Shreveport Vs. Vivian Baseball - 1911

After the 1911 regular baseball season ended, an all-star game of sorts was announced to be played by a Shreveport team vs. one from the oilfield town of Vivian, 30 miles to the north. The Port City group was comprised of a mix of professionals, living there during the off-season, and local semipro players.

Shreveport Times 07-Oct-1911, Page 9


The Buildup

The site was League Park, later renamed Gasser Park, Texas League Park, and given several other monikers over the years before eventually losing its role as local professional baseball venue to Fairgrounds Field in the 1980s.  Manager Frank Busbey coordinated activities and a large crowd was expected. The "benefit" was to provide a payday for the pros, who in that day made little playing ball and naturally had to find off-season jobs.

Shreveport players identified to be participating included:

(Prince) Gaskill (pitcher) - recently of Scranton in the New York State League

Harry Scott (catcher) - played for Bonham (TX) in the Texas-Oklahoma League

Pete Gardner (first base) - member of the recently-crowned Texas League champion Austin club

Bud Prudhomme (second base)  - identified as a "Times City Leaguer"

Bill Yohe (third base) - started 1911 with Denver, but finished the season at Oklahoma City

Chick Gandil (shortstop) - played for Montreal of the Eastern League; normally a first baseman

Barker, Gardner, Grant (outfield) - no first names or associated teams mentioned


No specifics were disclosed about the Vivian team, other than that it was one of the strongest in the area

Shreveport Times 04-Oct-1911, Page 7

Shreveport Times 06-Oct-1911, Page 7

A follow-up article stated the Vivian team was said to have several "big league" players of its own, including unnamed Texas League players living in nearby Texarkana during the offseason. However nowhere in any of the write-ups abouts the game is a Vivian player specifically identified.

Shreveport Times 07-Oct-1911, Page 9


The Game

The action is hard to follow in the article below, as the writer frequently assumes a pre-existing knowledge of story elements on the part of his audience. He described the people and activities using intentionally clever descriptions and "inside jokes" that leave a current-day reader often confused.

The Shreveport players were decked out in various uniforms, some described as colorful; possibly to add flair to the game since whites and grays were often the standard. Yohe's outfit was mauve and blue, while Pete Gardner and Scott apparently were dressed in bright yellow duds said to be "of the latest aviation cut". Gandil was in his Montreal road uniform, and Gaskill's contained two large gothic "Cs," the meaning of which was unknown. The Vivian uniforms were described as black with an inscription across the chest that "dimly reminded one of a famous brand of footwear.".Perhaps some variation of "Sox" (White, Red, etc.,???).  

Pitching five innings, Gaskill struck out 14 batters, and gave up a lone single.

Unfortunately the game was not a great money-maker, as gate receipts were exactly nine dollars (approximately $180 today). Manager Busbey settled with Vivian to ensure they had meal money, as well as streetcar and train fare for the trip home. They additionally received among other things two baseballs and "five cents worth of lime" to mark their home field. The Shreveport all-stars apparently ended up playing simply for the love of the game. Scoring was kept on an old shingle, and tallied using a horseshoe nail. Almost incidentally reported was the score, 4-2 in favor of the home team.

Shreveport Times 09-Oct-1911, Page 6


The Manager/Players

Below, named members of the Shreveport contingent are profiled. As previously stated, no Vivian players were ever identified.

Preston "Press" Barker (18??-19??)  is one of  the City League players mentioned. Little about his personal life could be found, other than that the 1910 city directory listed him as "keeper, Ball Park."  Earlier in 1911 he participated on a team, identified as "Shreveport" that lost a game 2-1 at Oil City. Also in the lineup were Grant, Gardner, Scott; all players in this game. In 1912 Barker and Bud Prudhomme were reported to be playing left field and shortstop respectively for Texarkana of the South Central League.

Frank Billiu Busbey (1885-1914), identified as the organizer and Shreveport manager, was a local business man. Manager is a loose term for this game that reads like it had all of the seriousness of a Sunday afternoon softball game among friends. However, being competitors, both sides surely must have played to win, even if the game was still largely for fun.

Facts found about Frank include:

• He was once a traveling salesman for Hamiter-Busbey Mill & Elevator Company, a firm in which his father J. J. Busbey held an interest. The elder Busby was a prominent local businessman and builder, having constructed several downtown buildings including the Methodist Church at the end of Texas Street (predecessor to the one standing now).
• He was affiliated with Avenue Bottling Works, a soda pop bottler on Texas Avenue; and jointly named with same in a 1913 sheriff's notice for auction of related assets to settle a claim by a syrup supplier. 
• He had served as an election commissioner for Shreveport Ward Four, Precinct Three, based at the Ferris Hotel
• He and wife Willie once lived at 725 Cotton Street, current site of the Scottish Rite Temple.

