The Browns Are Sold (And Then Sold Again)

St. Louis, March 14.-Under the foreclosure of a deed of trust, Sheriff Pohlmann sold at public auction to-day the Sportsman's Park and Club, including the franchise held by the St. Louis Browns, to G.A. Gruner, one of the Directors of the club, for $33,000. Mr. Gruner is Treasurer of the Phil Gruner & Brother Lumber Company. After the sale he said: "I bought the property for the creditors and bondholders." Ramell & Muerch, attorneys for the bondholders, said: "This is a bona fide purchase of the property by the creditors who will probably run the club themselves."

-The New York Times, March 15, 1899

St. Louis, March 17.-Edward C. Becker, a capitalist of this city, has purchased the St. Louis Browns from the creditors who bought the club's assets last Tuesday at Sheriff's sale.

-The New York Times, March 18, 1899

A Picture Of Edward Becker

This picture of Edward Becker appeared on the front page of Sporting Life on March 25, 1899.

The Becker Family And St. Louis Baseball

I found this interesting blog run by the great-grandson of Edward Becker which had some relevent pieces of information regarding Becker's ownership of the Browns/Perfectos/Cardinals (or, more rightly, the St. Louis National League Baseball Club). The site had the above picture of Becker and Frank Robison as well as a couple of quotes from the Globe-Democrat (which I'll post below). The most intriguing piece of information they presented was that Becker maintained his minority ownership of the team until 1917.

Edward C. Becker, St. Louis’ new baseball magnate, who is vice-president of the American Baseball and Athletic Exhibition Company of St. Louis, the organization which has gained league recognition as the successor of Sportsman’s Park and Club, returned to St. Louis last night from New York, where he was in attendance at the special meeting of the National League magnates, called for last Friday to settle the St. Louis muddle.

-From the Globe-Democrat, March 28, 1899

Never in the history of the sport, not even in the days of the old champion Brown Stockings, has the St. Louis public shown as much interest in baseball as it has evinced since Frank De Haas Robison and Edward C. Becker became joint owners of the local franchise and placed Patsy Tebeau and his crack team on the home diamond.

The parade, always a feature of the opening day, was started shortly before 10 o’clock. Following the Master of Ceremonies and the team was a long line of carriages. In the first vehicle were Frank DeHaas Robinson, Edward C. Becker and M. Stanley Robison. All along the line of march the party was cheered. Huge bouquets were presented Mr. Robison and Mr. Becker when passing Gaylord & Blessing’s.

-From the Globe-Democrat, April 15, 1899

Becker Holds The Majority Of The Stock

As The Sporting News goes to press, the stockholders of Sportsman's Park and Club are holding their annual meeting for the election of five directors, puruant to a warrant issued by Justice of the Peace Henry S. Harmon, at the request of E.C. Becker and B.S. Muckenfuss, two of the stockholders. The majority of the stock is held and will be voted by Mr. E.C. Becker, who acquired it from Chris Von der Ahe to secure advances. Neither Chris or any of his retainers will be elected to the Board and thus Von der Ahe will be without any claim to recognition from the League, should he attempt to represent the local club at the meeting.

-From The Sporting News, February 25, 1899

I've been trying to figure out what exactly happened to the Browns in 1898/1899 for awhile now and I still don't think I have the thing figured out properly. Most general accounts say that the Robisons purchased the club after Von der Ahe went bankrupt and while that's a nice summary, it's not remotely close to what happened.

The problem is that there are at least three story-lines converging here. First, you have the financial collapse of Von der Ahe. This is something that was building for several years and came to a head in the summer of 1898. Second, you have the political machinations of the National League. There was a group of owners attempting to contract teams and establish a more "stable" eight team league. The "St. Louis situation" was caught up in this and a solution to the St. Louis problem, acceptable to League magnates, became central in how the League would be structured in 1899. Third, you had the Becker/Muckenfuss/Robison cabal taking control of the Browns and restructuring the organization. Of course, saying that there was a cabal is an oversimplification and glosses over the relationship between Becker, Muckenfuss, and Von der Ahe and the long-held desire of Frank Robison to get involved in the St. Louis market (and to escape difficulties in Cleveland). On top of all of that, you have the courts involved. To say the situation was muddled is an understatement.

Another Look At The Browns' Debt

President Von der Ahe, of the St. Louis Base Ball Club, last week elected his Board of Directors. Of course, the stock holders went through the form of an election, but as Mr. Chris Von der Ahe owns about seven-eighths of the stock the election was merely a matter of courtesy. Anyhow the following directors were elected for the ensuing year or rather as long as they do what is right with the great base ball interests of Mr. Von der Ahe: Chris Von der Ahe, J.W. Peckington, Charles Higgins, Benjamin Steward Muckenfuss and Edward Becker...

