

1904 Pine Bluff Lumbermen : Guy O. Sample, C/P; Harry Detwiler Clayton, 2B; Robert Lee Vernuelle, P; Walter H. Deaver, P; Oliver (Ollie) P.M. Gfroerer, OF; Dred Cavender, OF; George Reed, Manager/1B/2B; Herbert (Bert) Moody Grubb, SS; Howard Murphy, OF; Harry Miller Berry, C/OF; Robert (Bob) Marion White, P; William (Butch) Joseph Kennelly, 1B; Levi (Lee) Walker Dawkins, 3B

The Pine Bluff Ball Club, a 5th place team in 1903 (their 1st season in the Cotton States League), entered the 1904 season a organization in turmoil. After the disappointment of a 55-61 debut season, stockholders of the Pine Bluff Baseball Association appointed a whole new board of directors including A.D. Foster as President, W.D. Hearn as Vice President, and E.A. Howell as Secretary and Treasurer. The board met at Merchants and Planters bank and appointed a new executive committee, composed of A.D Foster, Fred L. Dilley, and Simon Bloom, to compose a team that would make a stronger play for the Cotton States Pennant. It was the general opinion of the board that if properly managed Pine Bluff would support a first-class team, unlike the previous year.

As the Cotton States Leagues 1904 season was approaching, the Pine Bluff club was looking for a new home field, because of the difficulty, and distance of getting to and from Bell Park in a reasonable time. Two propositions were considered — one directly behind the courthouse across the Arkansas River, with the owners the North Pine Bluff Land Co. agreeing to provide a ball park complete in every detail. With the hope that the Pine Bluff patrons would enjoy the novelty of going to see America’s favorite game by steamboat. Another to place a field at 6th & Pine St. Neither option was found to be feasible. With the season near, the Citizens Light and Transit Company demanded a decision on their proposal. The baseball directors decided on a return to Bell/Forrest Park, with the company agreeing to provide ample means for transportation of the ball patrons to and from Bell/Forrest Park and the directors agreeing to furnish a first-class team.

The team was also looking for a name so the Pine Bluff Baseball Association, with help from Pine Bluff’s weekly newspaper the Pine Bluff Weekly Graphic, held a contest asking for the community to offer recommendations. After 466 entries to the Graphic, the association met and picked “Lumbermen” because of the large manufacturing interests in the lumber trade in and around Pine Bluff, along with the many pine trees around the city. The name was submitted by local resident Miss Emma T. White. She received season tickets for her winning submission. With the team’s field & name now settled, the executive committee turned their focus to constructing a team that could compete for the pennant.

First order of business had the Lumbermen looking for a new manager after the team’s previous manager George Blackburn, who resigned in August 1903, left over the winter to take over of the Natchez, Ms ball club, the Natchez Indians. Being considered was returning interim manager/shortstop Harry H. Clayton. After being being loaned in the last weeks of the 1903 to Baton Rouge, Clayton returned to managed the Pine Bluff club through the winter. Ultimately the executive committee decided on former Southern League catcher/first baseman of the Birmingham Barons Bert Blue. Blue, who joined the Pine Bluff club midway through the 1903 season, was considered one of the best, and cool headed men on the field. He was liked by the people, and respected by the players. Blue was taking over a team constructed with one goal: winning. He set out to fill his roster with the best player he could find. In the 1904 season, the teams roster would include 3 future major league players: Blue, Bert Maxwell, Howard Murphy, and 30 year old veteran of 6 major league seasons Con Lucid.

The Pine Bluff Daily Graphic listed team’s preseason roster, and preview on March 13, 1904.



Bert Blue

Manager and First Base.

The fans saw Bert Blue’s good quality as a manager last season when he took a badly crippled team out of last place and landed them in fourth in the race. He is cool-headed, steady, and above all, sober. He never says much, but when he talks he means everything. The players all like him, and is exceedingly popular with the fans. Blue will coach the locals this year from first base, where he will have a better chance to manage the team. Last season he was behind the plate most the time, but played at first long enough for the fans to see his real worth. In batting he averaged .265. As a receiver he is among the best anywhere and he threw to second like a pitcher. He averaged .961 in fielding last season making but 10 errors in the teams play. Manager Blue said he is going to make a strict rule against all players on the Pine Bluff team drinking during the season, and Blue is just the man to make his players walk the chalk line.

