A Glimpse of the St. Paul Colored Gophers (1909) and the Schenectady Mohawk Giants (1913)
Rent from DeepDyveThe St. Paul Gophers of 1909 were an excellent regional team and the Schenectady Mohawk Giants of 1913 were one of the best teams outside of organized baseball. Figure 1 is a proud, yet serious portrait of the St. Paul Colored Gophers, taken after a game played against the Hibbing, Minnesota, Nine on May 21, 1909. The Gophers breezed by the local team, scoring 17 runs at will.
George "Chappie" Johnson was a catcher, first baseman, and manager whose career extended from 1899 through 1921. Felix Wallace, the shortstop, later earned fame while playing with the St. Louis Giants. William Binga, formerly of the Page Fence Giants and one of the best players of his era, was playing his last year of professional ball with the Gophers. The previous year Binga and his friend Bobby Marshall, a 1906 All-American football player from the University of Minnesota, played baseball for the Minneapolis Keystones. They joined the Colored Gophers and were instrumental in establishing the team as a dominant power in Minnesota in 1909.
Marshall, considered one of Minnesota's greatest athletes, graduated with a law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1907. He practiced law and also played, coached, and administered baseball teams until he retired in 1938.
Sherman "Bucky" Barton was an outfielder who was nearing the end of his sixteen-year career. William McMurray was a catcher who played from 1909 to 1911 with the Gophers and the St Louis Giants. Binga and Chappie Johnson played together for the Adrian, Michigan, Page Fence Giants from 1896 to 1898.
Four years later, Chappie Johnson played for the 1913 Schenectady, New York, Mohawk Colored Giants. One of his teammates, Frank Wickware, was a standout pitcher. Wickware was said to have a fastball that rivaled Walter Johnson. Wickware went to the mound three times against Walter Johnson in 1913 and 1914, beating the "Big Train" twice. Harry Buckner was also an excellent pitcher. His career spanned the years 1896 to 1918. [End Page 153]
Click for larger view | Figure 1 St. Paul Colored Gophers. Back row (standing), left to right: uncertain, uncertain, catcher Chappie Johnson, Phil E. "Daddy" Reid, shortstop Felix Wallace, William Binga, and Bobby Marshall; front row, left to right: Sherman "Bucky" Barton, Art McDougal, uncertain, William McMurray, and uncertain. The names of the four players not identified are Julius Londo, Robert Garrison, Archie Pate, and Eugene Milliner. Photo courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. |
Chappie Johnson was considered such a fine fielding catcher that he was reported to have been "unofficially" hired by St. Paul of the American Association from the years 1907 to 1912 to instruct young catchers. Of course his hiring would have to be "unofficial" because of the Jim Crow practices of organized baseball at the time.
Big Bill Smith had a twenty-three-year career as an outfielder, catcher, and manager. In addition to playing for the Mohawk Giants, he also wore the uniform of Genuine Cuban Giants, Cuban X Giants, Philadelphia Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Chicago Unions, Memphis Giants, Cuban Giants, New York Stars, Brooklyn All-Stars, and the St. Louis Black All-Stars. Phil Bradley nearly equaled Smith's longevity mark, playing twenty-two years as a catcher and a utility player for such teams as the Mohawk Giants as well as the Brooklyn Royal Giants, Lincoln Giants, Smart Set, Pittsburgh Colored Stars, [End Page 154]
Click for larger view | Figure 2 Schenectady Mohawk Giants. Back row (standing), left to right: unknown, Frank Wickware, Big Bill Smith, Ashby Dunbar, Harry Buckner, and Johnny Pugh; front row, left to right: White, unknown, Phil Bradley, Rich Richardson (owner), Bill Wernicke (owner), Harry Wernicke (owner), Willie "Nux" James, "Chappie" Johnson, E. Mellette, Mascot, and Pete Fox. Photo courtesy of the National... |
