Charles Franklin Bartson was born on March 13, 1865, in
Peoria, Illinois. Bartson began his professional career for the
Omaha Omahogs of the
Western League in 1887, when he also played for the
St. Joseph Reds of the same league. Combined, Bartson had a 11–18
win–loss record with a 5.08
earned run average (ERA) over 253.1
innings pitched. As a batter, Bartson had a .259
batting average with 35
hits and 18
runs scored. In 1888, Bartson played for the
Buffalo Bisons of the
International Association for Professional Base Ball Players and the
Peoria Canaries of the
Central Interstate League. Bartson made his PL debut for the Pirates on May 14, 1890, in a game against the
Buffalo Bisons that Chicago won 4–1. In July, Bartson was traded to Buffalo to help their pitching staff, though he voided the trade, a condition possible under league structure. Bartson reasoned it was better to pitch once a week for a good team than once every three days for a bad one. After the season, he played for the
Quincy Ravens of the
Illinois–Iowa League (IIL), the
Minneapolis Millers of the
Western Association (WA), and the St. Paul Apostles/Duluth Whalebacks of the WA in 1891. In 1892, Bartson recorded a 17–13 win–loss record and a 1.30 ERA over 242.1 innings pitched for the
Rock Island-Moline Twins of the IIL. Bartson died on June 9, 1936, in Peoria, of
heart disease, and is interred at
Springdale Cemetery in Peoria. ==References==