Len Stockwell played six major league games spread out over three seasons in three different decades in the 19th century.
Leonard Clark Stockwell was born August 25, 1859, in
Cordova, Illinois, just up the Mississippi River from Davenport, Iowa, and
Moline, Illinois. His father, also Leonard Clark Stockwell, was a Union Civil
War veteran born in New York; his mother, Jennie Shew Stockwell, was from
Michigan.
In the 1860 census the Stockwells are living in Cordova in a
home they own: Leonard, a dry goods merchant; Jennie, shown as Julia;
four-year-old William; Len, almost a year old; and hired girls Mary Cunningham
and Alice Parcells. Youngest child Minnie was born about 1862.
The 1870 census shows things much the same. By 1873 the
family had moved to Davenport, where Leonard worked for T.S. Buck &
Company. Len started playing baseball, and the first newspaper mention I found
of him was in the September 28, 1878, Quad City Times, when he was 19;
he was credited with “satisfactorily” umpiring a game between Milwaukee and
Davenport.
I don’t know his route in getting there, but in 1879 Len
played the outfield in two games for the National League’s Cleveland Blues,
going 0-for-6 with two strikeouts. His debut was on May 17. He also played for
Davenport of the Northwestern League that year, but I have no stats.
In the 1880 census Len, William (a grocery clerk) and Minnie
are living with Jennie at 518 Main Street in Davenport, along with five
boarders. Leonard and Jennie are still married, but he is not living with them.
Len has no occupation listed, but he was playing baseball, as shown by an
article in the May 28 Topeka State Journal:
It is conceded unanimously, that the hardest position to fill in a game of base ball is that of catcher. The greatest responsibility, and the hardest work rests with the man at the “home plate.” It requires an expert to fill the position as it should be, and the Westerns of this city now have a man in the person of Len. C. Stockwell, who is a daisy. It is doubtful whether he has any equal in the West. By referring to the score of the game at Ottawa on Wednesday, which was published in last evening’s JOURNAL, it will be seen that in the nine innings played, he has not an error against him. Those who witnessed the game say that his work was a most beautiful exhibition of skill and good judgement. Mr. Jones, the pitcher of the club, is what they call a “curve pitcher,” and the route of the ball after leaving his hands is comparable to that of a horse fly in a whirlwind, or a snake’s track in the dust, yet they invariably are “brought up” in Mr. Stockwell’s hands. He seems to so thoroughly understand his business that he picks them off of the bat or out of the air just as he pleases. Down at Ottawa several “foul tips” were made but Stockwell never failed to take them in and put out a man. He is one of the most valuable and indispensable acquisitions that has been made to the club, and the Westerns can be congratulated upon having such a good man.
The Topeka Westerns were an independent team; there were
very few organized minor leagues at this time. Len, not yet 21, was not only a
daisy without equal in the West but was also the team secretary. On July 23 the
Topeka Daily Commonwealth reported that “Len Stockwell has left the
Westerns and gone home, and it is probable that one or two more of the old
members will leave the club.” On October 4 the Topeka Daily Capital
mentioned that “Len C. Stockwell, of base ball renown, visited Topeka
yesterday, He returns to Chicago to-day.”
The next mention I found of Len was in the September 30,
1881, Moline Review-Dispatch, which reported:
Len Stockwell is home from Ohio, where he has been employed in the White Sewing Machine factory at Akron. He has also played ball somewhat while absent, being employed by one of the best amateur clubs in the west.
Same paper, November 4:
Len. Stockwell has done, gone and done it. He took a trip to Chicago, a short time ago, and surprised the boys by bringing home a bride. All join in wishing them a long and happy life.
On October 8 Len, now 22, had indeed gone and married
18-year-old Emma J. Rehill, and the newlyweds settled in Cordova. I’m not sure
what Len was doing for a living there, but he seems to have been playing
baseball casually. On August 12, 1882, the Rock Island Argus reported
that “Len Stockwell, of Cordova, went to Council Bluffs yesterday to catch for
a nine there in a game against the Omahas.” On September 9, from the same
paper: Len Stockwell came down from Cordova this morning to play with the
Sylvans this afternoon. The Sylvans are great on importing men.”
In 1883 Len went to spring training with the NL’s Chicago
White Stockings, held in Chicago. The Milwaukee Sentinel reported from
there on April 9:
Len Stockwell, the new substitute, of this city, who has been so frequently mentioned in these columns, is in training with the rest, and bids fair, as we predicted, to make a great name this season. He is with a good team to do so. The opening of the season is fast approaching, and soon nothing but baseball will be talked of about town.
Sporting Life, May 6:
Stockwell has been playing behind the bat for Chicago, and has done good service thus far. Capt. Anson is desirous of developing a good change catcher so that he will not be obliged to weaken right field by bringing Kelly in to catch.
By the next week’s issue, though, Len had been released by
Chicago and signed by Grand Rapids of the Northwestern League, for whom he was
said to be “doing well.” He did not get into a regular season game with the
White Stockings. For Grand Rapids he hit .224 in 57 games, fielding .781 in 48
games behind the plate (the latter placing him 12th among 15
catchers, whose percentages ranged from .869 to .673).
From the November 17 Topeka Daily Capital:
Len Stockwell of Grand Rapids, and Bid McPhee of Cincinnati, have returned from a hunt in the west. They leave next week for Dallas, Texas, to play with the Brown Stockings of that city this winter.