Next week a meeting will be held and a statement will be made regarding the business done during last year in horse racing and base ball. It is stated that the Browns cleared $12,000 on the season.

Von der Ahe acknowledges that there was only one year in all his experience as a magnate in which he lost money on base ball. That was during the Brotherhood year. And in the future he promises to stick entirely to base ball and become a pillar in the church. This change in Chris' temperament is accounted for by an interview which appeared in the "Republic" the other day, in which a director of the St. Louis Club says:

"We buried about $40,000 in the chutes, which, all stories to the contrary, paid us about 25 per cent on the investment. That leaves us still $30,000 in the hole on the chute question. Then we paid Fred Foster $42,000 for his interest in that track and we lost some money running races in opposition to the other tracks. Oh, we had a mazy time of it when we went against the racing game. I think that we will make money out of the chutes, and we have it fixed so that we will not lose another cent on the race track, so I think we have gotten over our worst days."

It is hoped that this is true and that the St. Louis Club will use some of its profits in the future purchasing new players.

-From Sporting Life, January 23, 1897

Some notes:

-Based on this information, we can say that Von der Ahe still had complete control of the Browns going into the 1897 season, controlling "seven-eights of the stock" and that Edward Becker was already on board as a minority stockholder. Becker, within the next year and a half, would come to control eighty-five percent of the stock and rest control of the team from Von der Ahe.

-The Browns were a profitable organization from a baseball perspective. The financial difficulties that pushed the team into receivership were a result of outside economic interests rather than a failure of the Browns to make money.

-Based on the information from the Republic, it looks like Von der Ahe over-expanded between 1892 and 1896 (the new ballpark, the racetrack, etc) and was unable to generate enough cash flow to cover the debt that he took on in that expansion. In January of 1898, the total liabilities of the club would be listed as $58,718 and most of that was what was owed on the ballpark bonds and money lent to the club by Becker in an attempt to keep Von der Ahe afloat. A total debt of $127,000 was listed for the corporation itself and that included the investments in the racetrack and the chutes as well as the debts of the club. If my math is correct (and assuming the chutes brought in another $10,000 in 1897), the investments in the ballpark, the racetrack, and the chutes alone were responsible for more than seventy percent of the corporations' debt. Becker's loans to the club (which were a direct result of Von der Ahe's over-expansion) amounted to about ten percent of the debt.

The New St. Louis Club

The action of the League in expelling the Sportsman’s Park and Club from the association and recognizing the new organization formed by Robison and Becker has aroused the greatest enthusiasm (in St. Louis) and the fans already see the pennant flying from the flagstaff at the ball grounds. The deal means the transfer to this city of the Cleveland Club in its entirety.

The new Browns will have Tebeau on first base, Childs at second, Cross at third and Wallace at short. The outfielders will be Burkett, Griffin, and Stenzel. O’Connor, Criger, Schrecongost and Clements will be the catchers and the pitching staff will consist of Young, Cuppy, Powell, Wilson, Bates, Jones and Hughey. Ed McKean will remain with the Cleveland team. So will Zimmer and Blake. The other St. Louis players, including Hill, Carsey, Sudhoff, Stivetts, Sugden, Tucker, Quinn, Harley, and Dowd will be transferred to the Forest City to fill the other places. Stanley Robison will be the president of the Cleveland Club.

It was leaked out that the new St. Louis Club was organized about a week ago when the following officers were elected: President Frank de Haas Robison, of Cleveland; vice president Edward C. Becker; Stanley Robison; secretary William Schofield. Mr. Becker will have no interest in the Cleveland Club. He is satisfied with his holdings in the local club, which are exactly equal with Robison. The statement already made that Mr. Robison holds a slight excess of stock, just enough to give him control, is not correct. Mr. Becker and Mr. Robison hold share and share alike in the new corporation…

Chris Von der Ahe does not propose to give up the fight for the possession of the Browns franchise. The publication on Sunday of the Rogers-Muckenfuss letter has convinced the boss that he is the victim of a conspiracy and he proposes to have the sale of the Sportsman’s Park and Club set aside, if possible. To-day he filed his notice of an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court from the decision of Judge Spencer ordering the property sold to satisfy the creditors. Under this decree the property was sold, then later transferred to E.C. Becker, who in turn took into partnership Frank Robison, thus, it is said, confirming all that was admitted in the Rogers letter…

