Bumpus Jones: Passing as White?

Bumpus Jones, who pitched a no-hitter in his very first appearance in the major leagues in 1892, may have been a black man who passed for white. In fact, as I explained a few years ago, I think he very probably was passing. This conclusion was based mostly on census and other government documents, which I examine in the post.

But there is another line of evidence, one that is potentially much more important. Chris Rainey, the author of two versions of a short biography of Jones, noted in one of them that “old-timers in Cedarville” (Ohio, Jones’s home town) said, “He was black, you know.” Although this is only vaguely sourced, it does point toward something like a consensus within the Cedarville community about the racial identity of Jones and his family.

Since I wrote that post, I’ve come across some additional evidence that at least makes the sourcing more specific. First—upon Jones’s death in 1938, Gordon Graham, an Indiana sportswriter who had grown up in Cedarville, wrote:

“Old Bumpus hurled a no-hitter for Cincinnati in 1893 [sic], his first year in major league baseball. He was a star, somewhat like Johnny Vander Meer, in his freshman season. But Bumpus didn’t last long, although he played in high class minor league baseball until 1903.

“All of this may not mean much to you readers. But we of Cedarville know that Bumpus Jones was a negro. And negroes are not allowed in organized baseball. Whenever you check over that ‘Baseball Hall of Fame’, remember that there is one colored man in the group, despite the fact his race is barred from our National game…Charles ‘Bumpus’ Jones” (Lafayette, Indiana, Journal and Courier, July 8, 1938, p. 10).

(The “Hall of Fame” mention here is not a reference to Cooperstown; it’s an old figure of speech whereby anybody who tossed a no-hitter was said to have entered the Hall of Fame.)

Graham returned to the subject 15 years later when Bobo Holloman of the St. Louis Browns threw a no-hitter in his first major league start in 1953 (he had already relieved in several games, so it wasn’t his first big league appearance). He pointed out that Jones had accomplished the same feat more than 60 years before Holloman, and continued:

“It is quite possible that the career of Charles Leander Jones was choked off by something other than his pitching deficiencies. Negroes were not permitted to play in the majors then. Jackie Robinson broke down that silly barrier and supposedly became the first colored man to play in the big time. Around Cedarville ‘Bumpus’ Jones was listed as a Negro.” (Lafayette, Ind., Journal and Courier, May 8, 1953, p, 18.)

In both columns, Graham made his Cedarville bona fides clear, and spoke of how during his childhood “natives,” including his uncle, used to point out Jones and tell stories about him.

A few years later, in 1958, Al Schottelkotte, a columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer, received the following letter:

“When I read your capsule quiz the other morning, I thought perhaps you were going to reveal that the first Negro to play with the Cincinnati Redlegs (Nino Escalera) was really a pitcher who was with the team in 1892 and 1893.

“This was Charles (Bumpus) Jones who, according to Lee Allen’s history of the Reds, was hired informally, pitched a no-hit, no-run game in his first appearance in 1892, and then, after losing five straight games, was released in 1893.

“Now, it is common knowledge in Cedarville, Ohio, which was his home, that Jones was a Negro. And, as far as I know, never claimed to be anything else there. Whether his light skin enabled him to pass as a Caucasian, or whether the Red management shut its eyes to the fact, I have never heard. His pitching exploits in amateur baseball were a great subject of conversation where fans gathered in Green and Clark Counties, when I was a boy. – R. T. Confer, 2531 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati.”

Schottelkotte responded: “The story that Bumpus Jones was a Negro never was officially confirmed, says Lee Allen.” (Cincinnati Enquirer, October 23, 1958, p. 5.)

If nothing else, the story of Bumpus Jones, or as much of it as we can discern now (more than 80 years after his death), serves to demonstrate just how complicated race, racism, and racial identity can be in American culture. Check out this article in The Guardian, about people in East Jackson, Ohio, who may appear white to outsiders, but hold on fiercely to a black identity. East Jackson is only about an hour and a half away from Cedarville.

Comments

[Bill Ranier]

fascinating article. Thanks.