119 Years Ago Today, Ed Delahanty Passed Away; Cool Court Transcripts!

[jingram058]

The story is one I have found intriguing since I was a kid and read about Ed Delahanty in a Scholastic book about baseball old timers. Who was the mysterious man following him? Did the falls remove his diamond rings, etc.? It says in these documents that the Michigan Central train he was on did not serve "intoxicating liquor". Did he bring his own? And finally, did he fall after his fight with Kingston, or was he pushed? Questions to which the answers are lost to history.

[Bpm0014]

Not a problem fellas. I’m glad you enjoyed these documents!

[Keith H. Thompson]

The full title of Mike Sowell's book on the Mysterious Death of Big Ed Delahanty.

[RCFire82]

What a great piece of history to own! Hadn't heard this story before, so thank you for sharing sir.

[Fred]

Awesome read! That would be a pretty cool document to have in a collection.

In today's world and court system, I bet the RR would be paying a huge payout for what would appears to be negligence.

[Mark17]

Very interesting. What jumps out at me is the report he had $1,500 in diamonds on him, and $500 cash, while his wife was penniless. Seems on the surface that his priorities were a little on the selfish side. Or maybe his wife was described as broke by her attorney, to hopefully win a larger settlement.

[Keith H. Thompson]

saying that my personal persuasion (based upon Mike Sowell's book) is that Ed was murdered for the flashy necktie stickpin he was flaunting and monies on his person, most likely by the sole watchman on the bridge. The watchman gave several different conflicting stories then and later depending upon who was asking the questions. As fascinating as any of them was: "how did you end up with Ed's silk top hat and your train hat was found wedged on the tracks?" At least two of his stories about where Ed "fell off" the bridge, each different from the other, were demonstrably impossible.
No investigation was ever prosecuted very seriously, and no person was ever found guilty of anything. The court case vs Michigan Central was successful, although (I believe) Norine received a judgement of only three thousand and her child two thousand. But then, Norine would not be the first nor the only ballplayer's wife required to live in virtual poverty while the celebrity ballplayer "played the circuit."