Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-14
MAGNATES IN NEW YORK.
Taylor Investigation May Be Post
poned.

There Is every Indication that the lnVeStl-
cation of the charges of alleged dishonest
! ball playing against Pitcher John Taylor of
| the St. Louis Nationals by the board OF di-
| rectors of the National League, which is
scheduled for today in New York, will be
postponed, owing to the inability of two
members of the board John T. Brush of
New York and Barney Dreyfuss of Pitts
| burg, to be present says the New York Sun.
Brush Is at Hot Springs, suffering from
rheumatism, while Dreyfuss is threatened
with pneumonia. The other members of the
board are A. II. Soden of Boston and James
A. Hart of Chicago. Hart has already cir
culated stories about Taylor's alleged poor
play in the games between the two Chicago
cubs in the fall of 1903 and the national
commission has the case under Amusement.
In view of this fact Hart, it would seem,
may be prejudiced against the player. So
den is recognized as fair In his base ball
dealings. and Taylor can expect square
treatment from him. The case is too i'm
portant to be decided off hand. with Brush
and Dreyfuss sending proxies, so that in the
il: terest of true craftsmanship and justice
some of the magnates say the investigation
will be postponed until Brush and Dreyfuss
can be present or have had time to digest
the evidence and mail their decisions to the
president of the league.
Taylor arrived in New York yesterday, it
is said. He went on direct from ST. Louis,
and carried his attorney along. He denies
emphatically that he is guilty of wrong
doing, and defies his accusers to produce
evidence of guilt Taylor says that he never
made remark to the effect that he got
$500 for losing a game in Chicago, and
says that the Pittsburg yarn to the effect
that Dick Mccormick won bundle OF
money by betting against him in the game
of July 80 is of the fimsiest texture. He
says that if Mccormick won any money he
knew nothing of it; that he was not In
prime shape to pitch the game in question
L. L,I ..ta1 lott OF
the previous night, and that he told num-
Der of his friends not to bet on him before
the game. Taylor intimates that II the
magnates take any action in his case with
out actually proving him guilty of the
charges he will seek legal redress without
delay A base ball court is a far different
thing from court of law. The base ball
men have done many things IN the past
that would not stand legal test.
But as the game is run on the lines or
close corporation, ball player has small
chance of getting the best end of any deal
In Taylor's case the magnates, it is SAID
decided some time ago to blacklist him.
but it is now stated that several of them
have lost their nerve. If by any chance
Taylor is shelved. not openly blacklisted
there may be trouble between the two big
leagues In word, Taylor must be black
listed and there must be convincing proof
of wrongdong. or he must be exonerated
and allowed to play ball again with the ST.
Louis Nationals. Unless one of these re-
suits is attained it will not be surprising II
the American League steps in to defend
Taylor to the limit. Clark Griffith, the
manager of the New York Americans, said
yesterday:
eff they try to freeze Taylor out of the
business by suspending him tacitly among
themselves there will be some trouble. In
such event the player will receive the
most unfair. unsportsmanlike treatment
imaginable. l do not hesitate to say that
if he is punished without being proved
guilty every ball player in the two leagues
will rise in protest This case has been
made out of whole cloth. Taylor is big,
overgrown boy, who probably talks too
much at times. But I'll bet my life that
he is honest. In fact. I never, in twenty
years experience, have seen a player who
was not always on the level 1 know that
there are gamblers in Pittsburg who would
be foolish enough to place himself in the
power of such persons. AS far as Chicago
is concerned let me say that the inference
that ComiSkey was the man who paid
$500 to Taylor is a cold-blooded lie. pure
and simple. l played nearly all my base
ball life with Comiskey, and / want to say
that there isn't a SQuarer. fairer sports
man in the world. Brush knows what a
man of integrity COmiskey is, and SO does
every magnate and player in the country.
Taylor has done no wrong, and all this
talk is the result of idle gossip about some
thing that never occurred. 1t is one thing
to say player is crooked and another
thing to prove the charge. If Taylor sold
out to whom did he SELL how much did he
receive. when and where? That Is COM
bination query that these very wise ac-
cusers cannot answer. and I'll bet it,