Clubs Now Belonging To The Convention

The annual gathering of delegates from the prominent base ball clubs of the United States took place in New York on the night of Dec. 13, 1865, the occasion being the ninth annual meeting of the National Association of Base Ball Players...

...[A] call was made for the report of the Nominating Committee, in order to have the claims of new clubs fully settled, with a view to their voting, and Mr. Thors, chairman of the committee, proceeded to read the names of sixty ! new clubs, applicants for representation in the Convention.  During the reading of the names as those of clubs from distant points were announced, considerable applause followed, especially in the case of the clubs from Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Maine.  After those clubs had been favorably reported upon and all had passed in their credentials and paid their dues, considerable discussion arose in relation to the admission of such clubs whose applications had been informal or not in the order required by the rules...

-Mears Baseball Scrapbook, Volume 4, 1856-1907


This article obviously comes from late 1865 or, perhaps, early 1866 and gives a report of the happenings at the 1865 convention of the NABBP.  Among the "list of clubs now belonging to the Convention, and the names of their delegates" is the "Empire Club of St. Louis, Mo." who was represented by Henry Clay Sexton.  There has always been some confusion in my mind about which St. Louis club was the first to join the NABBP, the Empires or the Unions, and there was evidence supporting each club's claim.  This article appears to settle that little argument.

It should also be noted that Sexton was elected Second Vice-President of the Association.   

Some Misunderstanding

According to previous announcement, the Harvard University Base Ball Club, of Cambridge, and the Union, of this city, met yesterday afternoon on the St. Louis base ball park.  Owing to some misunderstanding between the two clubs in regard to the time when the game was to be called, the members of the Union did not arrive on the field until 4 o'clock.  Unluckily the Harvards had arranged to leave on the 5:15 train for Chicago.  This of course made the proposed game short, only one inning being terminated. 

The game was called at 4:10 by the favorite umpire, Mr. W. Kennon, of the Olympic Base Ball Club, of Carondelet.  His fame in the position of umpire is well known.  During his short term of office yesterday, he acquitted himself in his usual creditable manner.

The Unions winning the toss, went to the field; the Harvards the "bat."

First Inning.

Harvards. - Eustis, on a low grounder made his first.  Wells out on first by Easton, assisted by Greenleaf.  Prim got his base on called balls.  Eustis came home on a passed ball by W. Wolf.  Prim stole home on a passed ball.  Bush attempted to steal home but was put out at the "plate" by Turner.  Austin Smith and Willard scored each a run.  White was put out on first, closing the inning with a total score of 5 runs.

Union - Turner took his base on called balls.  Gorman knocked a low one to second base, which was held and then thrown to first, putting Turner and Gorman both out, by this beautiful, but easy and mechanical double play of the Harvards.  Easton got his first on a swift grounder to centre.  Stansberry out on first, leaving Easton on second and adding the last 0 for a white-wash; terminating the first inning with a score of 5 to 0 in favor of the Harvards.

Second Inning.

The inning was not completed on account of the hastened departure of the Harvards.  The Harvards had 9 runs with two men out and two on bases, when the captain of their nine called them from the field, thus ending the game.

It might be well to state, that unless five innings are played the game cannot be called a match, hence we omit the base ball order of the score, it being enough that the game was entirely under control of the Harvards, they using their opponents to suit themselves.

The crowd being a little displeased at the sudden termination of the game, Clay Sexton, assisted by some members of the Empire club, made up a picked nine, composed of the best players on the ground, including, we believe, some members of the Lone Star B.B.C. of New Orleans.  The bat thrown down by the Harvards was taken up by this undaunted picked nine, and the Union found in them some true base ball metal.  This impromptu match was quite interesting and the spectators were highly pleased with it.

-Missouri Republican, July 24, 1870


So let's just say that I was right all along.  Harvard did not technically play a baseball game in St. Louis in 1870.  The whole thing, if you ask me, was fubar from beginning to end.

The Lone Stars, if you were wondering, were in town to play the Empires and the Unions.  

A Civil War-Era Muffin Game

A match came off yesterday afternoon between the Active and the Honorary members of the Empire Base Ball Club, with the following result:  We learn that our lymphatic friend Henry Clay Sexton, Counsellor W.V.N. Bay, Justice Wohlein, Deputy Sheriff George Stevens and others of the honorary department, "shed" their clothing only to come out of the contest losers - the "runs" being against them, 53 to 38.

