AN ARTICLE FROM THE BASEBLL
MAGAZINE:OCTOBER
THE OCCIDENTAL HOTEL IN SAN
FRANCISCO WAS JUST A BIT SHORT
OF BEING SLEEZY. IT WAS NOT FAR FROM A GROUP OF FACTORIES THAT SPECIALIZED
IN MEAT PACKING, HEAVY MACHINERY, AND STORING
VOLUMINOUS PILES OF GRAIN AND
BARLEY. HOTELS SUCH AS THE OCCIDENTAL CIRCLED THE AREA AND HOUSED SEAMEN
WHO HAD LANDED OFF SHIPS FROM THE NEARBY PORT, LOCAL TOURISTS WHO COULDN’T
STAY AT MORE EXPENSIVE QUARTERS, AND IMMI- GRANTS WHO WERE WORKING IN SHIFTS
AT THE FACTORIES.
THE DATE IS JAN. 13, 1903.
IT’S A COLD, NASTY WINTER.
GEORGE MURRAY SIGNED IN TO THE OCCIDENTAL FOR THE NIGHT. HE WAS DRESSED DECENTLY,
LOOKED TO BE AROUND HIS LATE TWENTIES AND HAD A SMALL WORN SATCHEL WITH
HIM.
THAT NIGHT SOME OF THE GUESTS SMELLED GAS COMING
FROM ROOM 215.THE NIGHTWATCHMAN BROKE DOWN THE DOOR. FIGHTING THE GAS, HE
CHARGED INTO THE BEDROOM. MURRAY’S BODY LAY DRAPED ACROSS THE BED WITH
A COAT AND WAISTCOAT OVER HIS HEAD. A TUBE WAS STUCK IN HIS MOUTH AND RAN
DOWN TO A NEARBY GAS JET. AMONG
SOME
PAPERS FOUND
ON THE NIGHTTABLE WAS A LETTER
WHICH READ, “TELL MR. VAN HORN OF THE LANGHARA HOTEL
THAT………….HAS TAKEN HIS LIFE. “
Win Mercer
was one of the few stars of the Washington Nationals. In 1896 he was
25-18 & in 1897 he had a
record of 20-20. He was also known for his hitting & was used often as
a pinch hitter. He had speed & was the first AL pitcher ever to steal
home. Ruggedly handsome, with a compact and well built frame, he
seemed to be the perfect complement to the teams he played
with. At the age of 29 he had
established a reputation as a knowledgeable ballplayer, a good teammate and
a team leader. One drawback though was his physical health. From his childhood
on he suffered from pulmonary problems. In recent years it had grown bad
enough to cause him to become despondent as each treatment he underwent did
not work out.
After leaving Washington he
came to Detroit & although his record was 15-18 he did have a fine 3.04
ERA.
Admiring
his leadership abilities, Detroit management offered him a job as player-manager
for the following season. He accepted and that brings us up to January 15,
1903 and George Murray.
Nobody knows why Win
Mercer signed into the Occidental Hotel under the name of George Murray.
The name appears nowhere else in any of his correspondences or business dealings.
He was never known to refer to himself as George Murray to any of his friends
or people he was introduced too.
Nobody knows why he committed
suicide with the prospects of such a bright future ahead of him. Letters
later found in his apartment mentioned “bad women” &
“gambling.” He also left a financial statement which indicated
that all his accounts were paid up.
It’s a mystery that for
100 years has not been solved.
