The mystery that surrounded this story began where most of my (and perhaps yours, too) mysteries begin and are mostly answered - firmly entrenched down a rabbit hole on Newspapers.com, the largest and most popular of all the subscription newspaper databases. Within an hour, I had initiated free trials to no fewer than three other database services in a desperate attempt for more information, to connect the dots, piece the puzzle together, or whatever shitty cliché belongs here (sorry, kids).
Oh, I don't normally abuse free trials in this manner...but I think we all have been here before...I think.
The initial discovery led to the writing of this story - that of an exciting-yet-sparsely documented turn of the century Black baseball club, the tragic murder of their right fielder, and the subsequent (unsurprisingly) questionable justice doled out by the court system.
As it were, while searching for something completely unrelated, I happened to stumble upon an October 8, 1903 news brief from the Indianapolis Star:
The tragic event, though seemingly straightforward in the article's three sentences, would prove much hazier, if not mysterious, during the ensuing days.
I had never heard of Roy Beard, and had absolutely no familiarity with any baseball teams in Vincennes, Indiana at this time, Black or white. Who was he? What team did he play for? What the hell happened on October 7, 1903 in that Vincennes saloon?
The Idaho Stars
Around the turn of the century, the southwestern Indiana city of Vincennes, located on the Wabash River and home to the state's first institution of higher education (the eponymously named Vincennes University) was a quiet burg of just over 10,000 people. Interestingly, despite it's seeming remoteness, Vincennes was the earliest European settlement in the entire state of Indiana. For those who may have an increased awareness of Indiana geography, Vincennes is situated approximately halfway between Terre Haute and Evansville.
From a demographic standpoint, according to 1900 census data, the entirety of Knox County (which Vincennes serves as the county seat) boasted a population of 32,746. The population at this time, not terribly surprising, was over 98% white. Given the demographics of the area, one may surmise the social hierarchy in Vincennes without much imagination and with reasonable (presumptive) accuracy.
Most interestingly, in looking around the baseball landscape, there didn't seem to be any white teams that consistently banded together for games. In fact, it was abundantly clear that the toast of the town, speaking baseball anyway, was an all-Black outfit called the Idaho Stars. Despite my best efforts, it cannot be reasonably concluded why they settled on their interesting team name. One guess is that they might have been trying to make themselves sound more exotic.
The Idaho Stars had never crossed my purview - even as someone with an insatiable appetite for Black baseball history in the state of Indiana. I suppose that unless you were explicitly searching for them, you may never find them. I'm glad I did. They were clearly one of the best and most organized semipro teams, white or Black, in the entire state at this time.
The Stars squared off against many of the same foes as the early Indianapolis ABCs - though there is no evidence that the teams themselves ever played each other. One consistent opponent for the Stars was the St. Louis Lemps. The Lemps were sponsored by the Lemp Brewery and reputedly carried St. Louis Browns farmhands regularly on the roster. Between 1901 and 1902, the Stars won two of the three game against the Lemps.
Now, grasping at more than just straws, the picture began to paint itself.
I was able to find game recaps, line scores, or a final score reported for 37 Idaho Stars games - played all over the southern half of Indiana, as well as Illinois and Missouri. In the games I could find between 1900-1903, the Stars boasted nearly a .600 winning percentage. On top of their skilled play, their uniforms were also resplendent - with the papers commenting that the blue uniforms with maroon trim were 'quite nobby'.
After quickly brushing up on some turn of the century lingo I was otherwise unfamiliar with, the word 'nobby' means 'cleverly stylish' or 'chic'.
Anyway, if Roy played for a Black Vincennes-based team, it had to be the Idaho Stars, right? Though poring through dozens of newspapers to that point, I could not find any mention that would tie him to the Stars. To be fair, individual players were very rarely mentioned in game recaps or line scores, save the pitcher and catcher.
One player of note I was able to confirm played on the Stars at this time was William 'Cap' Embry. He played with the Stars for about ten seasons, but would gain local fame as an umpire - a post he would hold until finally retiring in 1959 at 81 years old. In 1957, the folks of Vincennes fundraised enough money to send the local baseball luminary to his first World Series game.
Embry later recalled an instance when the Idaho Stars booked a game with their crosstown rivals, the French Town Crescents. The Crescents, an all-white team, had long refused to cross bats with the Stars. When they finally relented, a clear message was sent as to who held baseball superiority in the area. The game summary was reprinted in the August 21, 1954 issue of the Indianapolis Recorder:
'A great crowd was there and also the entire police force...Everybody, it seemed, expected a riot...But the game ended peacefully. The score - Idaho Stars 36, Crescents 1.'
Anyway, after taking turns with Newspapers.com (who I hold a subscription to), Ancestry.com (who I didn't, free trial), and GeneologyBank.com (free trial), and Hoosier Chronicles (which is free, fortunately), and coming up empty on confirming Roy's spot on the team, I took a final Hail Mary pass with a free trial from NewspaperArchives.com.
I found what I was looking for:
Elated, I was able to confirm that Roy Beard was indeed a member of the vaunted Idaho Stars, where he patrolled the right field grass.
Roy Beard
Unfortunately, not much is known about Roy Beard. That is not to say nothing is known and that educated guesses can't be made.
According to the census, Roy was born in Vincennes to James Beard (who found work as a plasterer) and Lydia Stewart. His father would later remarry a women named Ella. The exact date of his birth is unknown and year is cloudy; the 1880 census lists it as December 1880, while it is recorded in the 1900 census as December 1879. The year 1881 would later be offered as well.
