Baseball and Michael John Smith

In 1870, a 15-year-old boy named Michael John Smith wrote a short composition for his school. He titled it "A Base Ball Match":

Last Summer, I took a walk with my comrade to a large base ball yard belonging to the Athletic base ball club of this city at Columbia Avenue and Seventeenth street with the determination of seeing a grand match game of base ball between the celebrated Mutuals of New York City and the Athletics of this City. A large concourse of spectators assembled at the Athletic's ground in order to observe that professional club's playing a national game of base ball in that extensive yard and they thought that the Athletics would be able to achieve a great triumphant victory over the champion base ball players of New York city without difficulty. I jumped over the fence and ran with fear to the ladies' pavilion and concealed myself in it because I was afraid that the gate keeper would find me and kick me out. About two o'clock the Athletics and Mutuals were agreed to choose Mr Theodore T. Bomeisler of the Eureka base ball club of Newark in the State of New Jersey as umpire. At three o'clock the Mutuals won the toss and sent their famous opponents to the bat and played with the Athletics with great pleasure. In the seventh inning Mr Weston D. Fisler the first baseman of the Athletics struck a ball and sent it whizzing over the fence at centre field and scored one home run and the spectators applauded him for his tremendous batting. Both clubs played well till the nine innings were finished when they stopped playing and the scorers declared that the Athletics had gained a triumphant victory over the Mutuals by a score of 24 to 15 runs. The people of the city were very much glad that the Athletics were victorious and went home in all directions. The distinguished Mutuals were much ashamed because they had suffered their tenth defeat the last season and went into the coach and drove to the Girard House. Then I left the Athletic's ground and came back to this Institution and I explained about the base ball playing that I had seen to some boys who staid in here during the vacation and they said to me that they believed that the Athletics would beat the Red Stockings of Cincinnati Ohio easily.

This story of a baseball game from nearly 150 years ago is a wonderful rarity: a first-hand account of a game written not by a newspaper reporter, but by a young fan. However, it is all the more remarkable because of the story and mystery behind the young author.

First, here is my research into the baseball story of Michael John Smith:

"... a grand match game of base ball between the celebrated Mutuals of New York City and the Athletics of this City."

The ball game took place on July 4, 1870, between the Mutuals of New York City and the Athletics of Philadelphia, two of the top clubs of the day. The images below show both clubs from 1870:


New York Public Library Digital Gallery, Image ID: 55936


New York Public Library Digital Gallery, Image ID: 405464

The contest was the first of what was known as a home-and-home series. That is, the clubs agreed to play a best two-out-of-three series, with the Athletics hosting the first game, the Mutuals the second, and (if necessary) a final tie-breaker would be played on neutral grounds. Clubs commonly used this "home-and-home" format at the time. As it turned out, the Athletics won this 1870 series in three games.

"A large concourse of spectators assembled at the Athletic's ground ..."

This first game of the series took place at the Athletics home field at 17th and Columbia in Philadelphia. The lithograph below depicts a ball game played at the very same park in 1866:



(Interested readers can learn more about this park and the story behind the above image at my blog post titled "There Used to Be a Ballpark Right Here - Athletics Park.")

Various estimates pegged the crowd at anywhere from four to six thousand people, an impressive attendance, especially considering that storms threatened the afternoon contest. Happily, however, the rains never came, the clouds cleared, and the game began in sunshine just after three o'clock.

"I jumped over the fence and ran with fear to the ladies' pavilion and concealed myself in it because I was afraid that the gate keeper would find me and kick me out."

It's interesting,and a bit humorous, that Smith willingly admitted that he sneaked into the ball game without paying the 50 cent admission.

"... the Athletics and Mutuals were agreed to choose Mr Theodore T. Bomeisler of the Eureka base ball club of Newark in the State of New Jersey as umpire."

As was the custom at the time, the two clubs agreed upon a mutually acceptable individual to act as umpire. In this case, Theodore H. Bomeisler (Michael incorrectly gives his middle initial as "T.") filled the role as the sole arbiter of the contest. As noted by Michael, Bomeisler was a member of the Eureka Base Ball Club of Newark, New Jersey. However, the 33-year-old Bomeisler was a longtime resident of Philadelphia, a jeweler by trade, and had played ball in Philadelphia as early as 1853.

