Walton Hugh Goldsby (December 31, 1861 – January 11, 1914), also spelled Walten Hugh Goldsby, was a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player who played as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

for parts of three seasons in top professional leagues in 1884, 1886, and 1888. He was a member of five different teams during these seasons; the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Richmond Virginians The Richmond Virginians was the name of a minor league baseball franchise that played in Richmond, Virginia, from 1954 through 1964. The team competed at the Triple-A level as members of the International League, and were affiliated with the ...

, and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

, and the

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

. During his playing days, his listed height was 5'10.5", and his weight as 165 lbs. In addition to his major league experience, Goldsby also appeared as a both a player and a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

in minor league baseball, most notably for the

Topeka Golden Giants Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Unit ...

of the Western League in 1887. In 1889, while he was a

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

for a team in

Evansville, Illinois Evansville is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 701 at the 2010 census. Geography Evansville is located at (38.089613, -89.933976). According to the 2010 census, Evansville has a total area of , of which ...

, he suffered partial paralysis during a game; acute

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

was diagnosed as a cause. He left baseball a short time later, and worked for the railroad.

Early life

Walton Hugh Goldsby was born on December 31, 1861 in

Marion, Louisiana Marion is a town in Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 765 at the 2010 census, a decrease from 806 at the 2000 census. This population includes the village of Truxno in the northwestern corner of the city limits. It is p ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

immigrants. In 1880, he was living with his widowed mother Dottie, a schoolteacher, as a boarder in a hotel located in

Prescott, Arkansas Prescott is a city and the county seat of Nevada County, Arkansas, United States. The community had a population of 3,296 at the 2010 census. Prescott is part of the Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area. Located 100 miles southwest of Little Ro ...

Career

He began playing with an amateur baseball club in

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a b ...

in 1883, and later that year, he began playing professionally with a team in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

.''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'', June 19, 1889 He continued with the team into the 1884 season when he was signed by the

of the

(AA), and made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

debut on May 29, 1884. He played just five games for the Browns, and was released after collecting four

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

in 20

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s for a .200

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

. He returned to Evansville, but was soon signed by the

of the AA, and he was playing for the team in the latter part of July 1884. On August 2, the '' Evening Star'' opined that the Nationals'

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

, now consisting of Goldsby, Frank Olin, and Willie Murphy, had made a significant improvement. Despite the praise, and good play, he was released from the teams after playing in six games and a .375 batting average. He later appeared in 11 games for the

, and was released from the team in September. After the AA season had completed, he was again playing for Evansville. Goldsby played for the

Atlanta Atlantas Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 li ...

of the Southern League (SL) during the 1885 minor league baseball season. In 93

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

, he hit six

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, and had a .291 batting average. He began the 1886 baseball season playing for, and

managing Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

, the

Nashville Americans The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League from 1885 to 1886. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. ...

of the Southern Association. In August, he issued a fine of $25 to pitcher

Ed Dundon Edward Joseph "Dummy" Dundon (July 10, 1859 – August 18, 1893) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Columbus Buckeyes (AA), Columbus Buckeyes for two seasons and was the first deaf player in Major League Baseball hist ...

, who was a

deaf-mute Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have som ...

; Goldsby feeling that he had intentionally allowed an opposing player to hit a home run. This turned out to be a very unpopular decision among his team members, as well as the local press. On September 2, it was reported that Goldsby was suffering from a bout of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. By the middle of September, he was no longer playing for Nashville, and had signed with the

of the

. With the Nationals, he played in six games and collected just four hits in 22 at bats for a .222 batting average. Goldsby returned to the minor leagues in 1887, becoming the

of the

of the Western League. He had the best season of his minor league career, batting a .422 average, scored 112 runs, hit 13 doubles, and nine

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

. The following season, he continued his role as a player-manager, though he moved to the Birmingham Maroons of the SL. After a meeting of SL officials in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, it was determined that league would be accepted into the National Agreement and agree to respect the

reserve clause The reserve clause, in North American professional sports, was part of a player contract which stated that the rights to players were retained by the team upon the contract's expiration. Players under these contracts were not free to enter into ano ...

. However, the teams were not able to contribute the money necessary to bind the agreement and secure the right to reserve their own players, so many of them decided to take larger offers from other leagues. Goldsby was one of these, and by mid-July, had accepted an offer with the

of the AA. He played in 45 games for the Orioles through the remainder of the season, compiled 17

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s, and had a .236 batting average. Though he was listed among the Baltimore players that had been reserved, he never again played in another major league. After being released by the Orioles in March 1889, he joined the Evansville Hoosiers of the

Central Interstate League The Central Interstate League was an independent minor league baseball league that operated from 1888 to 1890. William H. Allen (1888), Henderson Ridgely (1889), E.T. McNeally (1890) and Fitzpatrick (1890) served as the league presidents. Th ...

as their player-manager. On June 12, he suffered a bout of partial-

paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

of his right side. He was diagnosed with acute

, that had affected his brain. He had been playing for weeks while feeling ill, causing him to suffer anxiety. During the previous season, in a game against the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

, he was hit the head with a ball, causing him to lose consciousness. He complained of total memory loss of the day. It was thought that this incident could have played a part in his illness. He wouldn't appear again as a player or manager until he appeared in 15 games for the Memphis Giants of the Southern Association in 1892. Later, 1903, he was employed as an alternate

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

with the SL based in Memphis.''The Sporting News'', May 20, 1903, P. 6

Post-baseball life

After Goldsby's baseball career ended, he returned to Arkansas, and was later married. In 1900, he was living with his brother in

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...

. He is listed as a married man for the last seven years, but his wife was not living in the same household. His occupation was an orderly for a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. In 1910, he was working as a

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

for a railroad; he was listed as divorced and living in a

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

boarding house. On January 11, 1914, Goldsby committed suicide in a

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

hotel called the "Campbell House", by a self-inflicted shot to the head with a .45 caliber revolver. He had been registered as a resident of Dallas, and left a lengthy suicide note detailing general despondency. He was survived by his brother, and his son Miles, both of whom lived in

Harrisburg, Arkansas Harrisburg is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,288 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is the county seat of Poinsett County. Geography H ...

.''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'', January 12, 1914 He was a member of the St. Louis chapter of the Knights of the Pythias, and the funeral was held in Dallas by a local Knights lodge on January 12. He was interred at Oakland Cemetery in Dallas on January 13.''The Dallas Morning News'', January 14, 1914

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsby, Walt 1861 births 1914 suicides People from Marion, Louisiana People from Prescott, Arkansas Sportspeople from Pine Bluff, Arkansas American people of Irish descent Baseball players from Louisiana 19th-century baseball players Minor league baseball managers Major League Baseball outfielders Atlanta Atlantas players Baltimore Orioles (AA) players Birmingham Maroons players Evansville Hoosiers players Memphis Giants players Nashville Americans players Richmond Virginians players St. Louis Browns (AA) players Topeka Golden Giants players Washington Nationals (1886–1889) players Washington Nationals (AA) players Suicides by firearm in Texas