-From Sporting Life, April 1, 1899

St. Louis Is Expelled From The National League (And Then Readmitted)

When the League met late in the day…St. Louis had no delegate and no proxy, and here is where another piece of political strategy came into play. Mr. Muckenfuss was absent but Mr. Becker was in attendance. The latter, however, did not enter the meeting, as he claimed he had no right to do so, not being an officer of the club, although it subsequently developed that he might have entered had he been disposed to do so by virtue of authority delegated by Muckenfuss. In the position assumed by Mr. Becker, St. Louis was left without anyone to offer resignation, as had been the supposed programme and this apparently made expulsion necessary, if the St. Louis muddle were to be settled then and there.

The debate upon Mr. Hart’s motion to expel the St. Louis Base Ball Association, in accordance with the recommendation of the directors, and to admit the new American Base Ball and Athletic Exhibition Company was long and bitter and a show of hands proved Colonel Rogers to be left alone to bear the burden of argument, cajolery and denunciation. Mr. Hart, in support of his motion, stated that the expulsion of the St. Louis Club was only a matter of justice to the League and to its law abiding members and that it was also essential to the successful and satisfactory settlement of the St. Louis question. He furthermore now favored such a course because the situation no longer invited judicial interference. Mr. Brush took the ground that the move was the safest for the League and the best for those who proposed to operate base ball in St. Louis, who would thus be protected against unfair harassment for debts contracted in other ventures by Mr. Von der Ahe. Mr. Robison also made the same plea and stated that Mr. Becker agreed with him in this view. Mr. Becker was called before the meeting and stated that he was decidedly in favor of the step, he having made a satisfactory arrangement with Mr. Robison regarding the new club and the disposition of the Cleveland team. All of the other delegates expressed similar views except Colonel Rodgers…

Finally, however, partly from exhaustion and partly in compliance with the pleas of Soden and Young, (Rodgers) yielded and consented to make the vote for expulsion unanimous…This done, the old St. Louis Club was expelled and the new club admitted by unanimous vote, after a long and exhausting session.

-From Sporting Life, April 1, 1899

There's a lot going on here besides the settlement of the St. Louis "muddle" and I'm not sure that I understand it completely. There seems to be a great deal of political intrigue among various League factions-owner vs. owner, East vs. West, etc-that's difficult to sort through. What the reason for it all is I can't begin to guess. We have lots of egos and lots of money in the same room and that's always going to lead to infighting and turf wars.

In the end though, I'll leave it to others to sort that out because I'm not all that interested in the politics of the National League at the turn of the century except in how it effects baseball in St. Louis. In this case, we have the final brushing aside of the remnants of the Von der Ahe regime, the approval of the Becker/Robison scheme, and the advent of a new era of St. Louis baseball.

For all intents and purposes, the history of 19th century baseball in St. Louis ends at this League meeting in March of 1899.

The St. Louis Muddle Has At Last Been Settled

The St. Louis muddle has at last been settled and settled just as Sporting Life, with its usual perspicuity and inside knowledge, said it would be settled. Mr. E.C. Becker purchased from the creditors syndicate the franchise and other property of the club. The consideration is not named but from the fact that Frank R. Tate, representing a local syndicate, offered $35,000 cash and agreed to pay the league dues…the price is thought to be about $40,000.

On Friday evening the creditors met and decided to get rid of their white elephant. Telegrams were sent to the League magnates asking how they would vote to receive the purchaser of the Browns in the League. Becker received a dispatch from John Rogers of Philadelphia, in answer to one sent assuring, assuring him that either he or Mr. Robison would be satisfactory. With this assurance that they could deliver the goods to a person satisfactory to the League, the creditors at once closed the deal.

The sale carries with it all the stands and property now in Sportsman’s Park, 15 year lease on the grounds and the following ball players: Pitchers Hill, Hughey, Carsey, Sudhoff, Stivetts, catchers Clements and Sugden, first baseman Tucker, second baseman Quinn, third baseman L. Cross, left fielder Harley, centre fielder Stenzel, right fielder Dowd.

On Friday evening also the American Base Ball and Athletic Exhibition Company of St. Louis was incorporated with a capital of $100,000. Becker holds 996 of the 1000 shares. The four other shares are held by brokers’ clerks in order to form a directory…The corporation is formed for the purposes of conducting the base ball club and general athletic enterprises. It is understood Mr. Becker will put in bowling alleys and the essentials for other forms of amusement.