"... the Mutuals won the toss and sent their famous opponents to the bat ..."

Another practice in baseball of this era called for the winner of a coin toss to choose whether his club will bat or take the field first. Given that generally just one ball was used for the entire game, team captains often chose to bat first, so as to be the first to get a whack at a fresh, lively and clean baseball. In this case, however, Philadelphia chose to start in the field.

"In the seventh inning Mr Weston D. Fisler the first baseman of the Athletics struck a ball and sent it whizzing over the fence at centre field and scored one home run ..."

Philadelphia first baseman Wes Fisler (seen below while with the Athletics in 1874 collected three hits in the game.


New York Public Library Digital Gallery, Image ID:56677

However, a quick review of contemporary game accounts (including the box score below) shows that the Athletics failed to score at all in the seventh and that Fisler never homered in the game. It is likely that the schoolboy confused Fisler with Athletics center fielder John Phillips Jenkins "Count" Sensenderfer, who starred that day, homering three times (once each in the second, fifth and sixth innings)!


New York Clipper, July 16, 1870

The Philadelphia Inquirer's coverage of the game noted that in the second inning Sensenderfer came "all the way home on a beauty between centre and left field." Perhaps this is the home run that Smith misidentified as Fisler's in the seventh?

Interestingly, the pitcher that the Athletics punished in this game was Alphonse "Phonney" Martin (pictured below while with the Eckford Club of Brooklyn the following season). Though the name may not be familiar to the modern fan, Martin was a celebrated pitcher in his day, known for throwing tantalizingly slow, batter-befuddling "twisters." The same Philadelphia Inquirer article stated that Martin "had not been hit at all lively this season." Despite Martin's poor outing in this game, it is exciting to know that young Smith witnessed one of baseball's first great curveball pitchers.


New York Clipper, August 5, 1871

"Both clubs played well till the nine innings were finished when they stopped playing ..."

After the Mutuals scored three runs in the top of the ninth, the score stood 22-15 in favor of the Athletics. Nevertheless, as was the practice at the time, the final half inning was played to its completion, Philadelphia tacking on another pair of runs and gaining the 24-15 victory.

"The distinguished Mutuals ... went into the coach and drove to the Girard House."

The Girard House (seen in the woodcut below) was one of Philadelphia's best-known hotels. Located just a few miles southeast of the ballpark, at the corner of Ninth and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia, the return trip from the ballpark would have lasted perhaps 15 minutes.


The Illustrated History of the Centennial Exhibition, 1876

"... I explained about the base ball playing that I had seen to some boys ... and they said to me that they believed that the Athletics would beat the Red Stockings of Cincinnati Ohio easily."

The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings (seen below) gained fame for finishing the season without a loss. The next year they continued their winning streak, and just three weeks prior to the Athletics-Mutuals contest they suffered their first defeat since early October of 1868, an 8-7 loss in 11 innings to the Atlantic Club of Brooklyn on June 14.


New York Public Library Digital Gallery, Image ID:55937

Just over three weeks later, on July 27, the boys' prediction came true. Not only did the Athletics top the Red Stockings, 11-7, but the defeat came on the road ... in Cincinnati.

Now, here is my research into the story of Michael John Smith himself:

I found Smith's story in an unlikely location, a publication titled "The Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb for the Year 1870." Yes, Michael John Smith was deaf, having lost his hearing at the age of four.

From 1826 to 1893, the Institution occupied a building at 320 S. Broad Street at the corner of Broad and Pine.


Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-pga-00045


Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS PA,51-PHILA,348--1

It was from this location that Michael and his friend made the half-hour walk north to the ballpark. Designed by noted Philadelphia architect John Haviland, the building still stands today, the current home of The University of the Arts. In fact, UArts embraces the building's Greek Doric portico as the central theme of their logo:



At the age of four, Michael John Smith lost his hearing. It was also around that same time that he lost his father. This tragic story was the subject of an earlier composition by Michael, published in the previous year's "Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb" and titled "About the Murder of My Father":

About ten years ago, I was at home, when I was an ignorant boy. My father whose name was Andrew, was a landlord, who had a large hotel in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He loved to pray to God every night and morning. One night, I undressed myself and lay in my bed. My father conversed with my mother named Mary about some thing. A malicious man came to the door of the hotel and knocked at the door with his knuckles. My father opened the door and said to him "What do you want?" He said that he wanted to play with some men by gambling with cards. My father said to him "No sir, I do not permit gambling in my house." The bad man became very angry at my father and drew his long sharp knife. He charged upon my father and stabbed him in the lung and murdered him. My father fell down on the floor, but he did not die soon. My mother wept bitterly, and screamed. She kicked at the door and I felt a great noise. I got out of my bed and dressed myself in the bed-room. I came to my father and I was very much astonished to see my father bleeding out of his lung. I was very sorry and wept bitterly. The constables chased the murderer who killed my father and caught him. The judge sent him into the Johnstown Prison. My father laid down on the floor till the next morning. My father grew worse and worse and died. My mother was very much depressed in spirits. My mother bought a pretty coffin for him, and my friends and relatives came to see his dead body. They wept bitterly. After three days, the funeral procession went in order to the grave yard. He was interred in the grave. My friends and relatives went from the grave yard to their homes. I hope that my father is in heaven because he was a good christian. My mother was almost murdered by a bad robber, but I am very glad that she narrowly escaped from being murdered by the bad robber. The murderer of my father was hanged in the prison, because he murdered my father. In the year 1866, I came here in order to get an education. I always remember that my father was murdered. I am a half orphan and I often explain to the boys about my father's untimely death. My mother lives at Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. This is a true story.

Such a tragedy no doubt had a great impact on young Michael John Smith, but apparently his time at the Institution helped him greatly. In fact, his interest in baseball may have been a key to his education. The January 1888 issue of the American Annals of the Deaf featured a reminiscence of Benjamin Dean Pettengill, a longtime teacher at the Institution:

Benjamin Dean Pettengill, whose death occurred by railroad accident on the 21st of September last, was one of the most remarkable and widely known of the early teachers of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. No one who ever visited this Institution could fail to remember him. ... No teacher was ever more liberal or self-sacrificing for his pupils than Mr. Pettengill. ... He studied the different inclinations of his pupils, and tried to make them of aid in their advancement. If, for instance, he found a boy was fond of base-ball, he encouraged him in it, and got him to read accounts of the games in the papers, which he supplied in great numbers to his pupils. Michael John Smith, a deaf-mute who edits a paper in Colorado, was successfully brought out in this way.

Through baseball, Pettengill had helped the young Michael John Smith. Additionally, an article penned by Pettengill in the January 1878 issue of the American Annals of the Deaf noted that:

Deaf-mutes sometimes show considerable ingenuity and power of characterization in inventing (as school-boys are apt to do) sobriquets for their companions. For instance, a lad of amiable disposition, who was very popular among our pupils, got the name of "Lovely Charley. ... A lad who was very much interested in base-ball matches was called "the Champion Base-ball Thinker."

Could Michael John Smith have been that "Champion Base-ball Thinker?"

As noted in the 1888 article above, Michael John Smith was editor of a newspaper in Colorado. In fact, Smith held a number of jobs in the newspaper business throughout his adult life. His obituary ran in the December 31, 1896, issue of the Deaf-Mutes' Journal:

M.J. SMITH DEAD
WELL KNOWN AS "SOLID MULDOON"

