 
 first match in New England 
 under New York rules, 141; 
 in politics, 197. 
 
 Bean blowers, 19. 
 
 Bear dance, 1 18. 
 
 Beebe, J. Arthur, 96, 97. 
 
 Belches, Clude, 176. 
 
 Bigelow, Albert S., 4. 
 
 Bigelow, Horatio, 4. 
 
 Bigelow, , 144. 
 
 Biglin Brothers, 51. 
 
 Blaikie, Thomas, 53, 83. 
 
 Blaikie, William, 53, S4i 83. 
 
 Blanchard, Thomas, 78, 79. 
 
 Blashfield, Edwin H., 104. 
 
 Boardman, T. Dennie, 4. 
 
 Bodge, Dr. James, 83. 
 
 Boit, Robert A., 83, 93, 94. 
 
 Boston B. B. C, 204. 
 
 Boston Common plowed up, 
 197. 
 
 Boston Public Latin School, 
 4, 81, 106, 122, 174. 
 
228 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Bowditch, Edward, 93, 94. 
 Bowdoin B. B. C, 143. 
 Bow guns, 21. 
 Boxing, no. 
 Boylston Hall, 106. 
 Bradford, John H., 82. 
 Bradish, Albert, 131. 
 Bradstreet, Augustus, 96, 131. 
 Bradstreet, Samuel, 96-98, 129, 
 
 146. 
 Brainard, Asa, 150, 163, 202. 
 Braman's Baths, 49. 
 Braman, Grenville T. W., 59. 
 Braraan, Jarvis D., 58. 
 Brltt, James, 113. 
 Brooks, Arthur, 96, 123. 
 Burgess, Edward, 98, 100. 
 Bush, Archibald McC, 182. 
 
 Cabot, Samuel, 96, 99. 
 Carroll, Jack, 35. 
 Chadwick, Henry, 127. 
 Chadwick, Dr. J. R., 33, 82. 
 Chamberlin, C. W., 35, 72. 
 Chandler, Horace P., 145. 
 Chandler, Moses E., 144, 152, 
 
 IS3- 
 
 Chandler, Hon. PelegW., 145. 
 
 Charter Oak B. B. C, 192. 
 
 Chickering, Jonas, 94. 
 
 Cigarette smoking, 7. 
 
 Circuses, 16. 
 
 Cincinnati Red Stockings' phe- 
 nomenal tour, 201. 
 
 Civil War, 104, 117, 128, 144. 
 
 Clark, ArthurH., 34, 56, 58, 63. 
 
 Clark, Edward, 53, 83. 
 
 Clark, Robert F., 34, 55, 56, 
 S8, 62. 
 
 Clark, , 148. 
 
 Coasting, 29. 
 Coe, Oliver B., 109. 
 Coe, Henry F., 144. 
 Codman, Doctor, no. 
 
 Cook, , 150. 
 
 Coughlihan, John, 108. 
 
 Crane, Fred, 185. 
 
 Creighton, James, 150, 151, 
 
 153, 190. 
 Cricket, 75. 
 Crosby, Albert, 143. 
 Crowninshield, Caspar, 61. 
 Crowninshield, Fredk., 35, 72. 
 Crowley, Daniel, no. 
 
 Crowley, , 143. 
 
 Cummings, , 190. 
 
 Curtis, Edgar, 4, 33. 
 
 Ctu-tis, Horatio G., 35, 75, lOl. 
 
 Dale, Eben, 35. 
 Daly, Thomas, 61, 62. 
 Dams, 10. 
 Davis, Frank, 93, 97. 
 
 Daw, , 61. 
 
 Dillaway, Charles, no. 
 
 Dinsmore, , 144. 
 
 DixweU, E. S., 81. 
 
 Dixwell's Private Latin School, 
 
 8,81. 
 Doldt, John C, 107, 108, no, 
 
 n4. 
 Doyle, Thomas, 55, 62. 
 Duck shooting, 66. 
 Duff, John, 83. 
 Dwight, Dr. Thomas, 82, 83. 
 
 Edmands, Col. Thomas F., 36. 
 Elliot, W.H., 59,62. 
 
INDEX 
 
 iig 
 
 Ellsworth, Col., Ii8. 
 Ellsworth Zouaves, ii8. 
 Eon B. B. C, 177, 187. 
 
 Ervlng, , 62. 
 
 Excelsior B. B. C, 149, 162. 
 
 Fandangoes, 12. 
 Fay, Henry H., 96. 
 Fay, Joseph S., 96, 112. 
 Fay, William P., 35. 
 Faulkner, John, 26. 
 Fenno, Edward N., 83, 112. 
 Field, W. De Young, 96. 
 Fiske, Charles, 154. 
 Fiske, William, 109. 
 Fitzsimmons, Robert, 113. 
 Flagg, George A., 154, 182. 
 Flagstaff Hill, 33, 100. 
 Flanly, George, 150, 163. 
 