Len did play in Texas over the winter, for Dallas and
Galveston. He returned to Grand Rapids for the 1884 season, where he was a
backup catcher and center fielder. From Sporting Life, July 16:
The Grand Rapids and Peoria clubs last Tuesday had a dispute
similar to the recent Boston-Chicago squabble. In the last half of the fifth
inning, when the score was 1 to 0 in favor of Peoria, Manager Phillips tried to
put Gastfield in to catch in place of Stockwell, claiming that the latter was
injured and could not play. The Peorias protested against that being done,
claiming that he was not injured in this game, and was able to play in the
field, and the umpire, Mr. Keenan, sustained the objection. Phillips was
determined that the change should be made and so ordered. The umpire thereupon
declared the game forfeited to Peoria by a score of 9 to 0.
The next week’s Sporting Life contained a letter from
Manager [Horace] Phillips which, as an aside, gave more information about the
Peoria game:
…The only unpleasantness we have met this season was the rank treatment in Peoria, in which Umpire Keenan forfeited the first game to Peoria last Tuesday. The facts were: Stockwell, our best catcher, was injured in two different innings. The first time an “inshoot” of Getzein’s sprained his left wrist. The second, in the fifth inning, a wide pitch knocked out his little finger, so it was impossible to play, and I ordered Gastfield to take Stockwell’s place. Stockwell all season has been wearing a bandage on his wrist and when McQuaid, an ex-umpire, and Dr. Stout, the club’s secretary, saw this they told Keenan not to let Gastfield play and forfeit the game to them, which he did, on the ground that Stockwell had been hurt nine days previously and had not played since. This decision I protested and have since laid evidence before Secretary Martin that when Stockwell caught his last game July 1 he was not injured, having sixteen put-outs, two assists, no errors and one passed ball. Since then he played center field at Milwaukee July 4 and Rock Island July 6. So you see the absurdity of Peoria’s claim…
On August 6 Sporting Life reported that Len had “been
reinstated by the Grand Rapids Club.” I don’t know what he had been reinstated
from; possibly he was returning from being out with his injuries. At some point
in August the Northwestern League disbanded; on August 25 the Grand Rapids
Evening Leader reported:
Our Catcher.
Len Stockwell, late catcher of the late Grand Rapids base ball club, has signed with the Louisville, Ky., club for the remainder of the season. At present he is at Cordova, Ill., at the bedside of a dying sister.
I don’t know whether Minnie in fact died in 1884; the last I
information I found about her was that she eloped with Charles Hibben in
September 1880. But Len was back in the major leagues, as the Louisville
Eclipse were in the American Association. With Grand Rapids he had hit .207
with a .302 slugging percentage in 169 at-bats in 39 games, so he doesn’t seem
to have been a strong candidate to move up, but 1884 was the year that the
Union Association tried to make it as a third major league so there were a lot
more big league jobs to be had.
Len made his Eclipse debut on September 5, batting fifth and
playing center field. On the 8th he caught in an exhibition game
against the Baltimore Orioles of the same league; Sporting Life reported
that “Stockwell made his debut as catcher for the Louisvillians and impressed
favorably.” On the 12th he played his second and final official
American Association game, batting seventh and playing catcher and left field;
he went one-for-nine in the two games. The September 17 Sporting Life
reported:
Len Stockwell takes the place of Ed. Whiting, of the Louisvilles, who has been indefinitely suspended for drunkenness and careless play. Is some other club tampering with him?
On January 14, 1885, the Milwaukee Daily Sentinel
reported that Len had applied for a job with Milwaukee of the Western League. On
April 21 the Milwaukee Journal mentioned him as a member of the Chicago
Blues, apparently an independent team, but the next day the Daily Sentinel
reported that he had signed with Milwaukee. He hit .220 in 13 games, mostly as
a catcher, before June 17, when the Daily Sentinel reported:
Len Stockwell, the excellent catcher of the Milwaukees, has been released in order to reduce the expense of the pay-roll. Stockwell was asked to take a 50 per cent reduction, but he declined to do so, preferring his release. He is a fine backstop, and a good batter, and his loss will be felt, if the team continues. [Which it didn’t for long, as the league folded.]
Len signed with New Britain of the Southern New England
League. On August 5 Sporting Life reported that “Captain Cox sent
Stockwell as far as Providence to secure Kennedy and Gastfield if possible, but
he returned Monday unable to secure them, as they had not been released by the
Chicago team.” Len hit .257 in 15 games with New Britain, again while mostly
catching, before being released.
In late August Len signed with Norfolk with the Eastern
League, but played just two games there. On September 10 the New Haven
Morning Journal Courier reported that he had signed with Syracuse of the
New York State League, but I found no evidence that he actually played there.
On September 16 Sporting Life reported that he had signed with Utica of
the same league, and that seems to have been the case, though I found no stats
for him there.
The November 25 Sporting Life said that “Len
Stockwell is spending the winter in Cordova, Ill., and spends his time
hunting.” The December 28 Milwaukee Daily Sentinel reported: “Len
Stockwell is running a hand-ball court and target range at Cordova, Ill.” And
from the February 3, 1886, Sporting Life:
Len Stockwell is still in Cordova, Ill., where he has been spending the winter in hunting and attending to his hand ball court, where he keeps the ball rolling every day. He has signed to catch for Savannah, Ga., the coming season, and will leave for the South Feb. 22.