-Missouri Republican, October 9, 1861


This was actually a fairly close game, with the "active" members only up by four runs after six innings.  Their margin of victory was padded by a ten-run ninth, although the "honorary" nine was helped out by the addition of James Yule to their side.  Sexton actually had a pretty good game, scoring seven runs - a tally that was only exceeded by James Fitzgerald and John Reynolds, two of the Empire Clubs best players.

Also, I think it should be noted that the Republican uses "active" and "honorary" while I believe the more accurate terms, based on what I know about Empire Club membership, would be "playing" and "non-playing" members.    

Touch That Plug And I'll Break Your Heads

Henry Clay Sexton

On Sept. 14, 1857, Henry Clay Sexton became St. Louis' first fire chief (formally, "chief engineer") at an annual salary of $1,000.  He had 30 employees and three steam engines.  Sexton got the job after the Mound Volunteer Fire Company, where he was chief, sold its engine and house at North Broadway and Brooklyn Street to the city for $250. 

Some volunteer companies refused to quit.  In August 1858, Sexton personally defended a plug with a heavy wrench, telling his covetous competitors, "Touch that plug and I'll break your heads."

-St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 12, 2010


This is from a nice article about the beginnings of the St. Louis Fire Department that's online at the Post's website.

Sexton, of course, was a prominent figure during the pioneer baseball era in St. Louis.  He was a member and long-time president of the Empire Club and I believe he was instrumental in developing the relationship between the StLFD and the Empires.  That relationship was most likely used as a way to compensate members of the Empires' first nine, who often were employed by the fire department.

Tip o' the hat to Steve Pona, who sent me the link to the article.  

The Dancing Was Kept Up Till A Late Hour

The sixteenth annual ball of the Empire Base Ball Club came off at Masonic Hall last night, and proved to be an entire success in every particular.  It was, without doubt, the best ball ever given by the club, both in attendance and in the agreeable manner in which it passed off, and, of course, was highly enjoyed by all present. 

The balls hitherto given by the Empire lads have been the events of the season in which they occurred, and have always been longingly looked forward to by those who have participated in the festivities of the one preceding.  The fact is, the balls given by the club are very much like a family reunion, as all are well acquainted.  It was noticed that a good many who attended the first ball given by the club sixteen years ago were on hand last evening.  The officers of the club are as follows:  President, H. Clay Sexton; Vice-President, Edward C. Donnelly; Secretary, Charles H. Stevens; Treasurer, H.G.D. Barklage.  The music was furnished by Postlewaite's Quadrille Band, and was all that could be desired, and seldom a party ever sat down to a more elegant supper than that furnished by Mr. Louis Heinrich, of Franklin avenue.  The carriages were from the popular livery stable of Cullen & Kelly. 

The managers have every reason to feel proud over the "reunion," and the guests owe thanks to them for the pleasure afforded them last night.  The dancing was kept up till a late hour.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, January 26, 1876


I love the traditions of the Empire Club, especially the anniversary game and the annual ball.  They were unique in St. Louis baseball history in that they lasted for almost a generation.  During the St. Louis pioneer baseball era, clubs came and went but the Empires endured until the end.  And what makes this particular ball almost bittersweet is that this was end for the great club.

The 1875 season was one of the great demarcations in St. Louis baseball history, marking the end of the pioneer era and the beginning of the professional era.  By the end of the 1875 season, it was obvious to see that the Empire Clubs' fifteen year run as the best baseball team in St. Louis had come to an end.  Not only that but the entire baseball universe had shifted to the point that the old, "amateur," social clubs like the Empires were an endangered species.  They would never dominate the culture of the game as they had prior to 1869 or 1870, as the focus of the game shifted to the national competition between professional clubs.  It was a brave new world and, although they soldiered on for a few more years, the Empire Base Ball Club was never going to be a part of it.       