 Fletcher, , 144. 
 
 Fletcher, 163. 
 
 Flyaway B. B. C, 179. 
 Follow my leader, 11. 
 Football, 81. 
 
 Forbes, Hon. John M., 80. 
 Forbes, J. Malcolm, 80, 91, 97, 
 
 112. 
 Forbush, Harry, 129, 144. 
 Fort Wagner, 121. 
 Fort Warren, 123. 
 Freeman, Horace V., 35. 
 Freeman, P.Wilder,Jr.,3S,l2i. 
 French, Charles, 1 10. 
 French, William, 146. 
 Frog Pond, 13, 17, 70. 
 Frothingham, Donald, 53, 83. 
 Frothingham, Frederick, 53. 
 Frothingham, Robert, 53. 
 P'rothingham, Samuel, 53, 83. 
 
 Gardner, Francis, 4, 106, 173, 
 174. 
 
 Gardner, , 143. 
 
 Gill, Harry, 143. 
 Goddard, William, 82. 
 Godfrey, George, in. 
 Goldsmith, W. G., 59, 62. 
 Goss, George, 109. 
 Gould, Charles, 202. 
 Granite B. B. C, 184. 
 Greenleaf, Eugene D., 154. 
 Greenough, Alfred, 34, 82. 
 Greenough, Charles P., 35. 
 Greenough, Malcolm, 96. 
 Guild, Benjamin F., 144. 
 
 Hall, John P., 53, 85, 91, 93, 
 
 103, III. 
 Hammill, James, 51. 
 Hampshire B. B. C, 161. 
 Hancock B. B. C, 129. 
 Hand fire engines, 67. 
 Hanlon Brothers, 114. 
 Hanlon, Thomas, 114, 115. 
 Hanlon, William, 114. 
 Harlow, Edward, 176. 
 Harmony, Lieut., U. S. N., 
 
 189. 
 Harrington, Eben, 55. 
 Harris, Dr. Frank A., 154. 
 Harvard B. B. C, organization 
 
 of, 153- 
 Harvards and Athletics, 187. 
 Hawes, Henry, 148, 173, 174. 
 Hawley, James, 4. 
 Heavy weight system, 117. 
 Heenan, John C, 113. 
 Herreshoff, Frank, 192. 
 Herreshoff, Nathaniel, 193. 
 
23° 
 
 INDEX 
 
 HigginspDj Francis L., 75. 
 Hill, James, 110-112. 
 Hockey, 22. 
 Holmes, Edward, 65. 
 Holmes, Dr. Oliver Wendell, 
 
 57. 65. 
 Hovey, Henry S., 4. 
 Hovey, James L., 176. 
 Howe, Archibald M., 4. 
 Howland, Otis N., 109. 
 Hunnewell, Arthur, 154. 
 Hunnewell, Walter, 82, 97. 
 
 Ice hockey, 115. 
 
 Jackson, Charles C, 75. 
 Jackson, Frank, 53. 
 Jackson, James, 75. 
 Jackson, Patrick T., 82, 99. 
 Jamaica Fond, 15. 
 Jarvis Field, 186. 
 Jewell, Edward, 191. 
 
 Jewell, , 163. 
 
 Joslin, William B., 78, 148, 152, 
 
 161, 163, 164, 191. 
 Julio, Everett, 109. 
 Jumping, 100. 
 
 Kendall, Edward, 35. 
 Kendric]c, Thomas, 1 10. 
 Kennedy, Mortimer, 109. 
 King Phillip B. B. C, 184. 
 Kimball, Treadwell, 107-109. 
 Kinsley, — ! — , 62. 
 Kite flying, 43. 
 
 Lawrence, Frank, 35. 
 Lawrence, Dr. Rebt. M., 4, 83, 
 93. 94- 
 
 Leach, George B., 143. 
 
 Leggett, Joseph, 150, 151, 190. 
 
 Leonard, Andrew, 202. 
 
 Little finger pull-up, 116. 
 
 Locusts, 18. 
 
 Lodge, Henry Cabot, 95. 
 
 Long coast, 31. 
 
 Longest prize fight on record, 
 
 "3- 
 Longwood Cricket Club, 76. 
 Loring, Frank, 75. 
 
 Loring, , 174. 
 