Savannah was in the Southern Association. Len had hit .209
in 153 at-bats in 38 games, splitting his time between catcher and the
outfield, when he was let go in early July. This is from a report from Savannah
dated July 8, which appeared in the July 14 issue of Sporting Life:
Catcher Sullivan, late of Pittsburg, and Catcher Len Stockwell were given their release yesterday…Stockwell’s release was granted at his own request, and was principally brought about by a feeling among the directors that he was at outs with several members of the club, and it was thus unpleasant for all concerned. Stockwell’s catching, batting, base-running and work in left field were all excellent. He will probably go to the New York State League; he will prove a valuable addition to any club with which he signs.
Len actually went to the Eau Claire Lumbermen of the
Northwestern League, but no stats for him there are available. On January 26,
1887, this odd item appeared in Sporting Life:
Len Stockwell, who led the catchers of the Northwestern League last season, was imported to catch a game for the Norwich, N.Y., team against the Oneidas last season at one time, and it was not known who he was until some time afterward.
On February 2 Sporting Life reported that Len would
be playing for an amateur team in Chicago called the Spalding Club, but by the
14th he had signed to return to the Northwestern League, with the
St. Paul Saints. The St. Paul report in the May 11 Sporting Life
included this item: “Stockwell is a fine fellow and a good catcher, and very
plucky—a little off in his throwing, however.” From June 1: “Stockwell is
working very hard behind the bat, and is doing excellently.” And from June 29,
this answer to an unprinted scoring question, possibly from Len (?):
Questions Answered
Stockwell, St. Paul--Each man gets an error, the pitcher for failing to field the ball, thus, letting in at least one run, and the second baseman for giving an additional run on his wild throw.
From the St. Paul report, dated June 27, in the July 6 Sporting
Life:
…Jimmy Duryea, “the farmer,” was given another trial in the last La Crosse game and although the game was lost, it was not his fault. There is no use denying the fact that the team does not give him any support. Duryea is very speedy and our catchers do not like to back him up and it is noticeable how they make him “let up” when they are under the bat. Reliable Len Stockwell tried to catch him in the LaCrosse game, but failed to give him proper support. “Stock” was mad all through the game and kept jawing the poor farmer to such an extent as to rattle him. Len Stockwell is a great catcher and is invaluable to the club; the credit of their high standing is largely due to his excellent playing and captaincy, and I was surprised to see him seemingly unfair to Duryea. I wish Manager Barnes could get a catcher who could or would give Duryea true backing.
Two weeks later, same correspondent:
As I foretold in my last, Farmer Duryea has turned out a great pitcher, much to the surprise of the patrons of the game. He has won every game he has pitched in the last two weeks, and Stockwell has given him great support.
And three weeks after that, August 10:
Len Stockwell continues to catch expertly for St. Paul. “Len” is a power in the team, and much of its success is due to his playing and directing.
The August 14 Chicago Daily Inter Ocean included the
no-context statement: “Len Stockwell is the leading catcher in the Northwestern
League.” Len spent the entire season with St. Paul, and was their primary
catcher. He hit .274 and slugged .360 in 361 at-bats in 82 games and hit what
may have been his first three professional home runs (given that we don’t have
stats for a few of his seasons). Among catchers he was second with 144 assists,
fourth in fielding percentage at .833, and first in passed balls with 89.
(Incidentally, “Farmer” Duryea finished with a 14-11 record and led the team
with a 1.96 ERA.)
The Pittsburgh report in the October 5 Sporting Life
included this item:
I saw Jack Nagle, the old timer, in this city to-day. Nagle has given up ball playing for good. He was standing in front of a new place on Master’s alley, near Fifth avenue, which bears the name of Len Stockwell. Perhaps this is the old catcher.
It seems unfair to call Len, 28 years old and very much
active, “the old catcher,” plus it seems unlikely that he had a business in
Pittsburgh, given that there’s never been any evidence of his spending time
there. On October 26 the Milwaukee Journal reported on a meeting in
Chicago “of the representatives of the new Western Baseball league,”
mentioning:
Tall Len Stockwell, the blonde catcher of the St. Paul club, attracted much attention. He has not yet signed for next year, and may go to the Pacific slope this winter under Jim Hart’s management.
The St. Paul correspondent to Sporting Life wrote in
their November 23 issue:
Stockwell is unsigned as yet and may be found at St. Paul. I would like to see him remain here, but I understand his terms are too high for our manager; sorry, but I hope they will agree.
From the November 28 Davenport Daily Times:
Len Stockwell and Jim Duryea, both of last season’s St. Paul club, go to California, where they intend to play ball during the winter. They will probably play with the Los Angeles club. Duryea has signed for next season with St. Paul, but Stockwell is as yet unsigned, although he has several flattering offers.
Len and Jim did play for a Los Angeles team over the winter,
and Len ended up signing with Stockton of the California League for 1888. He
played center field and batted third on opening day, but mainly caught after
that. From the November 21 Sporting Life:
A Ruffianly California Player.
During a game between the Stockton and Pioneer clubs at Stockton, Cal., on the 4th inst., big Smith, one blacklisted by Louisville, was guilty of a dastardly attempt to injure a fellow player. In the last inning Smith stopped Stockwell’s grounder and touched the runner out. He then fired the ball at Stockwell, who had fallen a distance of four feet from the base, with all the force of which he was capable. The ball narrowly missed Stockwell’s head. He then struck Stockwell with his fist. The game was resumed, but at its finish Smith addressed an insulting remark to someone in the grand-stand, and in short order the diamond was swarming with angry men. The sheriff, two constables and several police officers rushed to the spot, and it was with great difficulty that the crowd were kept from Smith. To quiet the crowd the officers placed Smith under arrest for disturbing the peace.
