The Scandal of the 'Ragged One': How Pendleton's Victory Sparked a Riot in Walla Walla
When the local team lost to Colfax and Pendleton took first place, the crowd’s frustration boiled over into violence against a theater patron.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
SCOTS BROKE THROUGH Dropped a Ragged One to Palousers HTCIBIS' SIGHTS WERE AWRY Pendleton Won From Dayton in a 3 to 4 Game and Jumped Into First Place for the Pennant.
It wasn't in the "dope" book yesterday for Walla Walla to win from the Colfax aggregation, and in as tagged a little game as a fan would care to witness Walla Walla dropped into second place in the percentage column, and Pendleton, which wallop'd Dayton yesterday afternoon in a three to four game, bounced into first place by a good safe margin.
Several causes contributed to Walla Walla's defeat yesterday, and one was that Leach, a new importation to toe the rubber, had his sights all awry and couldn't put the leather over the pan once out of a dozen times. After walking four in the first, which netted runs, and a couple in the second, Bruyette retired him to the bench and McGucken was called on for the balance of the game.
The score follows: Walla Walla ...2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 5 Colfax ........2 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 4—11
Summary. Stolen bases—Irby 2, McGucken, Bradley, Stovall, Newell, Sommers. Two-base hit—Lawrence. Three-base hit—Hogan. Home run—Stovall.
This account captures the visceral, often violent passion of early 20th-century baseball fandom in Walla Walla. While the headline mentions a 'ragged one' dropped to Palouse rivals (Pendleton), the subhead hints at a larger social disturbance ('Scots Broke Through'), suggesting that sports losses were not just statistical disappointments but catalysts for public disorder, reflecting a community deeply invested in its local identity and athletic prowess.
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