He dabbled in sports as manager and promoter, as in 1912 it's noted he managed the Bottling Works team of the City League in a 7-5 loss at Vivian. Among the players involved were Gardner and Grant, both participants in this game. Later in the year, he was found seeking to schedule a boxing match at one of the local athletic clubs.

Frank died at the young age of 29 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

Arnold "Chick" Gandil (1888-1970) is both the most famous and infamous of the lot, as he was one of the eight players implicated in the notorious 1919 "Black Sox" scandal and later banned from baseball by commissioner Kenesaw Landis. He played for Shreveport in 1908 (as Chick Arnold) and spent the off-season there in 1910-1911, working as a policeman, and played the 1911 season at Montreal.

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1912 C46 Imperial Tobacco Chick Gandil #65

Read Chick's Wikipedia article here and see his career statistics here.

Luther Curtis "Rube" Gardner (1883-1953) Also known as "Panama Pete" or simply "Pete." From Huntington, Tennessee, Rube played with several southern baseball clubs over his career, including the Texas League Shreveport Pirates in 1909. Below he's shown with Topeka, KS in 1912.

Topeka (KS) Daily Capital 01-Oct-1912, Page 2

Shortly after the 1912 season , he was drafted by the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. The following is an excerpt from his obituary:

Fresno (CA) Bee 09-Mar-1953, Page 7-B

Read Rube Gardner's full stats on Baseball-Reference.com


Jack Gardner (18??-19??) was listed with the occupation of "ball player" in the 1910 city directory. While it can't be confirmed, he may have been Arvil P. "Jack" Gardner (1893-1949), a one-time city fireman who later operated the Gardner Hotel in downtown Shreveport with wife Marie.

Prince Douglas Gaskell (1885-1966) - Note his name is more often misspelled as Gaskill. Originally from Texas, Prince Gaskell began his professional career playing for Houston in the South Texas League before joining the Shreveport Pirates in 1907.

Prince Gaskell is shown middle row, second from left

Shreveport Times 05-Apr-1959, Page 5-D

He later pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts where he once gave up a home runt "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who was playing for rival Savannah in the South Atlantic League. He additionally played for several teams in the northeast and midwest, as well as 

Below Prince is shown in 1909 while at Chattanooga....

Macon (GA) Telegraph 22-Dec-1909, Page 6


....and with the Denver Bears in 1914.

Denver Post 02-Oct-1914, Page 15

Rocky Mountain news 17-Dec-1914, Page 11

He finished his career in 1917, playing briefly for San Antonio before wrapping up in his longtime off-season home, Shreveport.

Read Prince Gaskell's full stats on Baseball-Reference.com

After baseball, Prince worked as a warehouseman for Gulf Oil Company in Mooringsport, Louisiana where he and wife Eula lived for approximately five years. They later returned to Shreveport in 1924 where he became a car salesman, eventually retiring from Roundtree Oldsmobile-Cadillac auto dealership as sales manager and vice-president.


Abe Martin Grant (18??-19??) was named on a City League "all-star" team, published in August 1911, at first base. It also listed Barker (right field), Gardner (utility), Prudhomme (center field), and Scott (catcher). The article referenced earlier about Barker and Prudhomme being with Texarkana also disclosed Grant, a first baseman, trying out with the Vicksburg, MS club. He was also a member of the Bottling Works team that Frank Busby took to Vivian in 1912. He and Bud Prudhomme (see following) were members of a Kansas City Southern Railways shop team that traveled to Pittsburg, KS to play a KCS counterpart in 1913. He later became a Shreveport policeman.


Joseph Fielding "Bud" Prudhomme (1888 -1984)  was another member of the Times's club. He's identified as a gasfitter in the 1910 city directory, and per his obituary became an electrician.

Harry Mason Scott (1888-1961) played catcher in this game and was mentioned is several recaps of City League contests. Earlier he had reported to have been signed by Harrisburg, PA, but that did not apparently pan out.

After this game, he went on to play for numerous Texas teams, including Austin of the Texas League (1914), through 1922. Harry passed away in 1961 of a heart attack and is buried in Forest Park Cemetery in Houston, TX.

William Clyde "Bill" Yohe (1878-1938) was the only player who at the time who had major league experience, having played 21 games with the Washington Senators in 1909. A former Pirate, like Gandil, Gardner, and Gaskill he wintered in Shreveport; or more specifically in his case, a few miles north on Caddo Lake. He is shown below as a Pirate.