Henry Chadwick mentioned the incident in his “Chadwick’s
Chat” column in the following week’s issue:
…I have placed the name of that ruffianly player, T. Smith—known as “big Smith”—the first baseman of the Pioneer team, of San Francisco, on my black list, for his brutal and cowardly conduct towards Stockwell, of the Stockton Club, as described by Walter Wallace, in the California Spirit of the Times recently. Such roughs should be drummed out of the fraternity. We don’t want such fellows as Smith East here.
Though the California League season lasted over eight
months, from late March to early December, the four teams played just 67 games
each, about two per week. It was a very pitching-dominant league; Len hit .238,
which was eighth in the league, the leader hitting .272. Stockton, the league
champions, led the teams with a .195 mark. The stats appeared in the December
19 Sporting Life, along with this commentary by California League correspondent
Walter Wallace:
THE AVERAGES.
I have, I think, placed myself on the record at least ten years ago as thoroughly opposed to averages, and so far as I can, avoid them. They are eminently for the shirker and record-player, by whom, together with a handful of “fans,” are they read with any interest. The courageous, hard-working, play-for-his-side and all the season through, conscientious player, abhors them for their manifest injustice, and has no use for them. In the averages which I have mailed to THE SPORTING LIFE is this injustice in many instances most apparent, and save that the compiler, with his customary firmness, has pointed out in his intelligent notes who the meritorious players are, the unthinking, and cursory reader by such averages would give credit only to the leaders. Jacob Dressler, Esq., the base ball editor of the Examiner, a gentleman highly esteemed by the entire fraternity, is the compiler, and I take this opportunity of adding my tribute to his sterling worth…
In February 1889 Len signed a contract with the San
Francisco Haverlys of the California League, and was named team captain. The
box scores I found from the season showed him playing right field and batting
fourth or fifth, but we have no stats. On August 21 Sporting Life
reported that “Stockwell has missed but three fly balls this season” and the
September 18 issue stated that he was third in the league in hitting. An 1890
article says that he hit .302.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported on November 11:
“At the close of the baseball season [John, actually with Washington at this
time] Morrill, [Charlie] Ganzel and [Old Hoss] Radbourn of the Bostons will
spend a month or two with Len Stockwell shooting ducks in the Stockton marsh.”
San Francisco and Oakland wound up tied for first at the end of the 94-game
California League season, and Oakland won the one-game playoff.
On December 2 the Stockton Evening Mail reported: “Mrs.
Len Stockwell is visiting her parents, Colonel and Mrs. Lehe, of this city.”
This tells us that Len was on his second marriage, as Emma’s last name was
Rehill. The last, and only, reference I had found to Emma after their wedding
was from 1886, when she went to Chicago, from Cordova, to visit HER parents.
Wife number two was named Adele.
1890 was the year that major league players formed their own
third major league, the Players League, which included most of the top stars.
As a result there were more major league jobs to fill and a scramble to fill
them, and just as in 1884 Len took advantage; he signed with the National
League’s Cleveland Spiders in January. He went to spring training with the
Spiders in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and on April 7 the San Francisco Call
reported:
Len Stockwell, in a letter to a friend in this city, says he is highly pleased with the Cleveland team. He has been assigned to catch and will not play an out-field position. He says [Will] Smalley has been showing up well in exhibition games and is quite a favorite. [Peek-a-Boo] Veach has not touched a drop of liquor since he went East and is playing good ball. The club is anxious to come to California at the close of the season, and if the team finishes in a good place Stockwell says the trip will probably be made.
From the Cleveland report in the May 10 Sporting Life:
Gilks will also be used as a regular pitcher the balance of the season, Stockwell playing in the field when the former is in the box. Len is a first-class fielder and would be a hard hitter if given enough work to do.
Regular left fielder Bob Gilks would get three starts at
pitcher for the year. That same date the New York Sun printed the
following:
Len C. Stockwell, catcher for the Cleveland Base Ball Club, first began to play ball with the semi-professional teams in the vicinity of Cleveland, Ohio. He was a member of the famous White Sewing Machine nine of that city, which was one of the strongest amateur teams ever brought together in the State. From Cleveland he went to the Michigan League, playing with the Grand Rapids team, where he made a brilliant record at the bat and in the field. He was the back stop for the St. Paul club in the Western League for two seasons, and from there went to the slope where his fine fielding average and good hitting recommended him to the present Cleveland League Club. Stockwell is a fine-looking player, handsomely built, and successful both in the outfield and behind the bat. He led the outfielders of the California League last season, is a good run getter, and had a batting average of .302.
On May 17 Len finally got into a game, playing left field
and batting ninth while Gilks pitched, in a home game against the Giants; he
went 1-for-3 against Amos Rusie in a 6-2 loss. Two days later, with Ed Beatin
on the mound for the Spiders and Gilks back in left, Len played first base in
place of Peek-a-Boo Veach and batted third, going 1-for-4 with a double in a
5-4 loss to the Giants’ Mickey Welch. That was his last major league
appearance. From the Cleveland report in the June 28 Sporting Life:
Stockwell has been released by the League team in order to cut down expenses. He has not been used this season, and as Zimmer is in such fine condition it was not thought advisable to keep Stockwell on the bench any longer. He is a fine player and a thorough gentleman, and will not be long without an engagement. I understand that he is negotiating with the St. Paul Club, of the Western League, and will probably sign with them.
