The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-30
MEMPHIS PLAYERS
 BEFORE THE COURT
One Fined for AsSauIting Um-
 plre, Another for Contempt
CHECK ON ROWDYISM
Judge Feaeln Delivers seathlng Re- bukes to the Defenders Against the Law and Fines Them $25 Each.
 One Fine Was Remitted.

Two of the Memphis baseball players who made themselves amenaole to the law, were fined by Judge Feagin yester- day In the Police court. The offenders were Al Miller, left fielder. and Perry Werden, the first baseman. They were fined s25 each, the first named for assault on the umpire in Fridays game, and the second for contempt of court.
 In the game on Thursday, Miller threat ened the umpire and was put out of the game and, ss Umpire Keefe stated, was fined s5 Not needing this lesson. he as- saulted Umpire Keefe in the game on Friday. and at the request of the umpire was arrested.
 In the Police Court,
 When the case was called In the police court yesterday morning. Keefe was not present, and Judge Feagin was requested to dismiss the matter, as 1t was stated by offcer/ Penn. who made the arrest, that he was unable to find the umpire after the game. This the judge refused to do He ordered the witnesses sworn and asked the reporters present if any of them witnessed the assault. Several witnesses were sworn and testified and the court delivered a scathing rebuke to the prisoner for assaulting tho umpire, and ended by fining him s25.
 Players and Reporters. Among the witnesses were several of the Memphis players and two reporters, the latter being MT. Curtis of the Ledger and MT. Watson of the Age-Herald. As they passed from the court room into the corridor. Perry Werden, the first baseman of the Memphis team, addressed some very high favored remarks to the report CTS telling them that if they came out to the ball park in the afternoon they would get some bumps. He also ex- pressed his opinion--not favorable-of the Birmingham press in general, and stated that the verdict and imposition of a fine on Miller by the court was a several ad- jectived shame. MT. Watson told him that he would see if Judge Feagin shared his views and immediately returned to the court room and repeated the state ments to the judge, who sent policeman to arrest Werden and bring him back.
 For Contempt of Court.
 When Werden was arraigned for con tempt of court, F. G. Shepard, president, and Coffee Jackson, secretary of the Birmingham Baseball association, ap- peared. They called Watson to one side and asked him to withdraw his prosecu- ton of the matter and to offer no oppo- sition to an appeal to Acting Mayor O'Neill to remit the fine. But he refused to do so.
 MT. Shepard, MT. Jackson, Umpire Keefe, who had been found, and B. M. Brazeal who is also stockholder, went before the acting mayor and asked for the remission of the fine assessed against Miller MT. Jackson stated that the mat ter had all been arranged on Friday night, that they had agreed not to prose- cute the case; that it was nobody else's business, and that majority of the stockholders of the club wanted it remit ted
 Acting Mayor Remits.
 The acting mayor did not fully accept this view. but he remitted the fine all but the costs. He said that great in- fiuence had been brought to bear in or der to get hm to take this action; that as 1t was a first offense and similar case had never come up he consented; but that in future any such fine would stand.
 When the case against Werden was called MT. Curtiss and MT. Watson made their statements and a number of wit nesses, including Mir Shepard and Chief Wier, were sworn on behalf of the de- fendant and stated that they did not know anything about the matter Judge Feagin delivered an eloquent but scorch- ing lecture to Werden and fined him $25 for contempt. From this judgment there could be no appeal.