October 23, 2016

It was a different time

By one account 250,000 people tried to get into the Polo Grounds to see the game. It was baseball's "Woodstock" moment. By 12:45 the gates were locked for a scheduled 3:00 first pitch. Legitimate ticket holders were refused admission. Fights broke out everywhere as fans tried to get their money back from scalpers. Two men fell to their deaths.

A mob burned down an outfield wall to gain entry but were beaten back by charging mounted police. According to Cait Murphy in her book Crazy ’08, Presidential candidate William Howard Taft’s brother Henry got in by crawling through the sewers, accompanied by a future Attorney General.

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