Charles de Saulles
Encyclopedia
Charles A. de Saulles was an All-American football player. He played quarterback for Yale University
and was selected for the 1897 College Football All-America Team
.
, de Saulles attended the Lawrenceville School
where he was captain of both the football and baseball teams. DeSaulles was five-feet, eight inches tall and weighed 151 pounds. De Saulles enrolled at Yale University
where he played quarterback for the football team in 1897 and 1898 and was selected for the 1897 College Football All-America Team
. He was also the captain of Yale's baseball team. Jim Rodgers, the captain of the 1897 Yale football team, credited de Saulles with Yale's victory over Princeton in 1897: "I have always claimed that Charlie de Saulles put the Yale '97 team on the map. Charlie de Saulles with his three wonderful runs, which averaged not less than 60 yards each, really brought about the victory." In his book "Football Days," William Hanford Edwards
, who played on the Princeton line in that game, wrote of de Saulles: "De Saulles' open field work was remarkable. I remember well the great run of fifty-five yards which he made. He was a wonderfully clever dodger and used the stiff arm well.
In 1903, a football columnist wrote that "the equal of Charley de Saulles, however, will probably not be seen at Yale or any other college in many days."
. De Saulles joined the team in 1905 as both a player and a coach. The Sun reported that de Saulles and Yale teammate Jim Rodgers were working together at Lasharpe and had turned a group of miners into a football team that had soundly beaten the Haskell Indians and Bethany College, and gone undefeated for two years. The Lasharpe team was seeking games against the major football powers at Michigan, Chicago, Yale and Harvard, leading the Sun to write:
, the son of Arthur Brice de Saulles and Catherine Heckscher. His father was a noted soldier in the American Civil War
. His younger brother John de Saulles
also became an All-American quarterback at Yale. When the younger de Saulles became a star for Yale in his own right, comparisons were made to his older brother:
. In 1922, De Saulles' wife obtained a divorce and was awarded custody of their two sons. It was also reported at that time that Charles de Saulles had remarried.
In August 1917, John de Saulles was shot and killed by his millionairess Chilean ex-wife, Blanca Errázuriz
. The murder and trial became a daily reported news story, relegating the First World War that was raging in Europe to the inside pages of the newspapers. Charles de Saulles was drawn into the media sensation as he defended his brother's honor and sought custody of the couple's only child. Blanca was unanimously acquitted of the murder
charges in December 1917. Several days after the acquittal, Charles gave up the custody challenge, and "Little Jack" was returned to Blanca.
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and was selected for the 1897 College Football All-America Team
1897 College Football All-America Team
The 1897 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans for the 1897 college football season, as selected by Walter Camp for Harper's Weekly...
.
All-American football player
A native of South Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaSouth Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
South Bethlehem is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 444 at the 2000 census.South Bethlehem is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 444 at the 2000 census.South Bethlehem is a borough in Armstrong County,...
, de Saulles attended the Lawrenceville School
Lawrenceville School
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9–12 located on in the historic community of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, U.S., five miles southwest of Princeton....
where he was captain of both the football and baseball teams. DeSaulles was five-feet, eight inches tall and weighed 151 pounds. De Saulles enrolled at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he played quarterback for the football team in 1897 and 1898 and was selected for the 1897 College Football All-America Team
1897 College Football All-America Team
The 1897 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans for the 1897 college football season, as selected by Walter Camp for Harper's Weekly...
. He was also the captain of Yale's baseball team. Jim Rodgers, the captain of the 1897 Yale football team, credited de Saulles with Yale's victory over Princeton in 1897: "I have always claimed that Charlie de Saulles put the Yale '97 team on the map. Charlie de Saulles with his three wonderful runs, which averaged not less than 60 yards each, really brought about the victory." In his book "Football Days," William Hanford Edwards
Big Bill Edwards
William Hanford "Big Bill" Edwards was an American football player who played guard at the Princeton University from 1896 to 1899...
, who played on the Princeton line in that game, wrote of de Saulles: "De Saulles' open field work was remarkable. I remember well the great run of fifty-five yards which he made. He was a wonderfully clever dodger and used the stiff arm well.
In 1903, a football columnist wrote that "the equal of Charley de Saulles, however, will probably not be seen at Yale or any other college in many days."
Football coach
In 1906, the New York Sun reported that de Saulles was affiliated with the Lasharpe football team in Iola, KansasIola, Kansas
Iola is a city situated along the Neosho River in the northwestern part of Allen County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,704. Iola is the county seat of Allen County. It is named in honor of Iola Colborn.-History:The...
. De Saulles joined the team in 1905 as both a player and a coach. The Sun reported that de Saulles and Yale teammate Jim Rodgers were working together at Lasharpe and had turned a group of miners into a football team that had soundly beaten the Haskell Indians and Bethany College, and gone undefeated for two years. The Lasharpe team was seeking games against the major football powers at Michigan, Chicago, Yale and Harvard, leading the Sun to write:
"Out in the little mining town of Iola, Kans, there is probably the oddest football team in the country. Its members never train, have no practice except signal work, and yet are able to defeat all comers. The eleven is known as the Lasharpe team, is composed of men from the zinc smelting works, and learned its football from two of the best men that ever wore a 'Y' at New Haven. James Rodgers, captain of the 97 Yale eleven, and Charles A. de Saulles, one of the fastest and most daring quarter backs on Eli's long roll of honor, are the coaches who have turned the miners into one of the most effective gridiron machines in the Middle West."
Family
De Saulles was born in South Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaSouth Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
South Bethlehem is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 444 at the 2000 census.South Bethlehem is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 444 at the 2000 census.South Bethlehem is a borough in Armstrong County,...
, the son of Arthur Brice de Saulles and Catherine Heckscher. His father was a noted soldier in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. His younger brother John de Saulles
John de Saulles
John Gerard Longer de Saulles was an American athlete, real estate broker, and businessman whose murder by his millionaire wife led to a widely-reported trial.-Early life:...
also became an All-American quarterback at Yale. When the younger de Saulles became a star for Yale in his own right, comparisons were made to his older brother:
"But there is one particularly bright player on the New Haven team, and he is John Longer de Saulles, the famous quarter back of last fall. Johnny is a brother of Charlie de Saulles, the great football and baseball player of 1898 and 1899, and his work is true to family traditions. De Saulles plays second base (Charlie's old position) , and he is snappy and accurate."Charles de Saulles was married to Louise M. "Birdie" Hoch of Marshall, Michigan
Marshall, Michigan
Marshall is a city located in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,459. It is the county seat of Calhoun County...
. In 1922, De Saulles' wife obtained a divorce and was awarded custody of their two sons. It was also reported at that time that Charles de Saulles had remarried.
Blanca Errázuriz trial
Blanca Errázuriz
Blanca Elena Errázuriz Vergara , also known as Bianca de Saulles was accused and later acquitted of killing her first husband, John de Saulles.-Early life and marriage:...
. The murder and trial became a daily reported news story, relegating the First World War that was raging in Europe to the inside pages of the newspapers. Charles de Saulles was drawn into the media sensation as he defended his brother's honor and sought custody of the couple's only child. Blanca was unanimously acquitted of the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
charges in December 1917. Several days after the acquittal, Charles gave up the custody challenge, and "Little Jack" was returned to Blanca.