The 1887 World Series: The Question And The Parade

The contest about to be inaugurated for the leading position among ball clubs is especially interesting because the result will decide an important question which has long been the subject of discussion among the patrons and admirers of the national game, viz: The collective qualities necessary for the best ball team, strong batters or good fielders and base runners. The Detroits and the Browns will have answered this question when the world's championship games are over. One is a team of "sluggers," or heavy batters, and the other is not so handy with the stick, but has no equal as a fielding and base-running team. Every arrangement has been made for the grand entree on Monday, even to a parade. Although the price of admission has been raised thousands of reserved seats have already been sold, and the demand for them increases as the opening date approaches. The Detroits will stop at the Southern, and from there at 10 o'clock Monday morning they will join in the base-ball parade and be driven through the streets in carriages. The parade will be headed by Phillips' Knights Templar Band. Presidents Von der Ahe and Stearns, of the two clubs, will occupy the front carriage in the procession, and in those that follow will be H. Clay Sexton, Dr. Ahlbrandt, the Directors and other officers of the Detroit and St. Louis clubs and visiting reporters. The last four carriages will contain the players who are to do battle.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 9, 1887

Giants On The Ball Field, Part Four

E.C. Meacham, founder of the Meacham Arms Company, played first with the Olympic and afterward with the Union Club.

H. Clay Sexton was one of the most prominent early ball players, having joined the Empire Club in the '50's before he became Chief of the St. Louis Fire Department.  He never took much stock in his own playing abilities but always stood ready to back up his pet Empire Club.  He was a frequent player prior to the time he became Fire Chief, while connected with his brothers, John and Hugh, in the building business, after which he played the part of regular attendant to perfection.  He was "a boy again" all over at such times, and no one outdid him in demonstrative applause of a good play.

The Empire Club furnished St. Louis with several other prominent members of the Fire Department beside Chief Clay Sexton.  Captain Geo. N. Stevens, who was Chief prior to Sexton's time, and later was Deputy United States Marshal for many years in Judge Treat's court, was one of the earliest of ball enthusiasts, and his son, Charles W. Stevens, now paymaster of the Iron Mountain Railroad, was an exceedingly fine player in the club...Assistant Chiefs John Shockey, Richard Beggs and Eugene Gross were also members.  Adam Wirth, now Captain of one of the engines, was for many years a player in the Empire team, and ranked as the king of first baseman.

One of the best fielders that St. Louis had was Wm. Duncan, now vice president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  His brother, Robert, was a superb short-stop.  They played in both the Empire and Union nines, at different times.  "Bob" is connected with the Continental Freight Company at Louisville, Ky.

Wayman McCreery, the well-known vocalist, was a fine ball tosser in his day.  His career began with the Olympic Club and ended with the Union.

Another accomplished singer, who included baseball in his repertoire, was Nat Hazard, one of the most genial and popular society young men of his day.

J.C. Cabanne, secretary of the St. Louis Dairy Company, was one of the sure sphere-splitters of the Union Club that knew how to stop the hottest liner and was a good base player and fine fielder.  

Incredulous as it may seem when looking at the rotund face and form of that busy real estate dealer, Chas. H. Turner, nevertheless it is true that for several seasons he was one of the most active and reliable members of the Union team.  He was good in any position but in those days he was not built on so broad a plan as at present.  He filled both pitcher and catcher positions with credit.

-St. Louis Daily Republic, February 9, 1896

I'm reasonably certain that this is the first reference I've seen to Henry Clay Sexton playing baseball.  Most other sources only mention that he was a member and officer of the Empire Club.  The reference to his playing with the club in the 1850's is also interesting given that the club didn't form until 1860.

Also of note is the description of the Empires as Sexton's "pet."  Given what we know and suspect about the relationship between the Empire Club and the St. Louis Fire Department under Sexton's management, this may be a rather apt description of the club.   

Base Ball Is Now Wonderfully Perfect

The game of base ball is now wonderfully perfect and I never tire of looking at it or thinking of the extraordinary strides it has taken in fifteen or twenty years. Why, when the old Empires and Unions used to play it was considered a wonderful performance for a man to catch a ball on the fly; then it was all first or second bound. I remember what astonishment it created at the base ball Convention in 1969 when somebody proposed to abolish the first bound and make nothing but fly catches count out in the field. Why, most of us rose up and protested against any such innovation as calculated to injure the game; and I was one of the most earnest opposers of the new scheme. It went through, though. Now we have nothing but fly catches, and the game of 1886 is as different from the game of 1869 as death is from heaven.

-Henry Clay Sexton, quoted in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 25, 1886


This is a nice quote from Sexton but he's a bit off in his recollections. If I remember correctly, the fly rule was put into place at the national convention in 1864 and it had been hotly debated for several years prior to that. So while Sexton may have "rose up and protested," momentum had been building for years towards the acceptance of the fly rule.

