Caption on back of photograph reads: Known to the townspeople and those of eastern Long Island as "Red Man" Fowler, this Montauk Indian was the finest all around athlete that Long Island ever produced. Dubbed by sports writers as the "Jim Thorpe' of Long Island, the Montauk startled crowds with his lightning like speed, his dexterity with the basketball, his leaps and piercing war whoops that caused many a man on the opposite team to drop the ball when this Indian came charging. Alfred Brown, I.Y. Halsy, and Leroy King all of East Hampton, now deceased, used to tell of the times that "Red Man" pitched 27 innings of baseball on several occasions to lead East Hampton High School to brilliant victories. John Henry Fowler was born on April 3, 1887, the son of George Lewis Fowler and Sarah Melissa Horton Fowler, both members of the Montauk tribe. He died on Sept. 18, 1925 at the young age of 38. He is buried in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton and was a veteran of World War I. Like his famous uncle, Steve Talkhouse, "Red Man" became known to many people of eastern Long Island, and his athletic feats helped to keep the name of the Montauk tribe ever in the public eye.