Len did sign with the Western Association, but with the Des
Moines Prohibitionists, who had begun the season as the Lincoln Rustlers, but
after a few weeks the team disbanded and he headed back to California. He made
his debut with the Oakland Colonels on August 1, in center field, but made two
errors and struck out four times. From the August 11 San Francisco Examiner:
Len Stockwell will probably manage and play with the Stockton club the balance of the season. Negotiations have ben pending for some time and it was stated last night that satisfactory arrangements had been made. Stockwell will prove a strong addition to the Stocktons. He will probably play in the field and also take his turn behind the bat, a place Stockton has been weak during the whole season.
Len was still playing center for Oakland as of August 14,
but soon after that he showed up in Stockton. Sporting Life reported on
September 6 that “Stockwell’s appearance with the Stockton team has apparently
infused some ginger into the tail-enders.” From the Examiner of
September 22:
Milt. Whitehead will return to this coast as soon as the season of the Western Association closes. He will, in company with Len Stockwell, spend the winter shooting and fishing near Stockton.
Len played mostly right field for Stockton, though somehow
on November 14 he played first base for Oakland in a game at Stockton. The
season ended in late November; no stats are available.
The Stockwells seem to have been well-established at
Stockton. Len was registered to vote there, and this appeared in the Stockton
Evening Mail of January 3, 1891:
An Evening of Sociability.
At the home of R.R. Reibenstein last evening the Progressive Workers passed an evening of sociability. The following program was rendered: Piano solo, Miss Lottie Dorr; quartet, consisting of Misses Amanda Gersbacher and Anna Budlong and Messrs. King and Hillman; vocal solo, Mrs. Len C. Stockwell;…duet, Mrs. Stockwell and Miss Gersbacher…
Still, on March 23 the Davenport Daily Times
reported:
Len. Stockwell, an old Davenporter, and well-known player, is desirous of playing in the Davenport team this season. He will be in the city this week, passing through on his way to Cordova.
As of April 24, according to the same paper, he was still
hanging around looking for a job:
Len Stockwell, the well known ball player, is in the city. Len would have no objection to being enrolled under the Davenport banner.
But in fact he signed with one of Davenport’s competitors in
the Illinois-Iowa League, the Rockford Hustlers, as reported in the June 13 Rockford
Morning Star:
The management have signed Len Stockwell, an expert catcher. He played with the Cleveland League team last season, and though Zimmer caught a great majority of the games, Stockwell was retained throughout the season. He will certainly be a very valuable addition to the team.
(As we have seen, though, he was retained less than two
months and played just twice, neither game at catcher.) Len played 53 games the
rest of the way, mostly in right field, and hit .262. He finished last among
the league’s outfielders in fielding percentage at .783. In the August 29 Sporting
Life he seemingly had two more scoring questions answered:
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Stockwell, Rockford, Ill.—(1) No hit or error can be scored. The play should be scored as a force hit or fielders choice. (2) A. loses. Cedar Rapids by beating Rockford 1 to 0 did not win by 2 to 1.
From the Rockford Morning Star, February 14, 1892:
Len C. Stockwell, whom his friends called “the old reliable,” and his critics, “the ossified man,” while with the Rockfords last season, has designs on Rock Island. He may manage a team to represent Rock Island and Moline in the I.I. league.
And from the Davenport Weekly Republican, February
27:
President McKee, of Rockford and the I.-I. league, accompanied by Hugh Nicol and Len Stockwell, has been canvassing Rock Island and Moline the past few days, endeavoring to wake up an interest in the formation of a club to join the league the gentlemen are representing…
In March Len signed a contract with the Western Association;
players were signed by the league and then later assigned to teams. He was
assigned to Indianapolis, but they apparently didn’t want him and he ended up
out of the league. Along the way the Indianapolis Journal referred to him as “a
Canadian.” He made his way back to Rock Island-Moline, who did get a team
together in the Illinois-Iowa League, though I found no evidence that he played
for them. Instead he got the contract to produce and sell scorecards there, as
reported in the May 13 Davenport Daily Times:
Len Stockwell, who is getting out the score cards for the Rock Island-Molines, is somewhat more pretentious in his efforts than is customary in the vicinity. The cards will contain several pages, handsomely designed, and filled with reading matter of an interesting nature. It is after the style of the score cards of the larger cities.
Rock Island Argus, May 18:
Len C. Stockwell’s official score card made its appearance at the opening game and is all that was promised. It is a book of eight pages, neatly gotten up, bearing the portrait of the publisher on the front page and contains besides considerable information, some interesting reading matter, and is finding ready sale.
On August 3 it was reported that Len had been hired as an
Illinois-Iowa League umpire; the August 20 Sporting Life included
critiques of two of his games. August 6, Jacksonville at Rockford:
“Jacksonville shut out Rockford in this game. The visitors’ victory is charge
to Umpire Stockwell’s bad work.” And August 10, Rock Island-Moline at Rockford:
“Umpire Stockwell was one-sided and gave the game to the visitors in the
ninth.” The league disbanded on August 14. On October 8 the Rock Island
Argus reported:
Len Stockwell came down from Cordova Thursday and yesterday he returned accompanied by Harry O’Day, who will spend the winter there. They expect to spend some time hunting on the Marias de Osier.