Chas. Tuttle

Chas. Tuttle, Catcher comes from Ohio with Manager Blue who considers him a find. Not only is he a receiver with a good record but even Blue himself cannot excel him in throwing to second. His batting and fielding averages are away up. Tuttle will alternate with Blue at first and can play at either position to perfection.

Dick Casey

Dick Casey, second base has been making a study of base ball all winter and has kept in constant practice. He was secured last season from Vicksburg and finished the season in fine style. He is a young player of promise and is expected to be a much better player this season than last. His fielding average last season was .908 while at the bat he averaged .255. He has been practicing hitting left handed and will do some work with the stick during the coming season.



Dred Cavender

The prettiest fielding player on any team in the league is Dred Cavender, but he is not so good in batting. He covers all the territory in left field and the fans start with amazement when he drops a fly ball. He played in all the games last season and made a batting average of .215 and a fielding average of .919. He came from the Texas League.

Frank Pardee

Frank Pardee is a pitcher who come from the Kansas City Western league team and will be one of the mainstays in the box for the locals. He has always been in fast company and will easily hold his own in the Cotton States League. He is right handed and also has a good record at batting, an unusual thing for a pitcher. His box average is .600, but he is expected to do better in the Cotton States.

Harry Clayton

Harry Clayton, short stop, was sick during the most of last season and did not get a chance to show his real ability until late in the season. He handles everything from third base to second base and is not afraid of making errors. He probably saved and won more games for the locals last year than any other man on the team. His batting average was .193 and his fielding average .928.



Henry Longley

Henry Longley is known all over the Cotton States League as the speediest center fielder in the league. He led the Pine Bluff team in batting, having an average of .285, and was well up in fielding, with an average of .932. Longley was claimed by Natchez this season but has been awarded to Pine Bluff.

Howard Murphy

Howard Murphy, right field. Played last season with Baton Rouge and is well known to the local fans. He finished the season with a batting average of .293 and was third in the list. His fielding average was .901. Murphy also pitched two games winning one and losing one. He is counted upon as being a safe, sure fielder and a good pinch hitter and his addition to the locals completes on of the strongest outfields in the league.



Lee Dawkins

Lee Dawkins is a utility man a good one. He can cover any positions the infield and is a good catcher in an emergency. Last season Dawkins had a streak of bad luck and dropped his batting and fielding but regained some of his average toward the end of the season. His batting average .263 and his fielding average .924. Dawkins played third base last year, this year he will be used either at second or utility man this season.



Theo Shafer

Theo. Share was the premier pitcher for the locals last season and ranked among the leaders in the Cotton States League. He also established a reputation as a utility player fielding several positions nicely. Batting average .153 and fielding average .972. Was sold to Pine Bluff by Little Rock.

W.O. Le Compte

W.O. LeCompte, the new third baseman, was bought from Paducah, Ky of the K.I.T. League, where he was the best third baseman in the league. He is speedy and sure on fielded balls, and a foul fly is easy form, while he throws across the diamond like a shot out of a gun. He is the only man on the team with a batting average of over .300, he batted .306 last season in the K.I.T. league. In fielding he is also a star so far as records go, his average being .978. He plays the most difficult position on the diamond, but those who have seen him play say he is a wonder.

WM. Dauttiel

Wm. Dauttiel made a reputation as a pitcher in Cleveland, Ohio, where he did slab duty for the Cleveland Wheel club, a strong independent team. He only lost four games last season, and his purchase is considered a wise on by the local management.

Williams, Bruggemen, and Reeder

Young amateurs from St. Louis who will be given trials. Out of the trio, one is expected to make good and thus complete the pitching staff. Staffer, Pardee, Dauttiel, and the choice of the other will make a strong array for the coming season

During preseason the Lumbermen showed they had the talent to win the pennant. Impressed by the team the manager of the Corsicana Oil Citys (Corsicana, TX) was quoted making the first prediction about the club to the Pine Bluff Graphic saying “I was greatly surprised when I saw the Lumbermen play, for I never expected to see such a fast team. If they don’t win the pennant in the Cotton States League, they will fool me. The men are all fast, clean ball players, and after strengthening one position they will have few equals as a team. I look for Pine Bluff to be one of the leaders from the very first.”

