Autograph Identification Help: Des Moines Prohibitionists photo

[daves_resale_shop]

So I got this item today from a gent who owns a slew of items from the Ed Barrow Estate... This particular photo is inscribed to Ed and dated Feb 3, 1940...

I believe it to be the Des Moines Prohibitionist team circa 1888-9

CAN ANYONE HELP ME ID THE SIGNATURE???

I transcribed the contents of the reverse to the best of my ability... there are several 19th century players noted... perhaps the content will help:
"My Dear Ed,

Looking through my old Des Moines collections of photographs... I found one of the Des m ball club taken by Tom James (still living) about 1888-1890. this luck was due to my scotch Irish Blood. So that old photo was saved for future reference and as a token for my love of the sport and old hutchinson-sage, Bug Holliday , Quinn-Alrod sutcliff, Lo Rogers and others you may know.

Can you name them all ed? if so done then send me the list. I had the photo enlarged as you see a rather unusual result.

These were the kings of the slaughtering pen at the old grounds south of th tracks

Those days it was a small club (12) small salary and small attendance, but a mountain of spirit and plenty of fight... About Seven years champs.

That was about 55 years ago???

You can place this among your antiques. Did you not get a lot of inspiration watching these boys play ball-I sure did_ I remember Harry Sage prided himself on pushing players off third and when Silver Fluit? of chicago played in a game he picked off Harry at third. Consternation, Indignation???, ?? all for harry poor boy. But he still had Spirit and fight. I failed to get to NY on account of business and extenuating circumstances

I note much about you in papers in papers etc. but am not asking the price for yours. Hope to see you in the summer

Feb 3/40"


I appreciate any help/feedback
-Dave

[Michael B]

Looks like DGW then Shanl..... or similar. The angle is poor and it is light. It is usually easier when you can look straight at a signature, then more letters present themselves.

[daves_resale_shop]

Originally Posted by Michael B

Looks like DGW then Shanl..... or similar. The angle is poor and it is light. It is usually easier when you can look straight at a signature, then more letters present themselves.

Thanks Michael! now I do see the dgw... I was stuck on "doyle"

[thecatspajamas]

Looks like he's referring to a mixture of the Des Moines teams of 1887 (Hawkeyes) and 1888 (Prohibitionists) in his letter, with the players he lists being: (Bill) Hutchinson, (Harry) Sage, Bug Holliday, (Joe) Quinn, (Billy) Alvord, (Sy) Sutcliff, (Sam) LaRocque.

All but Joe Quinn played on the 1887 team, but Sutcliff and LaRocque did not play on the team in 1888 (at least according to the rosters on baseball-reference.com, that is)

No idea on who the writer/signer is, as it doesn't appear to match with any players from either team (I'm seeing Blanchard or Planchard for the last name, and can't get that out of my head now). From the tone of the writing, he may well have just been an avid baseball fan from Des Moines, but it's definitely worth looking into. If you can manage a large, straight-on view of the team photo, I'd like to see that, as well as a closer/squared view of the signature.

[daves_resale_shop]

Here are a few additional photos,

Thanks for the insight cooper!

[HexsHeroes]

.

. . . it appears to me that Sutcliffe is the tallest gentleman in the back row, third from the right. Also appears to me that Sage might be the gentleman seated on the floor, to the left.

Thought that might be Holliday in back row, far right; but do not think his nose or part in hair are correct. Also thought that Quinn might have been center row, far left (due to thicker jaw/prominent chin) but have since reconsidered. Not so sure on initial thought that Huchinson was the leaning gentleman in center row, far right.

But pretty sure on Sutcliffe and Sage.

[thecatspajamas]

I know you're primarily looking for a signature ID, but since I'm not much help on that, here are the only two related photos that I have for comparison, both of the 1888 team (and both courtesy of tnfoto).

[thecatspajamas]

Posting a couple of better images of the letter and the signature. In reading back over it, and reviewing Barrow's biography (at http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/c9fdbace ), it appears that the writer was in Des Moines when Barrow's family lived there in the 1880's and either knew him well at that time, or came to know him well in later years. It is dated February 3, 1940 from St. Louis, MO. I still can't tell if the writer had any connection to baseball other than being a fan, but thought I'd give the thread one more bump with the better images before letting it die.