Take Me Out to the Ball Game

You sports fans can relive some softball history by visiting Morrison’s Heritage Museum this summer. The current display is memorabilia of 25 years from the Morrison Merchants Fastpitch Softball Team. They were good and won a lot of trophies! Stop by and see this interesting display.

A lot of changes have taken place since the “Good Old Days” of playing ball. In those days, if you had a bat that wasn’t taped together and a ball with the cover intact, it must have been the start of the season. That was the major entertainment for the summer. I remember our front yard being the neighborhood ball diamond. There was usually a pickup game every Sunday afternoon at the school house.

One of the real incentives to joining 4-H was to get on the ball team. We always wondered what "livestock" project that really good player on the other team had, because he lived in town.

This story I ran across awhile back, about a baseball game, had a different ending. It ended with a local man being charged with murder. None of the people involved are associated with Morrison today, but I will use the names Smith and Jones in place of their real names.

Charles Smith had moved to Morrison in about 1912, and had established a jewelry store on Main Street. He was an active member in the community and was the coach of a local baseball team. Smith was said by friends to have had a temper, but he was usually able to keep it under control. Evidently this was one of those times when he couldn’t.

Sam Jones was a local resident who was known as the town drunk. It was not unusual to find him occasionally asleep on someone’s front porch in an intoxicated condition. He was said to be very quarrelsome when using liquor.

It was about 4:30 on a September Sunday afternoon at the ballpark at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds. Jones appeared to be intoxicated again, and several small boys were giving him a bad time. He became enraged. Witnesses said he grabbed one of the youngsters and threw him on a bench and started to hit and choke the boy. The boy broke away and ran to his father to tell him what had happened. That boy was the son of Coach Smith.

After hearing the story, Mr. Smith jumped to his feet and ran to where Mr. Jones was now sitting. He grabbed Jones and hit him, probably harder then he intended, and Jones fell to the ground. Several witnesses went to help Jones and said he moved his eyes and tried to say something. After about 15 minutes, they decided he was dead and called for help.

Drs. Pettitt and Noland, the local physicians, were called to the fairgrounds. They certainly handled it a little differently than it would be done today. Upon examining Jones, they proceeded to cut open his throat to determine the cause of death. They determined that 3 of the cartilages surrounding his trachea had collapsed, and he had suffocated.

Dr. Pettitt testified at the hearing held later that the cartilage was unusually brittle and, had it been normal, probably would not have fractured so easily. There was no question, however, that the death was caused by the blow inflicted by Smith.

Mr. Smith was allowed to go free. The City marshal went to Smith’s home a little later, and they talked over the situation. Mr. Smith told the officer he would remain at home until further notice. A brother of Jones soon swore out a warrant. Later that evening Smith was arrested and transported to the local jail, where he spent the night.

A Corner’s inquest was held the next morning with several people testifying. The jury found that Jones had died from injuries inflicted by Smith. Justice A. R. Baird then opened court, and Smith waived examination. He was bound over to the Grand Jury on a charge of murder. Bond was set at $3,000. Bond was furnished at 2:00 that afternoon, and Smith was set free.

A few weeks later, the Grand Jury met; several witnesses were examined. It was concluded from their testimony that there was insufficient evidence to hold Smith for trial. I could find nothing more about Mr. Smith, and the next year’s telephone directory did not list his name. Evidently, he left Morrison.

This item also was interesting. At that same Grand Jury hearing a young boy, who had stolen another boy’s bicycle and ridden away with it, was also freed with no indictment. The story said, “He was in jail about three months and that was evidently considered sufficient punishment.”

And you thought Justice was blind!

(by Orville Goodenough, Guest Columnist)