 Lovett, Charles W., Jr., 36, 66. 
 Lowell, John A., 143, 145, 146, 
 
 150, 159, 163, 164, 176, 198, 
 
 200. 
 Lowell B. B. C, organization 
 
 of, 146. 
 Lowells and Athletics, 187. 
 Lowells and Atlantics, 168. 
 Lowells and Brown University, 
 
 192-194. 
 Lowells and Excelsiors, 190. 
 Lowells and Flyaways, 177. 
 Lowells and Hampshires, 161. 
 Lowells and Harvards, 160, 
 
 161, 170, 171, 177, 186, 195, 
 
 196. 
 Lowells and Medfords, 147. 
 Lowells and Mutuals, 200. 
 Lowells and Phillips Academy, 
 
 182. 
 Lowells' New England trip, 
 
 190. 
 Lowells' New York trip, 162. 
 Lowells and Red Stockings, 
 
 203. 
 Lowells and Rockinghams, 
 
 189. 
 
INDEi 
 
 231 
 
 Lowells and Tti-Mountains, 
 159, J89- 
 
 Lowells and Yales, 191. 
 
 Lowell B. B. C, its dissolu- 
 tion, Z04. 
 
 Lurking or " o& side," 99. 
 
 Lyman, Charles, 4. 
 
 Lyman, Frederick, 4. 
 
 Lyman, George H., 96. 
 
 Lyons, , 144. 
 
 Magenta as Harrards' color, 
 
 IS4. 
 Manning, Frank H;, 96. 
 Mansfield, George, no. 
 Marbles, 41. 
 Mason, Philip, 75. 
 McBurney, Dr. Charles, 82, 
 
 83- 
 McBurney, J. W., iiz, 
 McVey, Calvin, 20i2. 
 Mellen, Moses, 78, 79. 
 Mifflin, George H., 72, ^5, 96. 
 Military funeral, 121. 
 MUler, Gerrit S., 81, 83, 85, 
 
 93, 100, 147, iS*i '53. '61, 
 
 163, 169, 190. 
 Morse, Charles, 96. 
 Morse, E. Rollins, 96. 
 Motley, Thomas, 96. 
 Mudge, Joseph, no. 
 Muliken, John, 35. 
 Mutual R S; C, 200. 
 
 National game, the, 127, 128. 
 Nazrb, Titd. H., 131, 183. 
 Nelson^ " battling," 113. 
 Nelson, Thomas, 83, 88, 89, 97, 
 «54. 171- 
 
 Nelson's great Strike, 171. 
 Newell, Robert, 82. 
 Nicholson, Frank, gfr. 
 Norton, Frank, 168, 169. 
 
 Oceanic 6. B. C, 192. 
 Olympic B. B. C, 129. 
 Omnibuses, 8. 
 Oneida Football Club, 91. 
 Open jackets, 6. 
 Outfielding, up to date, 166. 
 Oviatt, John* 83, 131. 
 
 Paine, Sumner, 83. 
 
 Parade Ground, 22, 23, 48, 96, 
 
 100, 102, 203. 
 Parker, George; 154. 
 Parker, Johti, 109. 
 Parkman, S. B., 59-61. 
 Peabody, Rev. Frank G., 35, 
 
 83. 93- 
 Peabody, Robert S., 82, 83, 97. 
 Pearce, Richard, 164, 165. 
 
 Pearsall, , 150. 
 
 Perch Rocks, 44. 
 Phelps, Franklin, 3, 4. 
 Phillips Academy B. B. C, 
 
 182. 
 Phillips School, 80. 
 Plummer, H. P., 109. 
 
 Polhemus, , 150. 
 
 Portland B. B. C, 141. 
 Portland big fire, 177. 
 Pratt, Robert M., 56, 58, 62. 
 FroctOr, George, 109. 
 Public Garden, 11, 16.. 
 Punk, 10. 
 
 Putbam, John, 56-58. 
 Putty balls, 2i. 
 
232 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Rand, Charles, 82. 
 
 Rapp, , 148. 
 
 Recruiting on Boston Com- 
 mon, 120. 
 
 Resolute B. B. C, 162. 
 
 Richards, George G., 146. 
 
 Richards, Jeremiah, 148. 
 
 Rimmer, Dr., 108. 
 
 Robins, Richard, 35. 
 
 Rockingham B. B. C, 189. 
 
 Rogers, Henry M., 42. 
 
 Rogers, Mortimer M., 165, 185, 
 191. 
 
 Ropes, Henry, 62. 
 
 Rounders, 126, 127. 
 
 Rowmg, S3, S5- 
 
 Russell, Cabot, 96, 121. 
 
 Russell, , 150. 
 
 St. George Cricket Club, 76. 
 Saltzman, E. G., 140, 141, 144, 
 
 152. 
 Sanguilly, William B., 53. 
 Sargent, Daniel, 34, 37. 
 Sargent, William, 90. 
 Sawyer, B. George, 143. 
 Sayers, Tom, 113. 
 Scudder, Winthrop S., 93, 94. 
 Shattuck, Dr. Fred. C, 83. 
 Shaw, Robert G., 186. 
 Shea, John, no. 
 Shimmin, Charles F., 62. 
 Shurtleff, Dr. Nathaniel B., 
 
 43, 200. 
 Shurtleff, Nathaniel B., Jr., 
 
 122. 
 Silver ball, 1 59; its destruction, 
 
 160 ; its withdrawal, 189. 
 Skates, 14. 
 
