Hall of Famer makes a Splash

Edward J. Delahanty is buried in a family plot with his parents, and a sister.

Cleveland's Calvary Cemetery has buried more people than any in the county of Cuyahoga, and its neighbors. The most interesting graveyard in the vicinity is, easily, Lake View. There are lists of notable burials in graveyards. Politicians and base ball players are very well indexed. While Lake View has the rich and famous of Cleveland's dead, Calvary has Catholics. Find A Grave website logs 113 'famous internments' to 22.

Ed Delahanty, *1867- 1903†, played professional major league base ball, as did four younger brothers. He was born in Cleveland of recently arrived Irish. He died in a way that would fit a Hitchcock movie. He went over Niagara Falls after being kicked off a train. The documentable details are few.

I knew of the incident in reading references some thirty years ago, and wondered why a book had not been written. Well, since then, there has been at least two: Ed Delahanty in the Emerald Age of Baseball by Jerrold Casway (February 28, 2006); July 2, 1903: The Mysterious Death of Hall-Of-Famer Big Ed Delahanty by Mike Sowell (July 1992).

Delahanty's last days were awful. He lived in serious depression, and drunkenness. He was in debt from betting on the ponies, and was pressed by management.

He took a Michigan Central train from Detroit, which travelled the Canadian shore. He wanted to get to Buffalo. He got drunk, and mean. He took out a straight razor. He was removed from the train at Bridgeburg Station Downtown Fort Erie. He walked the railroad bridge, fought with the night watchman, and ended falling into the Niagara. A week later, most of his body was found below the Falls. I knew there was a story there, but it is open to imagination and speculation. Why has this made neither a novel, or a movie?Ed Delahanty played for the Washington Nationals/Senators in the new American League in 1902, and led the league in hitting at .376. He was the best hitter (combined power and average) in baseball in the 1890s, and in the beginning of the next century. He did not want to play for Washington in '03, having signed with the New York Giants for double his Washington pay, of then big money — $4,000. In a Base Ball 'Peace Commission', he and others were told which teams to play for and how much to be paid. It was going to cost him to play for Washington. He had lost his advance from New York, and "owed" money to Washington. This was a time when players had 'jumped' leagues for better pay. The owners were solidifying control. Players were no longer free to 'play' (work) for the league of their choice.

He hit over .400 three times. His lifetime average was .346, only four players surpassed that. He still holds batting records. He played in three major leagues, led two of them in hitting (Philadelphia Phillies .410 in 1899). He hit home runs in the dead ball, small ball era. He had a strong arm, and played most games in left field. He was fast a foot and stole 455 bases. In 1945 he was selected for Cooperstown.