A very interesting game of base ball took place Saturday afternoon on the polo grounds on Western avenue, between the Gotzian nine, under Capt, Tubbersing and the Hardenberg nine, Capt. Shackford The game occupied three hours, and resulted in the score of 54 to 4 in favor of the Gotzian nine. Capt. Tubbersing has sent a "tracer" after Capt. Shackford.
We're fortunate to have a drawing of Eben Shackford and to have seen his civil war pension card. At the time of this article, Eben Lincoln Shackford, the son of William Shackford and Mary Cutter Lincoln, was working for P R L Hardenberg & Co, a Leather, Saddlery, Hardware, and Shoe company which was started in 1868. We believe that the Gotzian team was most likely the Gotzian Shoe Company, making this game a competition of two St Paul leather manufacturing businesses.
REFERENCES
"Amateur Base Ball," Daily Globe (Saint Paul, Minn.), 19 June 1883; Library of Congress, Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 5 August 2013
St Paul (Saint Paul, Minnesota)Daily Globe, 4 August 1884; digital image, Library of Congress Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 5 August 2013)
Copywrite 2013 Joanne Shackford Parkes