Honus Wagner's Surprise Wedding

(San Bernardino News, January 25, 1917)

The press expected them to marry on New Year's Day 1917, but it didn't happen that way. Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop Honus Wagner married Bessie Smith two days earlier.

A search on Newspapers.com shows that newspapers across the country reported on the event. They included the Bisbee Daily Review (Bisbee, Arizona), The Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, Oregon), The Wichita Daily Eagle (Wichita, Kansas), and The Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, North Carolina).

A local Pittsburgh newspaper, The Daily Republican (Monongahela, Pennsylvania), had this to say in its January 1st edition:

"John Henry Wagner, the greatest baseball player of all time, was thrown out by Dan Cupid at the home plate Saturday night. The bride was Miss Bessie Smith, daughter of John G. Smith of 151 Montclair avenue, Crafton. 

Thus Honus retires from bacholerhood [sic] after 43 years. His retirement from baseball is not yet in sight. Barney Dreyfuss, president of the Pittsburgh National League of which Honus has been a member since 1900 raised his hands aloft when told of Honus' marriage and merely uttered: 'By Golly!' 

They were married at 7:30 o'clock by Rev. Dittmer, pastor of St. John's Lutheran church in Pittsburgh. They left in the Flying Dutchman's big auto for a western wedding trip and expect to be home in time for Honus to join the Pirates on their southern training trip. Mrs. Wagner is a daughter of a former baseball team mate of her husband. Hans is just seventeen years the senior of his bride."