 Smith, M. S., 62. 
 
 Snowballs, 27. 
 
 Snow Brothers, no. 
 
 Snow forts, 26. 
 
 South and West End fights, 
 
 22. 
 
 Spaulding, Albert G., 126. 
 Sprague, Edward E., 154. 
 Spring, William, no. 
 Stafford, Marshall P., 146. 
 Stanwood, Lemuel, 96. 
 Start, Joe, 168. 
 Stevenson, Robert H., 56, 58. 
 Stevenson, Gen. Thomas G., 
 
 Stewart, , 106. 
 
 Stewart's Gymnasium, 106. 
 Stilts, 46. 
 Storrow, J. J., 59. 
 Streeter, Lee, no. 
 Sturgis, Dr. Fred, 65. 
 Sturgis, Henry, 75. 
 Sullivan, George S. B., 146. 
 Sumner, Frank, 163, 164, 185, 
 
 191. 
 Sweasey, Charles, 202. 
 
 Thayer, Van Rensselaer, 96. 
 
 Thies, Louis, 93, 94. 
 
 Tip-cat, 46. 
 
 Three old cats, 127. 
 
 Tops, 45. 
 
 Towne, Alexander, 72. 
 
 Town ball, 127. 
 
 Town crier, 9. 
 
 Tremont Gymnasium, 107, 114. 
 
 Tri-Mountain B. B. C, 141, 
 
 169. 
 Triple trapeze act, 114. 
 
INDEX 
 
 ^3 
 
 Troupe, Charles, 46, 135, 152. 
 Tucker, Lawrence, 82, 93, 94. 
 Tyler, John, 53, 64. 
 
 Underhand throwing, 151. 
 
 Volant crew, 56. 
 
 Volant and Huron race, 56. 
 
 Walcott, C. F., 59, 62. 
 Walley, William, 96. 
 Ward, Josh, 51. 
 Warren, Dr. J. Collins, 75. 
 Waterman, Frederick, 202. 
 Watson, R. Clifford, 83, 85, 
 
 86, 93. 
 Webster, CoL Fletcher, 122. 
 
 Wells, Dr. Frank, 35. 
 Whitman, Alfred, Jr., 59, 1091. 
 Whitman, Henry, 109. 
 Wilder, George B., 146, 147, 
 
 152, 163, 164. 
 Wildes, Frank, 35. 
 Winship, Dr., 116. 
 Winship Gymnasium, 116. 
 Wi^cott, Hmitington, 93, 94, 
 
 121. 
 Wolcott, Koger, 94. 
 Wright, Frank, 154, 155. 
 Wr%ht, George, 76, 77, 202. 
 Wright, Harry, 202. 
 
 YoQDg, , 150. 
 
 Yoong Men's Christian Ass'n, 
 
 108. 
 
 INDEX TO NOTES 
 
 Agassiz, Alex. E. R., 213. 
 
 Bass, George, 220. 
 
 Burnham, Arthur, 220. 
 
 Bush, Archibald McC, 225. 
 
 Crimson, formally adopted 
 as Harvard color, 223. 
 
 Crowninshield, B. W., 213. 
 
 Crowninshield, Caspar, 213. 
 
 Cummings, Arthur, 224,225. 
 
 Curve pitching, 224, 225. 
 
 Darbishire, S. D., 220. 
 
 Eliot, Charles W., 213. 
 
 Ellison, James H., 213. 
 
 Fay, Joseph S., Jr., 220. 
 
 Goodwin, J. Cheever, 225. 
 
 HaU, J. H., 220. 
 
 Harvard-Oxford race, 218. 
 
 Huntington, Bishop Fred- 
 eric Dan, 214. 
 
 Huntington, Rev, W. R., 21 5. 
 London Rowing Clnb, 220. 
 Loring, Alden P., 220. 
 Lyman, F. O., 22a 
 Rice, Sylvester W, 220. 
 Shell, first one owned by 
 
 Harvard College, 213. 
 Shell, first six-oar built in 
 
 America, 232. 
 Simmons, Wm. H., 220. 
 Sliding seats introduced, 
 
 223. 
 Spoon oars introduced, 223. 
 Tinne, J. C, 220. 
 Volant crew, 211, 212. 
 Volant-Huron race, 211. 
 Wales, J. H., 213. 
 Willan, F., 220. 
 Yarborough, A. C, 220. 
 
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