Like a full-fledged magnate, Mr. Becker believes in being mysterious and declines to see newspaper men. To his friends, however, he denies emphatically that he has formed any alliance with Frank De H. Robison, or any other League magnate, and his investigations into the expense of conducting the team…all point to an apparent intention to conduct the team himself. Opposed to this, however, were a full crop of rumors that the purchase was not made until an understanding had been reached by which Mr. Robison and Mr. Becker were to pool issues.

- From Sporting Life, March 25, 1899

Rumors Of A Sensational Order

The Major League magnates have arrived (in Baltimore) and will begin their spring session at the Hotel Rennert at noon to-day. Rumors of a sensational order are flying thick and fast. They involve the transfer of the Cleveland Club to St. Louis and the location of the Browns in that city...Von der Ahe, who arrived this morning, is accompanied by Mr. E.C. Becker, a St. Louis capitalist, who is regarded as Chris' "Angel." It is said that he has already secured 25 per cent of the Browns' stock and is here to protect his holdings in case Robison makes a deal for the Browns.

St. Louis is expected to cut a big figure at the League meeting. Not because Von der Ahe carries any influence or that he is apt to offer large sums of money for franchises and blocks of players but because the other owners are expected to help him out by giving him some of their surplus material and in this way strengthen the otherwise weak Browns. The great national sport was never in better repute than it is to-day. This healthful state of affairs is noticeable in every city in the country holding league membership excepting St. Louis. That city is rapidly on the wane as regards base ball. In the old days Comiskey's champions were world-beaters, now (the Browns) as at present constituted have little or no chance of finishing in better than last place. Something may drop at Baltimore and it may be that Chris will cause the dull sickening thud.

-From The Sporting News, February 27, 1897


Well...isn't this just fascinating. TSN was expecting the Robisons/Cleveland shenanigans to go down in February of 1897-a full two years before it actually happened. Certainly the Robisons were interested in the St. Louis market and wanted to purchase the Browns. Von der Ahe was well aware of their interest and it's likely that they had made several offers to purchase the club prior to 1899 (there are so many rumors floating around about people trying to buy the Browns in the 1890's that it's tough to keep straight). But the fact that people were already talking about a Browns/Cleveland swap with the Robisons ending up owning a club in St. Louis is rather extraordinary.

The other thing that interests me about this article is that it establishes Becker as owning a quarter of the club's stock by 1897. With Becker in place, the Robisons sniffing around, TSN on the attack, and his financial situation being what it was, it's amazing that Von der Ahe was able to last two more seasons.

A Look At The Debt Of The Sportsman's Park And Club Association In 1898

Late Wednesday afternoon Sportsman's Park and Club filed a chattel deed of trust securing liabilities in excess of $108,000. Chris Von der Ahe is named as trustee. He is also a preferred creditor in the aggregate of $91,000. Thirty other creditors are named with claims ranging from $100 to $3,075. The largest sum is due to the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company.

The Union Bank of St. Paul has a claim for $1,751.46 and the Northwestern Savings Bank a claim for $100. David Nicholson is a creditor to the amount of (unreadable) and the Laclede Gas Light Company to the extent of $800. The other claims aggregate about $10,050, making the outside indebtedness about $17,000.

The alleged indebtedness to Chris comprises 32 notes of $1,500 each and 20 notes of $1,000 each. One big note of $13,935.72, another of $12,000 and one for $3,950 were executed Wednesday, all three being for a period of six months. The other indebtedness to Chris comprises over 30 counts, running from $50 up...

Von der Ahe is authorized to take charge of the assets, which consist of the entire Sportsman's Park outfit, and sell the property at private sale, in six months. Such assets as remain unsold at the end of six months are to be sold at public sale at the east front door of the Courthouse. He is also directed to keep the property insured for $31,800.

Duly recorded mortgages and judgments against Sportsman's Park and Club are not affected by the deed. Neither are the bonds to the amount of $20,000 guaranteed, by the St. Louis Trust Company. Mr. Becker, it is understood, has as security for his loan a large block of stock enough it is said to give him the controlling interest in the club. He waived protest on the 12th..., on Chris' promise to take up the note for $12,000 up on Saturday, June 15. The deed of trust puts Mr. Becker's security in danger, as the stock will be worthless if Von der Ahe's preferred claims are paid.

While Von der Ahe held the office of president of the corporation, Sportsman's Park and Club could not assign to him and give his claims preference. In order to do this in uniformity to the law, he as the principal stockholder elected B.S. Muckenfuss president and J.W. Peckington secretary and they turned the trick.