M.J. Smith a deaf-mute, who is well known among the deaf of the whole country as "Solid Muldoon" of the DEAF-MUTES' JOURNAL, died of stomach, catarrh and consumption on Thursday, December 17th, at fifteen minutes to 8 o'clock P.M. at his home, 5909 Larimer St., Denver, Colo. M.J. Smith was also well known in Denver and Pueblo. He was formerly proprietor and editor of the Pueblo Merry World, and did editorial work on the Globeville News, East Denver Dispatch and East End Echo. His last paper, the Echo, printed an edition of one thousand eight hundred copies, and the circulation was still growing. Very few papers in the United States can boast of such a record in their first year. Smith was a bright attractive writer and was making his paper one of the best of its kind in the West. He was identified with various projects here for the past ten years. Upon coming to Denver from Pueblo, where he had successfully conducted the "Merry World," a comic paper, he renounced newspaper work and went to work in the Globe-Smelter, where he worked for several years, but his health began to fail and he was compelled to stop working at the smelter and again took up the pen. He worked at the different newspaper offices, and was with the East End Echo since its inception. His ever ready wit and sarcasm has had much to do with the success of the various enterprises, as all could depend upon a bright and newsy paper when "Dummy" was with it. Besides a large and extended circle of friends, he leaves a wife and two children to mourn his loss. Buried at Fairmont Cemetery on Saturday. December 19th, at 2 P.M.

Interestingly, a few years later, the identity of the deceased Smith was called into question in the very same newspaper. The July 19, 1900, issue of the Deaf-Mutes' Journal reads:

S.T. Mellard, Attorney-at-Law, of Wesson, Wisconsin, is searching for Information about Michael J. Smith and Milton J. Smith. Michael was well known to some of our deaf, having been a classmate of Thomas Breen and others; but nobody knows anything about a person as Milton. Michael, who died in Pueblo, Col., some years ago, was known to be averse to being called by his first name because it sounded too Irish. He might have changed it then, but this point has yet to be proved. The lawyer does not state the point he wishes to prove, but wants all the information he can get about the two. We think the JOURNAL had an obituary notice of Michael in the winter of 1896.

And then in the August 30, 1900, issue of the same paper came this contradictory note:

It does not appear to us that the M.J. Smith, who is spoken of, in the JOURNAL as having been its correspondent and editor of several Colorado newspapers, is the Michael John Smith wanted. The Colorado Smith married under the name of Milton J Smith and swore to that. Also it is alleged that when the M.J. Smith was accused that his real name was Michael J. Smith he sternly denied it and insisted that his true name was Milton J. Smith. We hope some on in Missouri or Colorado will come forward and establish without doubt the real Michael John Smith wanted, not an imaginary nor bolstered up one.

And yet the following detailed notice was published in the same issue of the paper:

Information is desired by the undersigned from any person who knew Michael John Smith, a former resident of Johnstown, Penn. He was a deaf-mute, born at Johnstown, Penn., September 12th, 1854. His parents were Andrew and Mary (Marron) Smith. He attended the Pennsylvania Institution for the Dead and Dumb from October 1st, 1866, to June 26th, 1872. Some time afterwards, he went west and little was known as to his whereabouts except that it was reported that he went into the newspaper business. It is said that he lived for a while in St. Louis and India, Ill. On December 17, 1896, one M.J. Smith died: he was a deaf-mute. It is the purpose of this notice to obtain information that will identify the deceased as the original Michael John Smith above mentioned. The Smith who died at Denver was at different times a worker in the steel mills and smelters of the west, but was devoted to journalism. He was under the nom-de-plume of “Solid Muldoon,” the Denver correspondent of the New York DEAF-MUTES' JOURNAL; in 1887 he founded and edited the Merry World, a paper published in Pueblo, Col. Was also on the East Denver Echo, and other Colorado papers while he lived at Denver and Pueblo. He also wrote for the Deaf-Mute Leader, of Brooklyn. While correspondent for the DEAF-MUTES’ JOURNAL, it is said he became involved in a newspaper controversy with the St. Louis correspondent o the same publication. In Colorado, Smith was known as “Dummy” Smith by reason of his being a deaf-mute. He was there sometimes spoken of as “Milton” J. Smith. He attended a deaf-mute convention held at Pittsburg, Penn., about twelve years ago.
The undersigned is attorney for the guardian of an only child of the M.J. Smith, of Colorado, and if this Smith can be shown to be the original Michael John Smith, of Johnstown, Penn., then the child will inherit an interest in an estate in Mississippi. Suit has been filed by the undersigned for the guardian of the child, and considerable proof has already been obtained to establish the identity of the Smith above mentioned, but more proof is desired. An early and full response is desired, giving information as to this party, his parentage, place of residence, his family, wife children, etc., etc.
Address,
G.G. Lyell, Attorney at Law,
Brookhaven, Mississippi

