May 15, 1893: Farmer Vaughn Attacks Steve Brodie With a Bat

     On May 15, 1893, a 10-6 Browns win over the Cincinnati Reds in St. Louis featured a brawl that ended with a police escort. The melee occurred during the fifth inning with the Browns rallying from a 6-1 deficit, as St. Louis' center fielder Steve Brodie came into a score a run with a collision at home plate. Cincinnati's catcher Farmer Vaughn was enraged, so he picked up a bat and threw it at Brodie, then attempted to go get another bat as Brodie attempted to go after him. In the blink of an eye every man on both teams was on the field as tempers flared. According to the article that I located in the Baltimore American, the Browns first baseman Perry Werden followed Vaughn's lead by picking up a bat and throwing it at the embattled Reds catcher. In the end Vaughn attempted to get the hell out of Dodge, but was stopped, then held for police officers, who escorted him from the premises, then issued him a hefty $25 fine. After the melee the fans in the stands sat back and watch their Browns dismantle the Reds with a comeback win.