Earlier this week, we heard about a 1909 trial in Jamestown that was the talk of the state as Folks involved with a baseball game had been put on trial for violating the Sunday Blues Laws, which, among other things, prohibited “public sports” on Sundays. The trial resulted in not-guilty verdict, and while the prohibition remained on the books, it wasn’t always respected.
In fact, just after the trial, the newspaper in Ambrose, in Divide County, reported about games scheduled for this date, which was also a Sunday. The paper characterized the town as the Mecca for baseball fans because the games featured three of the fastest teams in the region.
The first game was between Ambrose and Flaxton at 1pm, with the second game at 3 between Ambrose and Kenmare. The Soo Line railroad even scheduled a special excursion trip between Kenmare and Ambrose for the occasion.
The games were late enough for local church-goers to finish up their weekly ablutions before the festivities began. And this proved good, because the games had garnered interest in all quarters – including church authorities, who watched the ongoing entertainment with some wariness as well as interest.
The Ambrose paper also reported on a sermon by the Rev. A. S. Hale of Minot, who "delivered an interesting and timely sermon on 'baseball.’" He likened the game to life, with the bases representing childhood, manhood, old age, and death. The analogy went on, but came down to this point – that the local games he had seen were "clean exhibitions." The only thing Hale did not like about baseball was the "grandstand betting."
Even the Reverend Ogden, whose complaint had led to the trial in Jamestown, seemed to change his mind, reporting: "There was no rowdyism, no vulgarity, and apart from the simple fact of the day and the law, the whole game was a splendid affair. After watching the game, I returned up town convinced that the Sunday ballparks are not chief among wrongdoings of Jamestown residents on the Sabbath."
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
The Ambrose Newsman, Friday, July 16, 1909, p1
The Ambrose Newsman, Friday, July 23, p.2 and p6