So who was M.J. Smith? One final, short notice helps prove what seems fairly clear: that Michael and Milton were one and the same. This brief blurb comes from the Deaf-Mutes Journal of August 29, 1889, and, ironically (or perhaps appropriately), involves a bit of baseball:

M. J . Smith, editor and proprietor of the Pueblo, Col., Merry World, is at present in Pittsburgh, Pa., visiting his relatives and friends. This is the first trip to the East since 1876. He will soon go to Baltimore to spend a week with his cousin, Tom Quinn, of the Baltimore Base Ball Club.

Clearly, the Colorado newspaperman is the same as the Johnstown-born boy who attended the 1870 Athletics-Mutual ball game.

Why all the confusion about Smith? Why were lawyers trying to determine his exact identity? Why did he "sternly deny" that his name was Michael? And why did his obituary mention that he left "a wife and two children," while G.G. Lyell's notice state that he had but one child? I can think of just one explanation: Michael John Smith had, for reasons unknown, abandoned a family in Mississippi (or perhaps elsewhere?), headed west, adopted a minor change to his name (substituting Milton for Michael), and began a new life and new family in Colorado

Maybe one day we'll have an answer to the mystery of Michael John Smith. For now, we have his interesting and enjoyable baseball reminiscence.

There Used to Be a Ballpark Right Here - Athletics Park

And there used to be a ballpark
Where the field was warm and green.
And the people played their crazy game
With a joy I'd never seen.
And the air was such a wonder
From the hot dogs and the beer.
Yes, there used to be a ballpark, right here.

It is likely that Frank Sinatra was thinking of Brooklyn's long gone Ebbets Field when he sang those words back in 1973, but there have been lots of ballparks that have disappeared over the years. In this and future blog postings, I'll take a look (and I do mean "look" ... we'll examine a number of images) at a few parks that are gone, but not forgotten.

First up: The old Athletics ballpark at 17th and Columbia in Philadelphia.

Though the park was home to the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia for just a few years in the mid-to-late 1860s, it was captured in a pair of oft-reproduced images. Perhaps the best known is this lithograph from 1867:



Titled "The Second Great Match Game for the Championship," the print depicts action from an October 22nd, 1866, match between the Athletics (at bat) and the visiting Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn (in the field). (The Athletics won 31-12.) The illustration was created and printed by John L. Magee of Philadelphia.

Note how this image shows a pickpocket "caught in the act" as seen in the bottom, left-hand corner. Here's a detail of the "action":



And bonus points to anyone who can explain the meaning of "My Toodles" written atop the paper held in the hands of a gambler(?) seen at the bottom middle of the image:



[See the update below for the solution to the "My Toodles" mystery.]

Another image of the park, this one illustrated by Joseph Boggs Beale, is found in this woodcut published in Harper's Weekly of November 18, 1865:


Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ppmsca-17532

This picture represented an earlier contest between the same two clubs, this one taking place on October 30, 1865, and resulting in an Atlantic victory, 21-15. A detail from this image (seen below) shows two men (boys?) playing leapfrog, another man falling down (drunk?), and another pair in the midst of a fight:



And note that at the center of the drawing, as seen in the detail below, there is a small structure with "ATHLETIC 1860" posted across the façade. Why 1860? Because the Philadelphia club was organized on April 7th of that year. This is assuredly the on-field clubhouse of the Athletic Club.



I recently came across an image of the Athletics home grounds at 17th and Columbia that was completely new to me. This one, found at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, dates from August of 1868 and was drawn by Francis H. Schell.