A Little More On Shockey

According to Hether Pearson-Pillman at Find A Grave, John Shockey was the son of Abraham Shockey and Mary Jane Sexton and was born in 1840 in Wheeling, West Virginia. While this is reasonable evidence supporting the idea that Shockey was Henry Clay Sexton's nephew, I've not been able to find anything that shows conclusively that Mary Jane and Henry Clay Sexton were siblings. The best I could find was census data stating that Mary Jane Shockey's parents, like Henry Clay's, were born in Virginia. I don't have any doubt that John Shockey was Henry Clay Sexton's nephew but I can't really prove it.

Also there are a few problems with the Find A Grave information. Shockey's father's name was Abram and not Abraham. His name appears as Abram in the census records, city directories, and on his Missouri death record. Ms. Pearson-Pillman also lists "Abraham" Shockey's occupation as fireman and states that he died in the line of duty. The problem with this is that Abram Shockey was a policeman rather than a fireman and in 1887, when he died, Abram Shockey was 75 years old and not likely running around putting out fires. The Wheeling, West Virginia place of birth for John Shockey also does not conform with the information that I have. According to census records, he was born in Pennsylvania. However, it's possible that he was born in Wheeling and that the census records are wrong.

And for the sake of convenience, here's an index to the posts on Shockey's death:

The Death Of John Shockey, Part One
The Death Of John Shockey, Part Two
The Death Of John Shockey, Part Three
The Death Of John Shockey, Part Four
The Death Of John Shockey, Part Five

Note: I realized that I needed to check Shockey's wife and see if she was Sexton's daughter-the assertion by the Globe being that Shockey was Sexton's son in law. Shockey's wife was named Annie and she was born around 1849 in New York. There is no record of Sexton having a daughter named Annie so we can rule out that Shockey was Sexton's son in law.

Also, while looking up Annie Shockey's information, I found another source that has John Shockey's place of birth as Virginia.

The Death Of John Shockey, Part Five

Mr. John Shockey, Assistant chief of the Fire Department, and nephew of Chief Sexton, who was severely injured at the fire at 113 and 115 Bremen avenue just one week ago yesterday, died at his residence, No. 1711 North Eighth street, at 2:30 a.m. yesterday. The details of the accident which caused him to lose his life have previously been given in the Globe-Democrat. The injuries were considered fatal at the time, but many of his friends hoped that his strong constitution would enable him to successfully combat them. The funeral will take place from the residence to Bellefontaine Cemetery at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The funeral discourse will be delivered by Rev. Dr. Vincil, of the M.E. Church, South. chief Sexton, with two representatives of the department from each engine-house, will participate in the obsequies, as also will the Knights Templar, of which organization deceased was a member. No man in the department was better liked than Shockey-a brave and competent fireman-whose death is universally regretted.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 3, 1881

The funeral of the late Assistant Fire Chief, John W. Shockey, will take place at 10 o'clock this morning...Each engine house will send two of its force, and the Salvage Corps will also be represented on the occasion. As yet no successor has been appointed for the lamented deceased. It was thought that there would be two vacancies to fill, as the resignation of Assistant Bame was known to have been tendered, as stated in these columns yesterday. But it is now understood that he has withdrawn his resignation until such time as an investigation can be had. As for Chief Sexton himself, the death of his nephew, Shockey, is just now what concerns him most, and he says he has made no plans as yet.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 4, 1881


In the aftermath of Shockey's death Sexton and John Bame, both of whom had been with the fire department since the late 1850's, threatened to resign. It seems that they felt "harassed" by a group of "enemies" that was questioning their management of the StLFD. While it's unknown if Shockey's death was the cause of this harassment or merely an excuse to increase criticism of the department's leadership, Bame did mention an investigation that would be looking into the events of the Scholtz fire. Of course the investigation and criticism came to nothing and Sexton remained as chief until 1885 when he resigned to take a job with the federal government as a revenue collector.