Google was no help with figuring out what “Marias de Osier”
was. In November Len filed suit against the defunct I-I League for either $50
or $60 or $114, depending on the story, in unpaid wages; in January the league
gave in and paid him. From the Rock Island Argus, April 8, 1893:
Stockwell Hopeful Nevertheless
Len Stockwell, the well known base ball player, who was largely instrumental in starting a team here last season, has been about this city and Davenport and Moline during the past few days with a view to getting up another league. He has met with considerable encouragement in each town and there may yet be a league started. Stockwell’s plan is to have Davenport and Rock Island-Moline each have a team and then with one from Jacksonville, Rockford, Peoria and Burlington it would make a short circuit of good towns. By this plan it is thought that an unusual interest could be gotten among these three towns and a series being played in each place in succession would save the expense of a jump in railroad fare.
The league did not pan out, and Len apparently kept a low
profile during 1893, as the next mention of him I found was in the December 22 Stockton
Evening Mail: “Len C. Stockwell and wife, formerly of this city, are
expected to arrive here from the East this week.” Then, from the Sporting
Life of January 27, 1894:
Len Stockwell, the former catcher of Stockton and San Francisco, has returned to this State, and is endeavoring to get into the base ball swim. He is confident that Stockton would be a good town for the circuit this season, and thinks if he secured the franchise he could make the game a “go” there. Stockwell is undoubtedly very popular in the Slough City.
Stockton did have a team that year, but I don’t know if Len
had any connection to it. The next I found of him was in the August 2 Stockton
Evening Mail: “Colonel Lehe [Len’s father-in-law] and family, Len
Stockwell, Edward Dunne and Miss Geneva Hall left to-day on a camping trip to
Lake Tahoe.”
At this point Len, now 35, seems to have decided to resume
his playing career. The January 20, 1895, Galveston Daily News reported:
The special meeting of the Texas Southern league is called to meet at the Beach hotel Sunday, January 27 at 11 a.m.
Len Stockwell of Stockton, Cal., and O.D. Pickering of Cincinnati, Ohio, are applicants for positions on the Galveston team.
On April 7 the Rockford Morning Star reported:
Len Stockwell expects to play with the Rock Island team. He is now in California.
On May 13 it was announced that Len had been hired to manage
the Galesburg (IL) team in the Eastern Iowa League. The league did not make it
through the season, though, and any playing stats Len had are not to be found. The
fall found him back in California, where the California League played an
abbreviated October to December schedule, and he was hired as an umpire.
On May 19, 1896, the Rockford Register-Gazette
reported that Len was now the manager of San Jose of the California League, but
I found no more references to that. He next turned up on July 13 in the San
Francisco Call’s account of an Oakland at Stockton game:
Len Stockwell of Stockton made a star running catch in the seventh. It was a hard drive to center, and went sailing over second. Stockwell made a run and caught the ball on a dive, keeping his right with the ball [sic] well in the air while he slid about twenty feet. The crowd cheered.
Things went south quickly, though. On July 23 the Stockton
Daily Record reported:
A BASEBALL ROW.
Players Released From the Home Team.
A Rumored Change of Management Denied—The Trouble Is, as Usual, Over Money.
There is a row and a rumpus in the Stockton Baseball Club. Catcher W.C. Pace and left-fielder Len Stockwell have been released by Manager Quigley and their places will be taken by Gadke and Sweeney on Sunday next, when the San Francisco and Stockton teams meet at Goodwater grove.
The release of Pace and Stockwell, following upon the defection of Chase and Nick Smith, has started no end of talk. It was rumored yesterday that Manager Quigley had been supplanted as manager by Pace, who would hereafter play with the team in all its games. This Quigley denies and says that not only does he own the uniforms of the Stockton nine, but he holds the franchise of the grounds at Goodwater grove, and he adds that by his arrangement with the other league teams in the State he is to be supplied with good players whenever he needs them, and says "that there are no end of baseball players to be had for the asking, that are as good or better than any that have left me.”
The whole trouble in the club arises over the fact that the players this season are to accept a pro rata of the receipts instead of a salary for their work. The players who have left the Stockton nine say that Quigley has failed to pay them their pro rata, but has spent the proceeds of the game himself…
And, the same day, in the Sacramento Record-Union:
Wants Divorce.
Adele Stockwell has filed her complaint in an action for divorce from Leonard C. Stockwell.
I found no further news of Len in 1896 on the baseball
front, but this appeared in the Sacramento Bee on September 28:
Divorce Granted.
Adele A. Stockwell was granted a divorce to-day from her husband, Leonard C. Stockwell. The ground upon which the divorce was asked was failure to provide. Judge Catlin granted the decree.
Len moved back to Cordova. From the Rock Island Argus,
April 16, 1897:
Stockwell’s Team.
Len C. Stockwell, the veteran knight of the pig-skin [?], has come to the front again. He is organizing a base ball club at Cordova, his home. It will be managed by him. He says there is an abundance of good material in that neck of the country, and it is promised Cordova will have one of the best amateur clubs in the state this season. Other surrounding towns are talking of organizing clubs. It wouldn’t be a bad move for some one here to get a nine of local players together and have an occasional game. The formation of a tri-city league was agitated some time ago, but it seems the idea has died out.
