Did you hear the one about the fan who called a baseball player “A big stiff!” and was then tossed into jail?
It happened at National Park on Saturday 14 April 1894 in an exhibition game. Washington defeated the local YMCA nine in a one-sided game. Fans might have remembered that Harry Colliflower was in the box for the YMCA, or the poor play of Joe Sullivan, said to be the streakiest player in baseball. But today Mr. McKee is the story.
Here is the Times report of the incident. “The arrest of Mr. McKee during Saturday’s game was due to his calling second baseman Piggy Ward “a big stiff” and the special officer but followed instructions in arresting McKee. As stated in Sunday’s Times, Manager Schmelz intends preserving order, and will have every spectator removed who conducts himself in a disorderly manner. He will appear against McKee in the police court this morning and prosecute the charge against the latter of disorderly conduct. A correspondent writes The Times regarding the arrest as follows: “If the management of the Washington Baseball Club expects the general public to patronize the games they must be careful in the future to suppress similar outrages as the arrest of Mr. McKee, a spectator of yesterday’s game, by an over-presumptions special officer. The indignation of the audience was demonstrated by fully one-half of those present accompanying the young gentleman to the station house, where the officer preferred a charge of disorderly conduct, which, to say the least, was absurd.”
In late April the press runs this article. “Manager Gus Schmelz and Treasurer Earle Wagner are congratulating themselves on the way ladies are pouring out to attend the games. So far two individuals have been summarily taken from the grounds by strong-armed officers of the law and locked up in the police station, which is only a block or two distant from the park. The next morning Manager Schmelz went to Police Court and prosecuted the offenders, and in both instances the dignity of the law and good order was upheld. This determined action has had the effect of putting a tight check on the hoodlum element which formerly held full sway over the bleacher end of the big park enclosure. They cheer and clap their hands and become enthusiastic as ever, but they have learned not to call players by name and direct insulting remarks to them. Neither do they sing ribald songs or utter oaths as formerly.”
Mr. McKee might be AV McKee who had recently organized a baseball nine of the pages of the House of Representatives.