1909 Shreveport Pirates Team Photo

The following year (1912) Bill passed through several teams before eventually playing third base for Tacoma (WA) of the Northwestern League.

Seattle (WA) Star 04-May-1912, Page 2

Read his wikipedia article here, and his career stats here.

Bill Yohe died in 1938 and is buried in the Ivy Green Cemetery in Bremerton, WA.

My Dinner With Vaky

In a recent blog entry about lady boxing promoter Fannie Edwards, I referenced an occasion where she and visiting out-of-towners took in the city of Shreveport and dined at Vaky's. It sounded like a special treat to eat there, which piqued my interest to explore what could be found about the restaurant and its owner.

Peter Vaky (1878-1937) was a native of Turkey (or Greece)* who immigrated to the U. S. in 1899, and came to Shreveport by way of New York and Mobile, AL. As expected, Vaky was not his real name (which was Varvakis), but one assigned by an immigration inspector at Ellis Island, which he retained.

Shreveport Times 31-Dec-1905, Page 11

Around 1905 he opened Vaky's Cafe, a confectionary, bakery, and restaurant that for several years existed at 310 Texas Street. It remained open very late or possibly 24 hours, as a social column entry mentions a group having a midnight supper there after attending a play. Vaky made special effort to emphasize this was an establishment that ladies would feel comfortable patronizing, which would explain why the three unescorted young women (Fannie and friends) would have dined there.

Shreveport Times 18-Apr-1909, Page 20

A 1912 advertisement.

Shreveport Times 11-Aug-1912, Page 6

The street view shown below was photographed sometime between when the Exchange National Bank next door opened 20-Nov-1919, and April 1922, when the restaurant was renamed.

Shreveport Times 29-Mar-1981, Page 1-E

In 1920, the Vakys moved to Corpus Christi, TX as supposedly it reminded wife Arsenoi (1884-1960), then in poor health, of the seashore in her native Greece. There they opened another Vaky's Cafe and an apartment building. Another person continued to run the Shreveport cafe, still billed as Vaky's, but ran into some sanitation issues the following year over charges of serving spoiled fish. Apparently still well regarded by patrons though, two successor restaurants linked themselves to the Vaky brand.

Shreveport Times 23-Apr-1922, page 24

Despite the contest mentioned above to come up with a suitable name, the restaurant was dubbed the (unimaginative) L & L Cafe. The following year it changed hands again.

Shreveport Times 18-Jan-1923, Page 11

Today the site is part of the Capital One Bank parking garage.


An interesting "rest of the story" - A son born in Corpus Christi, Viron Peter Vaky (1925-2012), became a foreign diplomat who served as U. S. Ambassador to Costa Rica (1972-74), Colombia (1974-1976), and Venezuela (1976).

* Vaky's 1909 passport application states he was born in Turkey, however Census records (e.g., 1920) and an interview with his son Viron state his birthplace to be Greece.

Fannie Edwards - A Lady Promoter Of The Gentlemanly Art

For  a few days in January 1913, this picture of a young Vivian, La. woman was in newspapers all over the United States. Fanny Edwards, 21 years old, was cited as being the only woman boxing promoter in the country, possibly the world.

Rock Island (IL) Argus Jan-1913, Page 3

A big boxing fan, Fannie regularly attended matches, and had brothers who participated in the sport. When she attempted to hold a contest in Vivian in December 1912, pitting heavyweights Kid Aubrey and Kid McCormick (Jim McCormick's brother), Caddo Sheriff J. P. Flournoy shut it down, citing licensing issues, as she was "borrowing"  someone else's charter (presumably doing all the work that would be covered by the other person's authorization).

That the promoter was a woman may well played into the stoppage, and certain townsfolk were opposed to the event, including the mayor. However boxing did have/does have quirky rules sometimes and other matches were noted to have been halted  for seemingly minor technicalities. [Writer's observation: It appears the sheriff and district attorney had wide discretionary powers to interfere or abstain as they saw fit.] After the district attorney sanctioned a fight held at Shreveport's Grand Athletic Club, it was reported a test case would be filed to determine if that city and Vivian fell under the same laws. The results of that case or whether it was actually pursued are not known. Despite the setback, Fannie expressed her desire to continue to pursue fight promoting. 

Little could be otherwise  found about Fannie. A Sep-1911 social column noted her having dinner at Vaky's Cafe in Shreveport and taking a city tour with friends visiting from Dallas and Texarkana. Earlier that year she had been a guest at The Inn (a hotel in S'port by that name). She reportedly operated a hotel herself as well as a hand-bill plant. She was manager of the Vivian band and had planned for the proceeds of the Aubrey-McCormick bout to help cover its  expenses. Whether she continued her promotion pursuit, got married, moved elsewhere, etc. is not known. Interestingly, a boxing promoter named E. M. Deam was arrested in Vivian a few weeks afterward for charges of theft of property and embezzlement in Amarillo, Texas. However no connection to Fannie was reported..