It is likely that the picture depicts the game of August 31, 1868, once again between the rival Athletics and Atlantics, with the Athletics winning, 18-9. While this image lacks some of the detailed crowd scenes found in the prior pictures, it shows (along with the Beale illustration) a distinctive, large building to the left of the grandstand. Here's a detail from the Schell drawing:



Here we clearly see the large building looming above and behind the Athletics' clubhouse. Here's another vintage illustration of the same structure, this one from the January 1874 issue of The Manufacturer and Builder and showing the opposite side of the building (facing Montgomery):



And here's a more recent photograph showing the south and east sides of the building, the same ones that are seen in the ballpark illustrations:



While the ballpark has long since disappeared, this majestic building still exists. It is the Wagner Free Institute of Science, located at North 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue in Philadelphia and first built in 1859. Thanks to Google Street View, you can "virtually" walk around much of the building, though it is generally obscured by quite a few trees. Click on the image below to take a walk around the building:



Take another look at the Magee color lithograph of the ballpark. Given the angle of the scene, it wouldn't surprise me if the illustrator was in the Wagner Free Institute building when he sketched the action.

---

Update of May 15, 2012:

My good friend Rob Pendell has solved the mystery of the meaning of "My Toodles."

First, it should be noted that I have access to an original Magee lithograph and, upon closer examination, the writing at the top of the paper more likely reads "Mr. Toodles," not "My Toodles." Rob did not have this advantage and thought perhaps the writing was "The Toodles." Here's what Rob calls "a wild theory," but what I feel is most certainly the explanation.

I have a wild theory about your "Toodles" inquiry. First, a question: are you sure the paper says "My Toodles" and not "The Toodles?" From the pictures posted it's not clear. I think it says "The Toodles."

I think the man holding the paper is supposed to be Edwin Booth. I think the man to whom he is gesturing is John Sleeper Clarke. "The Toodles" was a very popular play of the time, and the lead, a boozer, was one of Clarke's most famous roles. Booth and Clarke purchased the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia in 1863 or 1865 (depending on the source), or maybe Booth bought it and brought Clarke on afterwards, but either way they were running it together when Booth's brother shot the president. Clarke, who had married Booth's sister in 1859, was found to be in possession of letters written by John Wilkes Booth and subsequently arrested for some time. He eventually left his wife and ran off to London where he did 200-some performances of "The Toodles."

Random fact #1: Lincoln saw "The Toodles" performed by its credited author and first famous lead William E. Burton in Chicago in 1859.

Random fact #2: Months before the president was assassinated, Edwin Booth saved the life of Lincoln's son, Robert, during an incident on a train platform. The young Lincoln immediately recognized the face of his rescuer, presumably from his acting reputation, but Booth didn't discover who it was he saved until months later.

Magee did many political cartoons and lithographs, including a famous one of John Wilkes Booth titled "Satan Tempting Booth To The Murder Of The President."

I have more weird facts about all this, but I'll leave it there. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Great job, Rob! I did some digging around and found an image of John Clarke from his title role in the play. The image comes from the 19th Century Actors Carte de Visite Collection at the University of Washington. The photo of Clarke is a dead-ringer for the fellow in the Magee lithograph. Here's a comparison:


University of Washington Libraries PH Coll 75.141

Case closed.

---

Update of February 26, 2017:

I recently bumped into a couple of additional images of Athletics Park, this time featured on two different pieces of sheet music. One can be found on the cover of "The Base Ball Fever," published in 1867 by the Philadelphia firm of Marsh and Bubna, whose offices were located at 1029 Chestnut, just two miles south of the park. The music was dedicated to Lew Simmons, a veteran of the theater, a talented banjo player, and a member of the Athletics Base Ball Club.



The full sheet music can be found at the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection at Johns Hopkins University's web site.

The baseball scene in the second piece of sheet music, titled "Home Run Polka," is obviously based on the image seen above (or perhaps vice versa?). Also published in 1867 by Marsh and Bubna, this piece was dedicated to the National Base Ball Club of Washington, D.C. Just why an image of a Philadelphia ballpark (with the Wagner Free Institute of Science clearly depicted in the background) was used is a mystery.



As with "The Base Ball Fever," the full sheet music for "Home Run Polka" can be found at the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection.

