Francis phelan, ex-ballplayer, part-time gravedigger, full-time drunk, has hit bottom. Years ago he left albany in a hurry after killing a scab during a trolley workers' strike. He ran away again after accidentally -- an...Francis phelan, ex-ballplayer, part-time gravedigger, full-time drunk, has hit bottom. Years ago he left albany in a hurry after killing a scab during a trolley workers' strike. He ran away again after accidentally -- and fatally -- dropping his infant son.