Brockelman September 2022 Auction Closes Tonight!

[rhettyeakley]

Scott, lot #36 in your auction is far more interesting than it appears at first glance. The "1900 Win Mercer New York Giants Periodical Cut-Out."

Win Mercer was a very interesting person and apparently was a fan favorite among the ladies due to his good looks and "piercing eyes" so much so that when he was with Washington he was purposely pitched on Ladies Night so the gates would increase.

Famously in 1897 when Win Mercer was ejected from one of these games by Umpire Bill Carpenter there was a riot of women that stormed the field and according to one account..."an army of angry females poured out of the stands. They surrounded Carpenter, shoved him to the ground and ripped his clothing. Finally, police brought the situation under control."

Anyways, he went on to play for the Tigers and he was appointed to be their player/manager for upcoming 1903 season. During a West Coast barnstorming tour Mercer abruptly committed suicide on January 12, 1903 which was widely reported in the newspapers...breaking the hearts of many of his devoted lady fans.

The information around his suicide was sketchy, he died by apparently inhaled illuminating gas in a San Francisco hotel room. There were reports that he had been drinking heavily and gambling even heavier and may have used funds that were not his own and saw no way of making it right, another report had to do with his relationship with a woman, another stated he left a suicide note decrying the vices of women and gambling

The new York Times stated the following....

"[Win Mercer] registered at the Occidental Hotel last evening. He was found asphyxiated in his room to-day. Mercer registered under the name George Murray and gave his residence as Philadelphia. The watchman of the hotel in making his rounds detected the odor of gas coming from Mercer's room and broke down the door. Mercer was on the bed with his coat and waistcoat covering his head; and a tube ran from the gas jet into his mouth. Among the papers found in the room was one which read: 'Tell Mr. Van Horn of the Langham Hotel that Winnie Mercer has taken his life.' Mercer was a sufferer of pulmonary troubles, and as the disease refused to yield to treatment he became despondent. He left a statement of his financial accounts, showing that he owed no money. He was twenty-eight years old...."

Back to the item in the auction. Many years ago I stumbled upon the only known (at least to me as I have never seen or heard of another) example of a small supplement that measures 6" x 8-1/2" from the Evening News Review (dated January 24, 1902 but that date is obviously wrong and should have been dated 1903) that was a memorial to him after his suicide.

Your copy appears to be the inner portion (should measure a little under 4' x a little over 5") that was trimmed from the supplement... perhaps by one of his many lady admirers?

Anyways, thought it was interesting to see another example of the piece and figured it a good time to share mine, I have never shown this before.

-Rhett