Interestingly, in the Robert Edwards auction of Spring 2011 the following piece was offered. Note that it features the artwork from "Home Run Polka," but the text from "The Base Ball Fever."

A Closer Look at Footage from Game Seven of the 1924 World Series

On October 2, 2014, the Library of Congress announced an exciting discovery: newsreel highlights from Game Seven of the 1924 World Series between the New York Giants and Washington Senators. The timing of the announcement was appropriate, as it came just one day prior to the first game of this year's San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals postseason series, and eight days prior to the 90th anniversary of the last game of the 1924 World Series.

The footage is indeed quite remarkable and includes great action shots from the World Series finale played on October 10, 1924, at Washington's Griffith Stadium. I decided to take a closer look at the movie and, in so doing, was able to make a few discoveries and correct a few errors regarding just what we see in the historic film.

First, here's the footage as posted at the Library of Congress's web site (note that the musical score is not original to the footage):

The initial title card reads:

... after which the camera pans across a packed crowd at the ballpark. The 1924 World Series marked the first appearance by the Washington Senators in the Fall Classic and Game Seven remains one of the most exciting in World Series history, with the winning run coming on a one-out double in the bottom of the 12th inning. The next title card reads:

... and indeed we next see New York's 16-game winner, Virgil Barnes, deliver a pitch:

Next is a great shot taken from close behind the plate, a rare angle for newsreels of the day. A left-handed batter for Washington takes a hefty cut at the ball and quickly heads towards first base:
 

Just four lefty batters took part in the game that day for the Giants: Sam Rice, Goose Goslin, Joe Judge, and Nemo Leibold. While it is not clear which of these four batters is seen at the plate (I'm guessing it's either Rice or Goslin), the umpire and catcher are identifiable. Hank Gowdy caught the entire game for the Giants, while Bill Dinneen was the home plate arbiter that day.

Next we see action from a very different angle. It was commonplace at the time to send just one moving footage cameraman to the game, so it is likely that this action was shot from a different part of the game than the one just seen. In this sequence we see a Senators base runner heading toward second base and ultimately sliding safely into third. Watch carefully as the runner approaches second base:

He does not round the base from a wide angle, as a runner would if he was running from first to third on a base hit. Instead, he runs directly toward second, as if there is going to be a play at the base. Indeed, an infielder for the Giants is seen running to the bag, as if to catch a throw. We next see the infielder turn towards the outfield as the base runner continues on to third base.

This scenario matches perfectly with a critical play that occurred in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the score knotted at three runs apiece, one out, and Washington's Joe Judge on first base, Senators shortstop Ossie Bluege hit a ground ball to Giants first baseman George "High Pockets" Kelly. Kelly threw to Giants shortstop Travis Jackson in an effort to force Judge at second, but Jackson dropped the ball and Judge advanced to third base. (Incidentally, the second base umpire is Tom Connolly.) The result was that the Senators had first and third with just one out and an excellent chance to win the game and the World Championship title. Instead, the Giants wriggled out of the predicament with a play that will show up later in the footage.

The next title card reads:

However, this is followed not by a shot of Washington pitcher George Mogridge, but (as first pointed out to me by my colleague, Lenny DiFranza) yet another shot of Giants pitcher Barnes:

Was this a mistake by the newsreel editors back in 1924? Was there no quality footage if Mogridge from the game, so the editors simply used footage of Barnes and hoped the movie-goers wouldn't notice? Was the film damaged at some point near this spot and a splice was made, with the Mogridge footage being cut out? The answer is not clear.

The next scene shows a right-handed batter for the Giants laying down a bunt, hustling toward first, and sliding safely into the bag, head first:

The play matches perfectly with action that occurred in the top of the third inning when, with one out, Giants second baseman Frank Frisch laid down a bunt and beat the throw to first. (Other players seen in this particular sequence include Washington catcher Muddy Ruel and first baseman Joe Judge.)

The next title card reads:

And, indeed, we see a batter hit a home run. Since there was only one homer hit in the game, there's little question that the title card is correct and we are treated to seeing Senators manager and second baseman Bucky Harris hitting a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth for the first run of the game.

