August 15, 1936
THE STATE
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Flit ST COLLEGE BILL
ТЕЛЯ
II V THE MOUNTAINS
Mars Hill College Baseball Club, 1891. Standing, left to right: James E. Ray, farmer of
Beech, N. C., right fielder; Dr. Ebb Peak, physician of Colorado who died recently, third
baseman and pitcher; J. J. Ammons, public school teacher of Morgan Hill, left fielder; Jim
Clouse, employee of the Carolina Power and Light Company of Asheville, catcher; Dr. John
E. White, formerly president of Anderson College, South Carolina and pastor of the First
Baptist Church of Savannah, Ga., pitcher. Seated, Ed Huff, farmer and dairyman of Mars
Hill, center fielder, Jerome Anderson, farmer of Mars Hill, first baseman; Dr. W. L. Robinson,
former physician and trustee of the college, second baseman; Fuller Sams, attorney of
Winston-Salem, shortstop.
Til
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efforts of the department of
athletics and physical education
of Mars Hill College to locate
pictures of all athletic teams ever to
represent the college have netted some
photographs of unusual interest. One
of the most interesting pictures yf the
gallery is that of the nine men who
constituted the first intercollegiate hall
club of the college.
This team represented Mars Hill
College fortv-livo years ago, playing
during tin- session of 1891. Some ex¬
citing games were played throughout
Western North Carolina and East
Tennessee. The team traveled by hack
to the railway station and thence by
train. Each player was responsible
for his own traveling expenses, uni¬
form, and any equipment necessary.
They knew no such thing as a conch,
and the captain acted in an executive
capacity, arranged games and should¬
ered all responsibility.
Although these men wore blouses and
neckties, they were not to be mistaken
By
О.
E. ROBERTS
for "sissies." These hoys took their
playing seriously. If defeated in play¬
ing. they might challenge the opposing
team to a light in which they would
usually make up for their baseball de¬
feat. The picture shows that their
stockings were of the homespun type
ami that the pants were decorated with
a stripe down the sides. Only one man
on the team used a glove and that was
used bv the catcher. He, in fuel, seems
to have used two gloves, one on either
hand of a type similar to dress gloves of
today. The catcher also used a home¬
made mask of heavy wire supported
by leather straps. The bats wore all
homemade and turned or whittled by
hand.
l>r. Oscar Sams, vice president of
the Mars Hill College wag a student
at Mars Hill during the time these
men played baseball for the college,
lie remembers each player and gives
the following facts about the members
of the team: James E. Ray. now a
prominent farmer of Beech played
right field; Hr. Ebb Peek, a physician
of Colorado who died recently, played
third base and pitched occasionally ;
J. J. Ammons, of Morgan Hill, for
forty years a public school teacher,
played left field; Jim Clouse (the tall
gentleman in the picture holding some¬
thing resembling a muzzle), who is now
in the employment of the Light and
Power Company of Asheville, was the
catcher; Hr. John E. White (in the
picture holding the only ball possessed
by the team) was pitcher and captain
of the team and is reported to have been
the first curve hall pitcher west of the
Blue Ridge. Hr. White before his
death a few years ago was the president
of Anderson College, South Carolina,
and later pastor of the Second Baptist
church of Atlanta. Ga.. and pastor of
(Continual on pa//r t writ //-four )