Davenport Daily Times, April 20:
Diamond Flashes
Len C. Stockwell, the veteran ball player is at his summer occupation again. He is organizing a base ball club at his home in Cordova, which will be managed by him. It wouldn’t be a bad move for some one here in Davenport to organize a really good nine, for we have players in the city of recognized merit. The manager of such a team could reap a fortune capturing the ciphers from the bankers who are even now at work training for the incubation of goose eggs on the diamond.
Apparently Len did get his Cordova team together, as on June
30 the Davenport Republican reported that he was in town “looking for a
match with the Davenports.” On September 16 the Rock Island Argus said
that “Len C. Stockwell will assist the Mt. Carroll base ball club to defeat the
Chicago Unions Tuesday and Wednesday.” On November 15 in Geneseo, Illinois, east
of Moline, he married wife number three, Jennie Stafford (same first name as
his mother).
On September 28, 1898, the “Cordova Chat” column of the Rock
Island Argus mentioned that “Leonard Stockwell left Friday for Osage, Iowa,
to spend a few weeks on his farm there.” Osage is in northern Iowa, near the
Minnesota border. The 1899 Moline city directory shows Len as a photographer in
Cordova.
In the 1900 census, taken June 2, Len, 40, and Jennie, 20,
are living in Cordova with Len’s dad, Leonard, 72. Len is still a photographer;
Leonard, listed as married, has an occupation but it’s an indecipherable
squiggle. The other Jennie, Len’s mother and Leonard’s wife, lives nearby with
son William, 44, a day laborer. Len’s first wife Emma is a typewriter operator,
living with her parents in Chicago.
From the Cordova News column in the Davenport Times,
January 2, 1903:
Little Leonard Stockwell, who has been quite ill the past week with a croupy cough, is again greeted on the streets by the young as well as the old folks, with all of whom he is a great favorite.
Given that 2 ½ years previously he hadn’t been born yet, according
to the census, he seems a little young for being greeted on the streets. Or
maybe the census missed him. At any rate, the Rockford Daily Register-Gazette
reported on May 27:
WIFE JUMPED HER CONTRACT
LEN STOCKWELL, OLD ROCKFORD BALL PLAYER, IN ROLE OF DESERTED HUSBAND.
HE SEEKS HIS HELPMEET
Pursues Her to Chicago, Where She Eludes Him—Stockwell Now a Country Photographer.
Len C. Stockwell, veteran baseball player, once catcher and outfielder on Rockford’s team in the old I-I league, but now correspondent for several country newspapers and occupying the lucrative position of photographer at Cordova, Ill., was in Chicago looking for his wife who, he says, during his absence from home, packed up her belongings and with their 5-year-old son [oh, okay] went to Chicago, where he has been unable to locate her.
He learned that upon her arrival in Chicago she took a cab to Mrs. Allie Marshall’s 19 Forty-third street, but as Mrs. Marshall claims to be ignorant of his wife’s whereabouts, Mr. Stockwell had to give up the search in despair.
He claims to be entirely ignorant of the reasons which caused his wife to leave her home.
Mrs. Marshall, who conducts a catering establishment on Forty-third street, said that Mrs. Stockwell, whom she had known all her life, came to her house upon arriving in Chicago, and, with the child, stayed only one night.
She thinks that Mrs. Stockwell will sue for a divorce and in the meantime endeavor to keep the child out of the reach of his father.
The Argus reported on June 16:
Divorces Asked.
Mrs. Leonard Stockwell, wife of the former ball player, now a resident of Cordova, has filed a bill of divorce on the grounds of cruelty and non-support. The document recites that the husband at the time of the couple’s marriage was playing ball at a salary of $300 and that he has lately failed absolutely to provide for his family. The couple were married in 1897 and have a daughter [son] of which Mrs. Stockwell asks the custody. A temporary injunction was granted to prevent the husband from molesting her. Searle & Marshall are her attorneys.
The Moline Review-Dispatch added to the story on June
19:
Mrs. Jennie Stockwell, of Cordova, thru Searle & Marshall, has commenced proceedings for a divorce from her husband, Leonard C. Stockwell. The couple were married at Geneseo Nov. 15, 1897, and Mrs. Stockwell states that she was compelled to leave her husband May 15, 1903. She charges him with drunkenness and cruelty. She says that prior to her marriage to Stockwell, he was a professional baseball player and earned a salary of $300 per month, and asserts that he has not provided for her support and that she is in destitute circumstances. Judge Ramsay granted an injunction restraining Stockwell from molesting Mrs. Stockwell or her 5-year-old child pending the trial of the case.
(I will just interject here that when they married he was no
longer a professional baseball player.) On August 10 Len’s mother died. On
August 21 the Davenport Times reported: “Len Stockwell has been engaged
to umpire the ball game Thursday at the Farmer’s picnic at Woodward’s Grove,
which will no doubt add much interest to the game.” One week later, the same
paper carried this advertisement:
For Sale—Twenty thoroughbred White Leghorn, Spring Cockerels, $1.00 each, 25 pair thoroughbred Homing Pigeons, $1.00 per pair. Len C. Stockwell, Cordova, Ill.
On September 25, the same paper’s Cordova News section
showed that Len still had baseball on his mind:
Cordova is to be represented by a first class ball club the coming season if present prospects develop. Len Stockwell, who is an old professional player and is living here, will get up a good team, that will make it interesting for our neighboring towns. He will secure a first class pitcher, will do the catching himself and together with the talent we have here, can make up a very formidable team.