The next title card notes that the President was in the stands:

This footage was certainly taken prior to the start of the game, so it is a bit strange to see it in the middle of this film. But, as we are learning, numerous shots are being presented here with little regard for the chronology of events. Pictured left to right in the front row are Mrs. Grace Coolidge, President Calvin Coolidge, Mrs. Emily Stearns (wife of Frank Stearns, a longtime friend of the President), and Louis J. Taber (master of the National Grange).

The next title card reads:

In this sequence we see a Giants base runner heading home, turning to watch the play behind him, then scoring. This matches the situation in the top of the sixth inning when, with no out and runners on first and third, Giants pinch-hitter Irish Meusel hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field. Ross Youngs, the runner on third, tagged up and scored on the play.

Note that as Youngs touches home, we see Senators relief pitcher Firpo Marberry on the right side of the frame. No doubt the young pitcher had positioned himself behind home in case he was needed to back up a throw to the plate. The next Giants batter, Hack Wilson, is at far left, preparing to come to the plate.

After this scene, the following title card appears:

The action that follows shows a Senators batter swinging and heading to first, while runners on first and third head to their next base:

We then see the Giants first baseman on the bag, catching a throw and retiring the runner heading to first:

... and immediately afterwards the fielders all head toward the Giants' first base dugout:

Clearly the putout at first base ended the inning, but this does not match the scenario in the bottom of the eighth inning, the only instance in which Washington tied the score. In that case, Bucky Harris singled with the bases loaded, scoring a pair of runs to knot the game at three runs apiece ... and then the inning continued with Sam Rice coming to bat.

No. The title card is incorrect. The action depicted is not of the Senators tying the score in the bottom of the eighth. Instead, it is action from the bottom of the ninth when, with runners on first and third (Ossie Bluege and Joe Judge, respectively), Senators third baseman Ralph Miller grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. The twin killing ended the Washington threat and sent the game into extra innings. This was the play that occurred right after the one seen earlier in the film (title card "Barnes starts for the Giants"), when Ossie Bluege touched second and headed to third after Travis Jackson's error at second base. Incidentally, the first baseman seen here making the putout is George Kelly and the first base umpire is Ernie Quigley, the only umpire on that day's four-man crew who is not a Hall of Famer.

The title card that follows states:

... and we next see a wonderful shot of Senators legend Walter Johnson (who first entered the game in the top of the ninth) delivering a pitch:

The next shot shows a Giants batter hitting a stand-up triple:

Since the only triple of the game was hit by New York second baseman Frank Frisch with one out in the ninth, that is certainly the play depicted.

The next title card reads:

... and is followed by Johnson pitching and inducing a pop-up to the Washington third baseman:

This exactly matches the play that occurred just before Frisch's triple, when Giants third baseman Freddie Lindstrom popped out to third baseman Ralph Miller to lead off the top of the ninth.

Finally, the climax of the game is introduced:

Despite the misspelling of Washington center fielder Earl McNeely's surname (the title card has an extra "e"), we next see McNeely at bat, with pitcher Walter Johnson (wearing a sweater) leading off first base. Out of the frame is another Senators base runner, Muddy Ruel, on second:

After McNeely strokes a hard ground ball down the third base line (the famous "pebble"play in which McNeely's grounder supposedly hit a small rock and bounded over third baseman Freddie Lindstrom's head), Ruel gallops home with the winning run:

After the runner scores to end the game, pandemonium breaks out on the field and in the stands, as the Senators secured their first World Championship flag. But take a close look at McNeely as he rounds first base. He gets no further than 20 feet past the bag, at which point he turns and heads for the Washington dugout for the celebration. Clearly he has hit a single. Even the title card says "single." Nevertheless, the official scorer awarded McNeely with a game-winning double ... a very strange and, frankly, incorrect decision.

The rest of the footage shows shots of players and fans celebrating Washington's exciting victory. And despite the presence of some erroneous title cards, the film is a treasure from a bygone era and an absolute joy to watch ... and research.