B.S. Tyner
Legendary second baseman and assassin
Tyner's relationship with Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, has oft been noted as proof of his guilt in the Johnny Cottontail incident. Cottontail was a teenage phenom who, as a pitcher for the briefly famous Pittenton Deadeyes, achieved renown for his mighty fastball. In 1862, Tyner and Cottontail faced off in a majestic showdown in which Tyner's blistering line drive simultaneously ended Cottontail's life (the drive splintered Cottontail's forehead and entered his brain) and his no-hitter.
Allegations that Tyner had been paid to engineer Cottontail's death were never tested in a court of law as Tyner fled overseas for several years immediately following his fateful line drive. The incident sparked fierce speculation and gossip driven crime interest for the next several years, and gave birth to the modern meaning of the word "hitman."
The bat that Tyner used to hit the deadly drive, upon examination, was found to be filled with cork. His detractors immediately posited that the cork was proof that he was guilty of murder, whereas his defenders asserted that to cheat and to kill were two separate crimes altogether and that perhaps Tyner fled to escape reprimand for the corked bat alone.
Years later, Tyner was said to have resumed living in the United States under an assumed name. Some even suggested that the successful Colonel Chat Constance, who so distinguished himself in the battle of Antietam, was none other than Tyner with a full beard and a different uniform. These rumors were also destined to remain unanswered and unproven.
---- This story is completely fictional ----