On October 2 the Moline Review-Dispatch reported that
Jennie had dropped her divorce suit. Davenport Times, October 16:
Last Friday during the severe thunder storm, while Len Stockwell was working on his new poultry house, a covey of nineteen quail flew into the large door that was standing open. They entered one of the large rooms that are enclosed with wire screen, and were made captive by a door being closed. They were badly scared probably by the heavy thunder and heavy downpour of rain, and seemed very content with good shelter. After being in captivity for about an hour and being viewed by quite a number of people, the doors were opened and Mr. Stockwell allowed them their liberty.
Same newspaper, March 15, 1904:
CORDOVA, Ill., March 12.—Len Stockwell has been sick with the la grippe for the past two weeks but is better at this writing.
And April 5:
A PLAYER RECOVERS HIS HEALTH
Len Stockwell of Cordova Pronounced Out of Danger by Physicians
(Times’ Special Service.)
CORDOVA, Ill., April 5.—Len Stockwell, the well known ball player, who is now living here, after undergoing a severe siege of typhoid fever for eight weeks, has so far recovered as to be able to be up and around the house. His attending physician, Dr. W.R. Freek reports him this morning out of danger and with due care, he will soon regain his former good health. Stockwell’s first professional ball playing was done with the famous Remington nine in Davenport in 1877. The Remingtons did not lose one of the 58 games they played that season. Stockwell spent five seasons playing on the Pacific coast and he intends returning there this fall, where he may make his permanent home.
But, one week later: “No change is reported in the condition
of Len Stockwell, who is sick with tuberculosis.”
On June 15, 1904, the Cordova news column of the Moline
Dispatch included the item: “Len Stockwell was in Davenport Thursday and
Saturday.” On July 27 the Davenport Times’ Cordova news mentioned that:
“Mrs. Len C. Stockwell and son, Leonard, returned Sunday after a week’s visit
with friends in Davenport.” Same paper, September 13:
Hugh Nicol, manager of the Rock Island ball club, was a guest at Prouty’s “Villa” Wednesday and Thursday. Business and pleasure were combined, while he was entertained by Len Stockwell, who is an old-time friend of Nicol, they having played ball together many years…
They only played together one year that I know of, 1891. Len’s
health was still poor, and in January 1895 he headed for California in hopes
the climate would help. But he died in Niles, north of San Jose. San
Francisco Examiner, January 30:
STOCKWELL—In Niles, Alameda county, Cal., January 28, Lew [sic] C., beloved husband of Jennie Stockwell, and father of Leonard Stockwell, a native of Cordova, Ill., aged 47 [45] years. (Cordova papers please copy.)
**Remains will be sent to Cordova, Ill., to-day (Monday) for interment.
Moline Dispatch, February 4:
LEN STOCKWELL DIES; FAMOUS BALL PLAYER
Expires While Enroute to California for His Health—Once Member of Chicago White Sox and of Clevelands.
Leonard C. Stockwell, at one time famous as a National League player, died last Sunday morning while on his way to California in the interest of his health. In his wasted condition he was not able to endure the strain of the journey and the sudden change in climate.
Mr. Stockwell was one of the early stars on the old Chicago White Stockings [went to spring training with them one year] and Cleveland [two games in 1879, two in 1890] clubs and later played in the southern league. He was taken ill about one year ago with lung troubles. He is survived by his wife, Jennie, and one son, Leonard, 6 years old, also his father, Leonard Stockwell, and one brother, Will. His mother died about a year ago.
The remains were sent to his home in Cordova in this county for burial.
Davenport Quad-City Times, February 6:
SAD DEATH OF LEN. STOCKWELL
News of the death of “Len” Stockwell, as he was known in Davenport as a boy, will be received by his old friends here with regret. Leonard C. Stockwell formerly lived in Davenport, up on Grand avenue, and demonstrated his ability as a ball player then in games with A.L. Mossman and others of our old-time stars. He afterward became one of the noted ball-players of the country, being one of the early stars of the Chicago and the Cleveland teams, and doing the California and Southern leagues and later serving as an umpire. His baseball days over, he came to Cordova, Ill., where his father lives, and was photographer and store-keeper there.
Last week, suffering from consumption, he started for California, but was too wasted away to stand the journey, and died en route. He is survived by his wife, his son Leonard, six years old, and his father, Leonard Stockwell. His mother died about one year ago.
The funeral took place at Cordova.
Stockton Evening Mail, February 24:
DEATH OF LEN C. STOCKWELL.
The death of Len C. Stockwell, who was at one time the catcher of the Stockton baseball nine when this city was in the California League many years ago, occurred recently at Niles. Stockwell came from the East a few weeks ago and went to Niles to be with an old friend, George Fisher, in the hope that the change would be of benefit to his health, but he died the second day after his arrival. His remains were shipped back to the Stockwell home in Cordova, Ill. When the ball player lived in California after the breaking up of the Stockton ball team he married Miss Lehe, a native of this city and a daughter of the late Colonel Eugene Lehe.
Postscript.
Chicago Daily News, May 13, 1955:
Sales Chief Dies Of Gas in Auto.
Leonard S. Stockwell, 57, of 5056 Washington blvd., was found dead of carbon monoxide gas Friday morning in the West-Gate Motor Co., Inc., 5420 Cermak rd., Cicero.
Cicero police said Stockwell was seated in an automobile with the motor running and a hose leading from the exhaust pipe into the car. Stockwell was sales manager of the automobile agency.
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