Apparently impressed with her audacity, a Shreveport Times reporter Fannie spoke with wrote she was "a live wire, and will probably succeed in whatever she goes after." I would like to think that is what happened.

North Caddo Music

Here we pay tribute to notable venues and musicians contributing to the musical heritage of the North Caddo area.

VENUES

Thc Caddo Club

Kool Point (Night Club)

Mooringsport Clubhouse

North Caddo Hayride

Rhythm Master Jamboree


MUSICIANS

North Caddo Musicians

A Showboat Visits Shreveport

A passing thought, while watching a movie on television, developed into the interesting story that follows.

Several days ago, the local public television station aired the 1951 MGM production of Show Boat, starring Ava Gardner, Kathryn Grayson, and Howard Keel. I've always been fascinated with the era when steamboats plied the waterways of northwest Louisiana, carrying passengers and goods from New Orleans and ports beyond up the Mississippi and then Red River to Shreveport, the area's hub of commerce. From there, they would travel farther up Twelve-Mile Bayou and Caddo Lake on to Jefferson, Texas - once a significant port in that state.

Questions came to mind: If vessels dedicated to commerce traveled local waterways, did likewise showboats, floating theaters providing a variety of entertainment, also follow the path ? And if so, did any visit Mooringsport, then an important area port on Caddo Lake between Shreveport and Jefferson?

Had it occurred, it would have certainly been a spectacle attracting townsfolk to the waterfront to see singers, dancers, and musicians; as well as the grandeur of the vessel housing them.

The short answer to my questions? Shreveport, yes; described below. Mooringsport, unfortunately, not, at least in the instance found; due to questionable actions taken by a U. S. Marshal. It's not known if any other showboats ever made the trek.

The (Alexandria) Louisiana Democrat 09-Feb-1881, Page 2


Background 

Champion No. 9 was a sidewheeler 202 feet long by 36 feet wide, and built in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1875.

List of Merchant Vessels of th United States 1885, Page 312


A. J. Bird, listed as clerk on this 1880 waybill when it carried passengers, was identified as captain and head of the performing troupe when the steamer visited Shreveport in 1881.

The floating palace described.

Chicago Tribune 23-Feb-1879, Page 11


Further details, noting then new electric lights were used to navigate.

Hickman (KY) Courier 22-Oct-1880, Page 3

Dan Rice was a 19th Century American showman described in a biography by David Carlyon published in 2001 as the "The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard of." His popularity was such, he even ran for president in 1868. 

Dan Rice in the 1840s

Another account of the vessel describes some of the acts:

The Role of Riverboats in the History of Jazz, Dr. Karl Koenig 

Another performer identified was a Mrs. Nevarro - an actress, reported to have been earlier wounded when drunken residents of Bayou Shene (sic) (Chene) on the Atchafalaya River in southern Louisiana fired gunshots at the vessel, intended for Dan Rice, because of an undisclosed past experience with the showman. She was later treated in Shreveport. The Campbell Sisters and Phillips Brothers were with the company when it appeared afterward on the Ouachita River a few weeks later, so presumably they performed in Shreveport.

Appearance In Shreveport

Traveling up the Red River, the floating opera house and museum would have an earlier date in Alexandria. It additionally stopped at smaller ports along the waterway to give teases of the full show.

Shreveport Times 18-Feb-1881, Page 4

Accompanying Champion No. 9 was a tug named "Star Of The West," used to serve as advance party, announcing the approaching showboat, and presumably assisting its larger companion to navigate tight spaces and turn around in narrow or congested channels it might encounter.

Shreveport Times 20-Feb-1881, Page 4
.

An advertisement for the show's planned appearances in Shreveport. One show was scheduled prior it traveling to Jefferson, with two more to have taken place several days later as it returned downstream.

Shreveport Times 23-Feb-1881, Page 2


[BONUS: For the secret of Roy Alphonse's water walking trick, go to the end of this article]

A recap of the upstream performance.

Shreveport Times 25-Feb-1881, Page 4

Shreveport Times 26-Feb-1881, Page 4

However, shortly afterward the boat was seized, on orders of a U. S. Marshal Wharton in New Orleans. It seems Dan Rice had filed suit, claiming $5,000 damages due to association of his name with the show. Bird and Rice had been business partners, but had a falling out. Bird bought out Rice and claimed the latter agreed to allow continued use of handbills and advertisements bearing his name.