As the season began, an off the field controversy dominated discussions. During the previous season, Chancellor John M. Elliott issued an injunction restraining the Pine Bluff ball team from playing on Sundays until further orders from the court. Immediately afterwards during a Sunday game, Deputy Sheriffs served notices to the Pine Bluff players, including fines and arrest of then manager of George Blackburn. The injunction was issued as a result of a petition from S.Y.T Knox, William Burke, and others who gave a bond in the sum of $250 to keep baseball from being played on the sabbath. The injunction was made permanent in June 1903.

The Pine Bluff club, wearing white at home and green on the road, started the season slow. Although one of the top defensive teams in the league, the team was struggling to find any kind of consistency in the lineup. The bats were cold and the team’s frustrations were mounting. For a team with such high expectations they stumbled to the midway point in the season with a 29-29 record.

The frustrations hit their boiling point midsummer. Utility man Robert (Bob) Tackaberry quit the team and returned to Texas. C/OF/1B Ed Lauzon contracted rheumatism of the face and arms leaving him out for rest of the season. A subscription fund was raised for a train ticket to send him to Hot Springs, AR for treatment. He eventually ended up back home in Mobile, AL. Future major leaguer Bert Maxwell of Texarkana, AR asked for his release returning to Texarkana and leaving the game for over a year. Veteran pitcher Con Lucid was indefinitely suspended by the association pending an investigation of charges against him of throwing games or not pitching to win. Lucid was eventually released. Manager Bert Blue got into a on-field confrontation during a game with pitcher Robert Lee Vernuelle. That confrontation led to a $20 fine for Vernuelle and to Blue being indefinitely suspended and ultimately released for refusing to play with the team.

With the once thought pennant contending team in chaos, the Lumbermen sat mid-season without a manager and with open roster spots. The executive committee was looking for a veteran presence to lead the team. Enter 33-year-old former Shreveport Giant of the Southern League, George Miles Reed, who was hired as manager to take over a team in total disarray. One of George Reed’s first acts as manager was to bring his former Shreveport teammates Robert (Bob) Marion White and catcher Guy Sample. Sample had deserted Pine Bluff and jumped to the outlaw Pacific Coast League at the beginning of 1903 season. Reed also brought in 28-year-old Baton Rouge Red Sticks’ outfielder, Harry Miller Berry, and first basemen William (Butch) Joseph Kennelly, from the Oakland Heesman of the California State League.

With a new manager and a new attitude, the Lumbermen started a complete turnaround. The Sporting News was quoted as saying “Since the release of Bert Blue and the signing of George Reed as manager, Pine Bluff has been playing winning ball and crawling up on the leaders.”. The Lumbermen were led by outfielder Howard Murphy, the best hitter in the Cotton States League, and prodigal son Guy Sample, bringing much needed leadership behind the plate. With a winning attitude and wins mounting in the win column, the Pine Bluff club started drawing more people to the games than any other city in the circuit.

The Pine Bluff Lumbermen finished the 1904 season on a tear, going 44-14 in their last 58 games and finishing with a final record of 73-43.

Vicksburg Manager Billy Earle credited Guy Sample for the turnaround saying “Guy Sample, more than any other person, is entitled to the credit for Pine Bluff winning the pennant. From the time Sample went behind the bat the team got together and has been winning ever since.”. 22-year-old outfielder Howard Murphy would make a name for himself as the star hitter of the Cotton States League, batting .343 with 33 stolen bases and a fielding percentage of .901 in the 1904 season. 28-year-old outfielder Oliver (Ollie) P.M. Gfroerer lead the division in runs, counting in 102 out of 436 chances. 26-year-old pitcher Walter Devers led the Lumbermens pitching staff with a record of 16-5, followed by Lee Vernuelle 24-9, and Bob White 6-4.

By season’s end the Pine Bluff Lumbermen had traveled 5,222 miles and won their first Cotton States League Pennant, the first championship pennant in the state of Arkansas. It was not all good news for Pine Bluff’s baseball club, though. At the end of season stockholders meeting, it was learned that the club had lost about $12,000 in two years, with blame falling to the prohibition of Sunday games. The directors met and decided to continue the club for another year.

Baseball had made its mark on Pine Bluff residents and began a tradition of professional baseball in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

(sources: Sporting Life, Pine Bluff Weekly Graphic, Pine Bluff Commercial)