The Death Of John Shockey, Part Four

When these lines reach the reading public it is probable that John W. Shockey, Assistant Chief of the Fire Department, will be no more. He responded to his last call on Sunday morning, when an alarm was sounded for a fire discovered in the St. Louis Picture-frame Works, Broadway and Angelica street. He was among his men in the moment of danger, and when a wall toppled and fell on the little band of fire-fighters their chief was caught in the gap and crushed under a mass of burning bricks. Rescuers were numerous, and not many minutes elapsed before the hands of willing workers had unearthed the injured men from their terrible position. When rescued Assistant Chief Shockey did not utter a syllable of complaint but manfully bore his injuries. It was supposed that the extent of his infliction was a dislocated limb, and he was removed to his home. No serious complications were anticipated, and the condition of the patient was considered favorable until Tuesday, when Dr. Scott, on examination, discovered that Mr. Shockey had sustained injuries to the brain by the weight of the falling wall, which crushed through his helmet, and by outward pressure compressed the brain to a dangerous degree. The development of this feature of the case awakened grievous apprehensions and when delirium intervened it was acknowledged that the derangement was beyond the power of surgical or medical skill to cure. Slowly the patient sank, and last night at 10 o'clock his bedside was surrounded by friends and relatives who, in breathless suspense, awaited the final summons. Mr. John W. Shockey was a native St. Louisan, and his early years were devoted to acquiring a knowledge of carpentry and building, in which he excelled. He subsequently became associated with the Sexton Bros., Clay and John, and managed a prosperous business for many years. Ultimately, in 1875, the partnership was dissolved by the death of John Sexton. Shockey displayed quite a predilection for fire extinguishing, and his efforts won for him many complimentary notices. Together with First Assistant Chief Lindsay, he was introduced into the regular department when the list of assistants was increased from three to five. Since then he has been a prominent figure at every extensive fire, and in the performance of the duties incumbent on him, he recognized no fatigue, and knew no danger too powerful to encounter. His motto invariably was "Come and not Go." He was married some years ago to a daughter of Clay Sexton, and has an only son to mourn the untimely calamity that robbed him of a beloved and indulgent parent.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 29, 1881

Died.

Shockey-October 2, at 2 o'clock a.m., John W. Shockey, Assistant Chief of Fire Department, aged 42 years.

The funeral will take place on Tuesday, the 4th inst., at 10 o'clock a.m., from his late residence, No. 1711 North Eight street.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 3, 1881



A couple of notes:

-L.U. Reavis, in Saint Louis: The Future Great City of the World, wrote that "Under an ordinance passed by the City Council in February 1876, two more assistant engineers were added to the force: John Lindsey and John W. Shockey..." Combining this information with that from the Globe's September 29, 1881 piece, we now know that Shockey joined the fire department in February of 1876.

-The Globe has Shockey as the son in law of Henry Clay Sexton while I have another source that says he was Clay's nephew. More research is needed.

Henry Clay Sexton

(Henry Clay Sexton) was born March 29, 1828, in Wheeling, West Virginia, and died in St. Louis in St. Louis, December 31, 1893. His parents were John and Phoebe Sexton, and the family to which he belonged settled in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia, his immigrant ancestor having been among the earliest colonists of that region. After graduating from the Wheeling High School, in 1844, Mr. Sexton followed his father's occupation, which was that of contractor and builder, until 1857, the family having in the meantime removed to St. Louis. In 1857 he was made chief of the old volunteer fire department of this city, and in that capacity became widely known throughout the country. He was distinguished for his courage and bravery, good judgment and his kindness at heart. The men who served under him in the fire department were devotedly attached to him, for, although he was a strict disciplinarian, he was always generous and forbearing. After the great Chicago fire of 1871 he was offered a salary of $15,000 a year to take charge of the fire department of that city, but declined the offer, preferring to remain in St. Louis. From 1862 to 1875, in company with his brother, John Sexton, he carried on a large contracting and building business in St. Louis, erecting many of the principal buildings of that era, among which were the Republican Building, the City Hospital, the House of Industry and others. He was collector of water rates in St. Louis during the administration of Mayor King. In 1862 General Schofield removed him from the position of chief of the fire department and confined him in the Gratiot Street Prison as a Southern sympathizer. He was reappointed chief in 1869, and held the office until 1885, when he resigned to become collector of internal revenue, which office he filled during President Cleveland's first administration. In his early life he was a Whig in politics, but later became a Democrat, and continued to affiliate with that party as long as he lived. A member of the Southern Methodist Church, he was a devout Christian, and for many years was superintendent of the Mound Sunday-school. He was a member of the Masonic order, of the Legion of Honor, of the order of Elks, and a Knight of St. Patrick. July 4, 1850, he married Miss Sara Lavania Lyon, at Davenport, Iowa. The surviving children born of this union are Mrs. Jennie McCaw, Mrs. Addue Maxwell, Mrs. Lavania Salter and Henry Clay Sexton.

