The 1884 Maroons: Dickerson Falls By The Wayside

During the St. Louis Unions' Eastern trip, Lew Dickerson disappeared at Baltimore, and has not been heard from since.  Meeting many old friends he yielded to his inclination for strong drink and fell by the wayside.  All St. Louisans, including President Lucas, regret his surrender to whiskey.  While here he played splendidly, both at the base and in the field, was unassuming and gentlemanly in his deportment and made hosts of friends.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 25, 1884

While it may be very true that Dickerson fell of the wagon in Baltimore, it's also true that he jumped the Maroons for the Baltimore Association club.  There were rumors, dating back to July 12, that Baltimore was after Dickerson so I'm not sure what purpose this piece from the Globe serves.  The Globe had already reported that Baltimore had offered Dickerson a contract so I would imagine that the folks at the Globe knew what the real situation was.  Were they slandering Dickerson in an attempt to cover the Maroons' and the UA's loss of a player to the established leagues?