The effort to bar out other creditors will be fought bitterly in the courts, and in the opinion of these familiar with Chris' mental abilities, the deposed boss will not be able to stand the ordeal of cross-examination and the chances are that the conspiracy against his creditors will fail in its purpose...

(Muckenfuss stated that) "Mr. Von der Ahe is not at all concerned about what he owes personally, as he is to all intents and purposes insolvent. His real estate is mortgaged to such an extent that his creditors can't realize a dollar on judgments and his personal property is pledged to its full value. What he wants to do is to save something from his base ball interests and his lawyer is hard at work on a scheme with this in view. Then again he is desirous of defeating his wife in an effort to secure alimony. In other words, he don't intend to sell his club or anything he has unless he finds a way to avoid the payment of his debts."

This movement on the part of Von der Ahe confirms the opinion of Mr. John T. Brush that the affairs of Sportsman's Park are in such a rotten condition that it is impossible to give a clear title to its holdings...

The total liabilities (of the club) including the $20,000 issue of bonds and the Becker note for $12,000, as set forth in the Muckenfuss statement amounted to $58,717.54. The debts of the corporation according to the deed of trust aggregate $127,000...

Chris' claims were never referred to and considerable surprise was caused by the announcement that he was creditor of the club to such a large amount as $91,000. The efforts of the other creditors will be directed, so it is said, to establishing in court that his claims...should not be allowed. From the manner and method of the assignment some are of the opinion that Von der Ahe executed a flank movement on his creditors. Others declare that he had gained nothing but time and to do this has had to confess he is hopelessly bankrupt.

The assignment settles one question. The St. Louis Browns will soon pass from Chris' control. Without cash or credit, he can never as magnate or trustee put the team in the field. All his transactions from now on with the railroads and all other parties must be on a cash basis and he is without means...

The troubles of Von der Ahe were not ended when he covered his club with a blanket trust deed. The matured bonds of the club for $20,000, guaranteed by the St. Louis Trust Company, must be paid and the Becker note for $12,000 can not be extended. Other creditors are not idle. Sheriff Henry Troll has levied upon whatever interest the Sportsman's Park and Club has in the following property:

"A lot of ground situated in city block 9,386 beginning at a point in the northwest corner of Grand and St. Louis avenues and extending along Grand avenue...Also, a certain leasehold given and granted by one Jemima Lindell to the said Sportsman's Park and Club on April 1, 1892 for a period of 15 years and six months from said date on (a piece of property on Natural Bridge road)...

Sportsman's Park and Club does not own any of the above described real estate. It only has a lease-hold interest in it.

This levy was made Wednesday by virtue and authority of an execution issued by the Circuit Court...On the strength of this execution the Sheriff announces that he will sell all the right, title, claim, interest, estate and property of the Sportsman's Park and Club to the above described property at the Courthouse February 5.

-From The Sporting News, January 15, 1898


A few notes:

-This particular issue of TSN was not in the best of shape and I found it rather difficult to read the dollar amounts that the article was quoting. While I'm satisfied that I've transcribed the article to the best of my ability, their may be some errors. If the dollar amounts don't add up it's because I read them wrong. I did the best I could.

-Mr. Becker is Edward C. Becker who would come to hold almost all of the stock of the Sportsman's Park and Club Association. By March of 1899, Becker would purchase the club's assets out of receivership and be recognized by the National League as the owner of the St. Louis Browns. He would, at that point, sell out to the Robinsons.

-There are two different sets of numbers in the article. The first comes from the "chattel deed of trust" establishing Von der Ahe as the club's primary creditor. The second set of numbers come from "the Muckenfuss statement." These numbers came out of "recent" negotiations between Von der Ahe and an Indianapolis syndicate regarding the potential sale of the Browns. During the negotiations, Muckenfuss "submitted to (the syndicate) an itemized statement of the club's indebtedness..."

To Be A Fly On The Wall

This is a picture of a National League owners meeting in 1897. In the back row is Edward Becker (far left), Chris Von der Ahe (second from left), and Frank De Hass Robison (fourth from left). In 1899, Becker, one of Von der Ahe's many creditors, would buy the Browns out of receivership and then sell the majority interest to Robison and his brother Stanley.

Von der Ahe had almost sold the Browns to Frank Robison prior to the 1898 season but the deal fell through because Robison would not allow Von der Ahe to keep the beer concessions at Sportsman's Park. In March of 1899, after Becker had purchased the Browns, Von der Ahe was quoted as saying "I don't care who got the property, just so that...Robison did not."