-From Encyclopedia of the history of St. Louis : a compendium of history and biography for ready reference


Sexton was, for many years, the president of the Empire Club.

A Notice Of H.G.D. Barklage's Death

Herman G.D. Barklage, who had been the Treasurer of the old Empire Club for the past fourteen years, and who in years gone by guarded first base for that organization, died yesterday of consumption. His death has caused sincere grief among the fraternity. All members of the Empre Club are requested to attend a special meeting to be held this evening at Squire Walton's office, 407 Morgan street, at 7:30, to take suitable action in regard to the sad occurrence. The meeting is called by Clay Sexton.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 3, 1878


Barklage was one of the original members of the Empire Club and, as stated in the article, a long-time officer of the club. While it's obvious, based on this information, that the club was still in existence, there is nothing here that proves the club fielded a nine in 1878.

Steadily And Well Employed

It is said that Manager Cuthbert, of the Grand Avenue Park, intends organizing a team and visiting New Orleans this winter. The clubs of the Crescent City are willing to guarantee a team from this locality its expenses with the privilege of 60 per cent of the gross gate receipts. It would be a good thing for Neddy if he could get the full Brown Stocking team together, although it is doubtful whether or not the players of that team could spare the time to go. More than half the team are steadily and well employed. McCaffery and Oberbeck hold positions in the Post Office. Seward is with the Laclede Gas Company. The Gleasons are on the Fire Department, but it would be an easy matter for them to get off, for on other occasions Chief Sexton has let firemen go to New Orleans with ball clubs and stay there for weeks. He did this when the old Empire Club was in existence, and did it season after season. Of the team who are footloose may be mentioned Baker, McGinnis, Peters and Levis, who just now devote all their time to ball-playing.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 18, 1881


This is a great article loaded with information. First, we pretty much get a list of the roster of the 1881 Brown Stockings. Second, we have the reference to "when the old Empire Club was in existence" with the insinuation that they were no longer in existence. On top of that, you have one heck of an offer from the New Orleans club. Sixty percent of the gate and expenses paid-that's tough to pass up.

Adam Wirth Gets Some National Ink (Sort Of)

We present to our base ball readers in this week's issue, the third of our series of illustrations, and the second of the portraits of leading players of the country, the subject of our present sketch being Mr. Adam North, of the Empire Base Ball Club of St. Louis, Mo.

The furore for base ball which existed in the Middle States in 1860 to such an extent, reached as far West as St. Louis, and in that year it led to the organization of the Empire Club of that city-then, as now, the champion club of the Western States. The war, however, affected the Empire Club, as it did all base ball clubs, and for four years, play was, in a measure, suspended. In 1865, however, the activity and enterprise which marked the action of the Empire Club in 1860 were resumed, and by several finely-contested games with leading organizations of sister States and cities, the Empires fully established their claim to the title of the Champion of the West, and it will, doubtless, be some time ere the laurels will be wrested from them; for this season they open play stronger and seem more enthusiastic than ever before.

In accordance with our request, we have to acknowledge a prompt reply to our circular from Mr. H.C. Sexton of the Empire Club, the first Vice-President of the National Association, who has sent us the name of Mr. Adam North, the first baseman of the Empire Club of St. Louis. Mr. North is of the typographical fraternity, and as such, as a matter of course, is "a gentleman and a scholar," and, moreover, a first-class ball-player. His strong points of play are his accuracy in throwing and his certainty in holding a ball, these two physical attributes making his services exceedingly useful in other positions besides the one he has made his specialty-viz., the first base of the nine. To these desirable qualifications he adds calmness and steadiness of play, and presence of mind and evenness of temper in exciting and critical positions of the game.

Mr. North is about twenty-two years of age, possesses a manly physique, and considerable power of endurance, and his strength of muscle is shown in his batting skill-his average play at the bat being of the best of his club. At present he is an employee in the office of the Missouri Democrat, and is highly esteemed by his companions and employers. Among the games in which Mr. North has conspicuously figured are the contests between his club and those of Freeport, Ill., Dubuque, Iowa, and with the Morning Star and Commercial Union Clubs of St. Louis.

-Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, August 4, 1866


This is a great piece and I have to give a hat tip to Richard Hershberger who was kind enough to send it to me. There's just one little problem with it though. The Empire Club never had a first baseman named Adam North. The guy they're talking about is the great Adam Wirth, first baseman extraordinaire and arguably the best player the Empires ever had. How would you like to be Adam Wirth in 1866? You get some serious national ink but they get your last name wrong. Such is life.

Asa Smith And Henry Clay Sexton

During the years of rivalry for supremacy on the ball field between the Union and Empire Clubs there were two men whose marked personalities were prominent features of that long struggle, Asa W. Smith and H. Clay Sexton, the old fire-fighter. Both stood in the same relation to his own club: the latter as the father of the Empire and the former of the Union. Both were ardent admirers and promoters of the game, each in his own way, as an athletic sport at which his own club should outdo all home rivals. Personally they were the best of friends and their good-natured chaffing of one another was one of the regular by-plays of each contest.

Asa Smith was a young man of many bright and endearing traits and it was his personal magnetism that gathered into the Union Club that galaxy of young athletes whose names adorned its role of membership. Like Clay Sexton, he had the most implicit confidence in the superiority of his own club and the two seldom failed to risk a small wager either upon the result of a game or the probability of a run being made in an inning, the loser having to bear no small amount of chaffing.

-E.H. Tobias, writing in The Sporting News, November 16, 1895

Henry Clay Sexton

I found this picture of Henry Clay Sexton in A Tour Of St. Louis by J. A. Dacus and James Buel. The book was published in 1878 and is available online here.

Dacus and Buel wrote the following about Sexton and the StLFD:

The Empires And The St. Louis Fire Department

It's obvious to me that there was some sort of relationship between the Empire Base Ball Club of St. Louis and the St. Louis Fire Department. When the city instituted an all-paid fire department in 1857, Henry Clay Sexton, the president of the Empires in 1864 and again from 1870 to 1873, was named chief. John Shockey, who would serve as team captain in 1869, was an assistant chief with the department. Other members of the club who were known to have worked as firemen were Adam Wirth, Tom Oran, and Joe Schimper. Both Shockey and Schimper were, according to Bill Kelsoe, "killed by a falling wall at a fire" and are on a list of firemen killed in the line of duty kept by the StLFD.

Certainly not all the members of the Empire Base Ball Club were members of the StLFD. Al Spink wrote in The National Game that the club "had in its ranks many wide-awake business men as well as some of the most influential mechanics and tradesmen. It had for its officers the most popular men in the community-men selected for their great heart, wide acquaintance and numerous following." The Empires were by no means an extension of the StLFD but the fire department had both a strong presence and influence on the club.

This is not unique in the history of 19th century baseball. According to Warren Goldstein in A History of Early Baseball, one of the "most fertile sources of baseball nines were volunteer fire companies..." The most famous example of this was the New York Mutuals who were "founded in 1857 by the Mutual Hook and Ladder Company No. 1." It's Goldstein's contention that the volunteer fire companies and the early fire departments played a vital role in the development of early baseball, "providing a cultural bridge between this new sport and the earlier, more rough-and-tumble world of working-class leisure." He goes on to list some of the similarities between the two institutions including their names, social activities, and uniforms.

It's doesn't appear, based on Spink's observations on the make-up of the club, that the Empires fit Goldstein's pattern exactly. But, under the leadership of Sexton, a relationship between the club and the StLFD was established and this relationship was used to the advantage of the club. This can be seen in Tom Oran's switch from the Union Club to the Empires. Peter Morris, in his essay on Oran for SABR's Biography Project, writes that "(on) June 5, 1869, the Empire Club defeated the Unions to regain local supremacy. Shortly afterward, the Empires lost their catcher to injuries and recruited Oran to take his place...Both clubs appear to have been amateurs, and it is unlikely that Oran was offered money to change clubs. It is, however, quite possible that he received another sort of inducement to join the Empires. Empire club president Henry Clay Sexton was the chief of the St. Louis fire department and Oran was soon working as a city fireman."

I think it's safe to assume that there were more members of the Empire Club who were also members of the StLFD than the five that I'm aware of. I'm currently searching for a list of members of the StLFD in the 19th century in order to compare it to known members of the Empire Club. When these two lists are cross-checked then the extent of the relationship between the two organizations should become clearer.

Note: The picture at the top of the post is of a funeral procession of a St. Louis fireman who lost his life in the line of duty in 1916. It's the earliest photograph of St. Louis firemen that I've been able to find and was taken from History's Time Portal to Old St. Louis.