The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-09
SPORTING NEWS.
The Wichita Track Officials
Found Guilty of Fraud.
Connfved to Give CresceuS an
Extra Fast Mile.
RECORD NOT ALLOWED.
American NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Prompt Action.
RECORD NOT ALLOWED.
EX0nerated ketchum and FIX =
PEELED the Wichita Judges.

Chicago, Dec. e.-George H. Ketcham
of Toledo, O., was found not guilty of
establishing a fraudulent record for his
trotting stallion Cresceus at the WITCH
tia, Kan, track on October 9, 1903, af-
ter a hearing of the case before the
board of appeals of the American Trot-
ting association here last night. The
board declared that the evidence fell
short of sufficiency in establishing
criminal participation in the claimed
fraudulent agreement for an illegiti-
mate record. so far as Mr.. Ketcham
was concerned.
1.-THE story, detailed by Starter Jor-
dan of the Wichita track, who declared
to the board that Mr.. Ketcham had ar
ranged with him to fix the time of
Cresceus SO that the worlds mile rec
ord would be broken" the decision de-
clares, lis not without considerable COR
roboration in matters of minor detail.
We must, however, view the case be-
fore us wholly from the evidence we
have that the chief factor has certain
ly convicted himself of falsehood, and
especially in view of the sweeping and
uneQu1VOcal denial of direct or indirect
participation made by ME-. Ketcham,
we must determine that the evidence
fails to establish his connection with
the fraud and intrigue lying at the
foundation of this attempted record
While freeing Mr.. Ketcham from the
charge, the board found the officials of
the Southern Kansas Fair association
on whose track the race was run, gull
ty of connivance to establish a fraud
ulent record, expelling from the Ameri-
can Trotting association President c.
H. Irwin and all the other officials con-
nected with the Wichita track at that
time.
The persons expelled by the board be-
sides Mr.. Irwin were S. B. Amidon
judge; A. c. Jordan, Fred Stearns and
H. T. Eames, all of whom were found
by the board to have participated
in the announcement and establish
ment of the fraudulent record for trot-
ting stations of 1884, claimed to have
been made by CreSceus, is not allowed
In the decision on the case the board
says in part:
Leaving out of consideration entire
ly the last affidavit made by Mr. Jor-
dan, detailing what he now claims to
be the truth of the entire transaction
so far at least as the statements made
are In effect any person other than him
self, and relying alone on the contra
dictory statements under oath made by
Messrs. Anidon, StearnS, Jordan, EameS
and Irwin not only as to the time made
and the details of the performance. but
also and particularly as to the manifest
effort shown to establish what must
have been known by Messrs Irwin and
Amidon as an absolutely irregular and
unlawful meeting for record purposes,
we are IOrCeQ TO the unavoidable con-
clusion that each of the persons named
has within but a little more than
year made absolutely irreconcilable
and contradictory statements of the es-
sential facts necessary to establish the
regularity of the meeting and even the
approximate correctness of the time
made. From the several affidavitS the
conclusion is irresistible that not only
was the meeting irregular, but the at
tempt to give the horse such a record
was a gross fraud upon the public and
a wilful violation of the rules of the
American Trotting association.
'All controversy over the regularity
of the performance and the correctness
of the time claimed is forever set at rest
by Mr. Ketcham's authorized statement
through his attorney, made before the
board in which he unequivocally states
that he is satisfied and Mr.. Ketcham IS
satisfied, from the evidence before the
board, that the horse Cresceus did not
at Wichita, Kan, October 19, 1908, make
the mile in 1:59% and that he is not en-