Shreveport Times 25-Feb-1881, Page 4


Unable to perform on their vessel, the troupe gave performances at Talley's Opera House, situated a few blocks from the river on Milam Street.

Shreveport Times 08-Mar-1881, Page 6


Below is a 1953 pic of Talley's Opera House, by then long past its prime.

Shreveport Times  30-Aug-1953, Page 6-B

The hold order was released after several weeks, but instead of proceeding to Jefferson as originally planned, the boat headed south and later turned up the Ouachita River to visit points along that waterway.

Shreveport Times 26-Mar-1881, Page 4


Afterward, Captain Bird stated his intention to sue Marshal Wharton for damages caused.

Shreveport Times 31-Mar-1881, Page 4


Here Bird charged the original Rice suit frivolous.

New Orleans Times-Democrat 30-Mar-1881, Page 1


With its legal issues apparently settled (or at least no longer a hindrance), the vessel and entourage left Shreveport on 31-Mar-1881.

Shreveport Times 01-Apr-1881, Page 4


EPILOGUE

Captain Andrew Jackson Bird (1852-1928)

Captain Bird later moved to Tampa, FL where his obituary states for many years he was captain of a steamboat running between Tampa and Sarasota, Florida. He is buried in Saint Louis Catholic Cemetery in Tampa.

Dan Rice (1823-1900)

In an 1883 interview about his life and career as a showman, Rice described the founding of the floating palace originally bearing his name, and demonstrated contempt for his one-time business partner; stating Bird was "born rich, but with no brains."

Roanoke News (Weldon, NC) -2-Aug-1883, Page 1

He died in 1900 and is buried in Old First Methodist Church Cemetery in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Demise Of Champion No. 9

The steamboat was scheduled to be in Vicksburg on May 3 for a performance. It nearly grounded at Friar's Point, MS (south of Memphis) on May 20, but by June 1 was back in Cairo, IL, its once base of operations.

Just over a year after visiting Shreveport, the steamer, then owned by a Captain Woodward, was lost due to a storm at East St. Louis, Illinois.

Indiana State (Indianapolis) Sentinel 21-Jun-1882, Page 8


Another source provides additional details.

Annual Statement of the Trade and Commerce of St Louis for the Year 1882 Page 60 (Champion No 9 loss)

Several years later, a similar though grander floating opera house and museum made its way up the Red River at least as far a Alexandria. There was apparently no connection to the Rice/Bird operation.

Alexandria (LA) Weekly Town Talk 14-Dec-1889, Page 3

Below is a photograph of the vessels at an undisclosed location.

Source (link)

Nothing has turned up so far to indicate that this splendid train of watercraft continued on to Shreveport, however Eugene Robinson did later bring land-based theater to the city's Grand Opera House in 1892 and 1895, with productions of "Paul Kauvar" and "A Fatted Calf" respectively. The latter listed a young John Barrymore among its cast.

Shreveport Times 20-Oct-1895, Page 5


All Aboard And Farewell!

To end our show boat saga, here's the reprise of William Warfield 's performance of 'Old Man River" from the end of the film Showboat.

BONUS: Roy Alphonse's Water Walking Act Explained

For those wondering how Mr. Alphonse was able to stroll on bodies of water, including the mighty Mississippi, walking as far as three quarters of a mile per one newspaper article. An account of the 1881 Memphis Mardi Gras celebration described a performance by Mr. Alphonse, albeit one cut short by a malicious prank that likely proved more entertaining to the crowd watching than his normal act.

Alphonse would be set from a tug boat, likely out of or far from public view, and appear to walk around on the water. He was described though as not really walking - not taking actual steps, but rather gliding on the surface of the water. This sounds like his motion was similar to that of a cross-country skier. Occasionally he might stagger due to a disturbance on the water's surface, but remained upright, steadied somehow by an iron bar. A described "fiend" on the boat from which he departed had however tied a string to one of Alphonse's shoes. As he "walked" toward the audience on the shore. the string was let it out until a point where he reached the end and the jolt toppled him into the water, revealing floats that had been keeping him buoyant. The fall produces great laughter from the crowd said embarrassed to look at one another until regaining composure.

Memphis Daily Appeal 01-Mar-1881, Page 1

This article from a performance the prior year revealed the secret of his buoyancy - shoes made of cork that were 30 inches long, eight inches wide, and and eight inches tall.They were likely fashioned precisely to be able to hold his feet out of the water while sinking beneath to not be seen.

Jackson County (Brownstown, IN) Banner 10-Jun-1880, Page 3