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Gus Sherry

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1 Gus Sherry, born about 18622 in Missouri3 , was a professional baseball player from 1886-1899. Sherry played with many professional teams in Arkansas during the early 1890s.

Name

Sherry's real surname was most commonly given as 'Sheringhausen', typically shortened to 'Sherry' or 'Scharry'. This surname, however, had many spelling variants, the most probable of which to be correct is 'Scharringhausen'4 .

Identity

Knowing that Sherry was from St. Louis, born about 1862, and worked as a brick maker5 , there are two possible identities most likely to be Sherry6 . The 1870 and 1880 U.S. Censuses list two different individuals named Gustav Scharringhausen living in St. Louis, born about 18627 . It's unclear which of the two was Gus Shery.

Biography

Sherry with Houston in 1889.
Sherry with Houston in 1889.
Sherry's baseball career began as early as 1885 when he played with Springfield, IL8 . In 1886, he played with St. Joseph, and in 1887, he captained the Wichita, KS, Western League team9 . When the league folded, Sherry made his way to Joplin, MO, and joined a local independent team10 . That fall, with cooler weather coming, Sherry and the Joplin team made their way south to tour Texas. The team impressed the Austin, TX, baseball figures, and as a result, many of the Joplin players were retained by Austin for the inaugural season of the Texas League in 1888.

Sherry became a well known ballplayer in Texas, and over the next couple of seasons played with various Texas League teams, including San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas. Having been released by Austin in June, 1890, however, Sherry was signed by independent Pine Bluff, AR, beginning a relatively lengthy association with professional baseball in Arkansas. He played with Pine Bluff again in 1891 before he was signed by independent Van Buren, AR, where he played in 1892. In 1894, he played with the Camden, Arkansas State League team.


Excerpts

"Gus Sharinghouse has been assigned to third, and no fears are entertained for the welfare of the game at that point."11

"CAPTAIN SHARINGHAUSEN. The St. Louis Boy to Captain and Coach the Wichita Team . . . Sharinghausen has been made captain of the team and as captain he is a daisy."12

"Gus Sherry, the San Antonio second baseman, jumped his club this week and went North. They don’t mourn him much, as he was a weak spot in the team."13

"Gus Scharringhauren (Sherry), second baseman of the late Austin Club, is here Austin, and would like to hear from managers in want of a good man for second bag. Sherry is a good fielder, a fair base-runner and a splendid sticker. He says he is taking good care of himself, and looks to be in fine form."14

"Sheringhausen, familiarly known as Sherry, will also be a member of our team [Houston] this season. He was with the old Joplin, Mo. nine that McClosky brought to Austin in 1887, and later played with Austin and San Antonio Texas League teams. His position is second baseman and he is considered one of the best in the State. He is also a heavy batter and fine runner."15

"Gus Sherringheusen, or Sherry, as he is known is from St. Louis and is 28 years of age, the last five of which he has put in on the diamond. He came to Texas with the Joplins and covered second for the Austin-San Antonio combination last year."16

"Sheringhausen, or Sherry, as he is familiarly called by all of his friends, is making the greatest record of any third baseman in the South. His errorless playing at third his marvelous one-handed pick-ups of grass cutters, his great throws to first and his fine hitting and base-running, have made him the pride of the team, besides one of its most valuable members. Watch him."17

"Gus Sherringheisen, or Sherry, will attend to third base this year. He is the tallest man in the team and weighs 185 pounds. He has played with the St. Joe club of the Western league, with the Arkansas City club of the Southwestern league, with the Austin team, and last year with the Houstons. The baseball lovers of Fort Worth are familiar with his ability as a ball tosser, and it goes without saying that he is a better man that Hill, whose place he will take. He is a hard hitter and has a toboggan gait when he points for second."18

"Sherry and Bellman were released yesterday. It is understood Sherry has an offer from Dallas."19

"Sherry, late of Houston and Tyler, third base . . . Sherry who guards third bag [for Pine Bluff], late of the Tyler Club, and is playing a fine game. His throwing to first base is out of sight."20

"Sherringhaus and his Texas League pitcher League pitcher, Mr. W. Longley came in Saturday afternoon on the Cotton belt, and yesterday joined the boys in a little practice at Jones Park. Sherry showed up in old time style, while Mr. Longley made a very favorable impression."21

"Sherry, who led the Texas League, at first base [has been signed by Memphis]."22

"Gus Sherry, second baseman, from St. Louis, Mo. [is with Galveston]."23

"We Van Buren will have a new third basemen in Sherry of last year’s Pine Bluff."24

"Gus Sherry, the ex-Texas leaguer, who played with Austin and San Antonio in '88, and with Houston the following year, was with the visitors from the Capital City, and played second base."25

"Gus Sherry belonged to the St. Joseph, Mo., team, he said prior to joining Wichita in the Kansas league. Sherry had signed with Philadelphia before that, but they had succeeded in securing another second baseman, and, as not even the big leagues could stand to see too many men sitting idle on the benches, his services were not required. Wichita in those days, said Sherry, had on a tremendous boom. It looked like there were 100,000 people there, mostly newcomers, and speculation was rife. Gus Sherry said, "We had to build our own park, about five miles out, more or less, and walk at that. But I was just out of a brick yard and didn't mind work. The town was growing so fast, though, and prosperity advancing by such jumps, that we had to move the park three or four times, and that got old. But those folks did like good sport, they piled out there by the thousands, in wagons, buggies, a horseback, a foot, and there were the little mule cars, they made an occasional dime, too. They bought us the stovepipe hats and patent leather shoes, treated us like kings; we were drawing National league crowds and were leading our league when, I think in August, it went under. "Wichita then took the place of Leavenworth in the Western league, composed of Lincoln, St. Jo, Omaha, Wichita, Denver and Topeka. "After the Western league disbanded for the season, about 100 of us found ourselves in Joplin, a great baseball town. I was making for home at St.Louis, but we stayed in Joplin."26

Stats

Statistics at Baseball-Reference.com.

2 Sherry was 28 in 1889, according to the Dallas Morning News, 3/31/1889, p.8
3 Both Possible identities for Gus Sherry were born about 1862 in Missouri.
4 Sherry was from St. Louis, where the spelling 'Scharringhausen' is most frequently found in official records
6 Dallas Morning News, 3/31/1889, p.8
7 Gustav Scharringhausen (son of Diedrich and Louisa Scharringhausen) and Gustav Scharringhausen (son of Henry Scharringhausen and Magdelena "Lina" Hawn). The two were probably cousins.
9 The Sporting News, 6/4/1887, p.1
11 The Sporting News, 3/29/1886, p.6
12 The Sporting News, 6/4/1887, p.1
13 Sporting Life, 8/15/1888, p.5
14 Sporting Life, 12/12/1888, p.3
15 Sporting Life, 3/13/1889, p.5
16 Dallas Morning News, 3/31/1889, p.8
17 Sporting Life, 6/26/1889, p.3
18 Fort Worth Daily Gazette, 3/23/1890, p.9
19 Fort Worth Daily Gazette, 5/15/1887
20 The Sporting News, 7/19/1890, p.4
21 Arkansas Gazette, 5/12/1891
22 The Sporting News, 4/2/1892, p.1
23 Sporting Life, 4/30/1892, p.1
24 The Sporting News, 6/18/1892 p.3
25 Sporting Life, 12/30/1893, p.4