Ashwill: Finally, an answer on Cannonball Dick Redding’s death
From SABR member Ryan Whirty at Home Plate Don’t Move on October 9, 2014, with mention of SABR member Gary Ashwill:
Thanks to the patience and persistence of Negro Leagues researcher extraordinaire Gary Ashwill, we finally have an answer to how fire-throwing pitcher Cannonball Dick Redding died in Pilgrim Psychiatric Center/Mental Hospital on Long Island on Halloween 1948.
That’s because Gary FINALLY received an unredacted copy of Redding’s death certificate. The cause of death? Syphilis of the central nervous system. There’s also some illegible text under other portions of “cause of death,” with a statement that a test was performed, but for what reason or to what result is illegible.
As noted before, the certificate is signed by Dr. Ludwig Kris, a resident psychiatrist at Pilgrim, who lists the duration of the condition as “unknown.” But there’s also an entry under “other conditions,” but it’s also illegible, except for a word that seems to be syphilis or something close to it. However, the duration of condition is also listed, unlike the primary cause of death, with the figure being one year, nine months and two days, which is longer than Kris states he attended to Redding. It’s somewhat odd that the major cause of death doesn’t state a duration, but the “other condition” does.
Read the full article here: http://homeplatedontmove.wordpress.com/2014/10/09/holy-cow-a-cannonball-answer-at-last/
Originally published: October 9, 2014. Last Updated: October 9, 2014.