By age 20, Roy was living at 1226 Seminary Street in Vincennes - the approximate site of the present-day Heritage State Bank. Aside from picking up income as a ballplayer, Roy also worked as a waiter, porter, and a barber around Vincennes.
He traveled frequently, particularly with his buddies, often heading to Indianapolis and St. Louis for weekend excursions. Often, the travels went off without a hitch, save at least once. According to the August 3, 1900 issue of the Daily Mail out of Bedford, Indiana, while Beard and fellow Idaho Star William Monroe were returning from visiting friends in Bloomington, Indiana, Monroe, while attempting to jump a southbound train in the early hours of the morning, slipped and fell, injuring his foot.
Roy certainly seemed social and well-liked. On May 10, 1900, he was inducted as a member of the local Odd Fellows Lodge, according to the Indianapolis Recorder.
To reiterate his popularity, Roy had apparently fallen victim to pneumonia in early 1903. When it was conveyed by the Recorder that he was on the mend, the February 28 report stated, 'The many friends of Roy Beard are pleased to learn of his recovery from a serious attack of pneumonia (while visiting) Terre Haute.'
The question still begged - what happened to the ballplayer that October 7, 1903 night?
The week of October 5-10, 1903 was the annual Knox County Fair. The event, like most county fairs, was a highlight of the year for the area residents. In fact, it was reported that over 8,000 people watched the horse races alone. Special excursion lines from all over southwestern Indiana ran to Vincennes for the week.
This much is known; Roy Beard walked into Martin's Saloon at around 7 o'clock in the evening on October 7. Due to the swelled population of Vincennes from the county fair, there was a dramatic increase of folks on the street and patrons the local watering holes. Many were spending what they earned at the racetrack, others lamenting money lost on the horses.
Not long after Beard entered the saloon (who accompanied him is not known), bartender George McAndrew, a 32-year-old white man, pulled a revolver from his hip and shot him in the chest. Roy was dead before he hit the floor.
Many of the shocked patrons of Martin's Saloon flooded the streets to spread the news, some ran in fear, while others sprinted towards the establishment to see what the commotion was.
McAndrew was quickly placed under arrest and thrusted into a county jail cell. Beard was slowly wheeled to Gardner's Morgue. Word of the murder spread quickly. Beard's friends and many other members of the county's Black population soon gathered around the county jail.
'The negroes (sic) are greatly incensed and trouble is feared,' the Hamilton County Ledger reported later. The most vocal of the gathering was Roy's stepmother Ella, frenzied and parading through the streets of Vincennes, encouraged justice for Roy:
'He's killed my son! Lynch the murderer!"
While quite a crowd gathered in front of the jail, McAndrew remained in his cell.
In what could later be realized as a precursor to the criminal trial, while the prosecuting attorney brought murder charges against McAndrew, McAndrew's own lawyer John T. Goodman filed a petition for habeas corpus on October 13 - less than a week after the murder. The petition formally challenged the legality of McAndrews imprisonment for his charged crime.
When Roy Beard was murdered, newspapers in no fewer than 13 states and all over the state of Indiana ran the story. A critical error was reported in the vast majority of these printings; the white bartender killed the 'colored' Roy Beard because either a) there was a quarrel over the price of drinks ordered or b) Beard had refused to pay for his drinks ordered. In time, it was shown that neither of these were true. It was also widely reported that Beard then pulled a razor on McAndrew, who then pulled his revolver and shot him. This claim would not be further substantiated.
After running the initial news brief, virtually none of the newspapers covered the event any further. This being the case, an important detail would hardly see the light of day; Beard didn't refuse to pay for drinks or quarrel over the price of drinks - that's because McAndrew refused to serve Beard altogether. He also prohibited him from playing any of the bar's dice games.
On October 17, 1903, ten days after the murder, the Indianapolis Recorder printed an explosive addendum to the initial brief:
'In an article last week stateing (sic) Roy Beard was killed in a fight was a mistake, as McAndrews didn't exchange words with him. It was a cold blooded murder and he was shot and killed without cause or provocation.'
McAndrews trial was held on November 24, 1903 about seven weeks after Beard's death.
He was acquitted of the murder in just thirty minutes. I found two papers that covered the outcome of the trial, both taking note of the quick verdict. Both noted that Beard was clearly wronged and seemed resigned to the fact the ensuing lack of punitive measure was the natural recourse...almost with the ease of a shoulder shrug:
Indianapolis Journal, November 25, 1903:
'Last fair, Beard threatened McAndrew for having refused him to shake dice or drink in his saloon and McAndrew shot in the self-defense and instantly killed the negro.'
From the Evansville Courier and Press, November 25, 1903:
'McAndrew refused to sell liquor to Beard in October last. Beard said he was just as good as a white man and when he threatened him, McAndrew shot in defense.'
Interestingly, the nature of the 'threat' of was not shared. If a razor was truly involved, one would think it'd be further expounded upon.
Either way, the Courier and Press concluded that 'The verdict was no surprise, the evidence showing that McAndrew was forced to shoot to save his own life.'
Roy Beard was buried in the City Cemetery on October 9, 1903. That cemetery has since been renamed 'Greenlawn Cemetery'. Roy has an entry on FindAGrave.com (albeit under 'Ray' Beard), but there is no plot number associated with his final resting place.
If anyone is reading this in the Vincennes area, I'd sure appreciate you reaching out. It would be nice to make sure his grave is tended to if it's not already.
The Idaho Stars continued play in western Indiana until approximately 1915. There is very little to be found on the club currently. Coincidentally, my pal and fellow Negro Leagues enthusiast Ryan Whirty did a piece partially dedicated to Cap Embry in September 2014.