The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-29
IT. SULLIVAN WRITES
MONTGOMERY ALDERMAN COM-
 PLAINS TO kAvANAUGH.
President of Baseball League Is Informed of the Conduct of Umpire Buckley In Bir-
 minghom.

william Ka1anaugh of the Southern Baseball league is self .explanatory
 Judge William Kavanaugh. Little
 pear SirNThe reasons which impel. and. I think. justify. me in addressing Tres a love of baseball and a sense of fair play
 Birmingham fsh f ann games, game M going there through pure love of the sport. and witnessed Wednesdays and Thursdays
 ITO say the least. Buckley's decis- ions were "off color" on Wednesday. but
 I wish to lay before you the facts as l
 saw them on last Thursday. when Dur
 rett is accused of throwing a baseball bat and otherwise assaulting Umpire Buckley
 After a foul tip, struck by Dur
 ret eyer the gFandstand the ,ro 1mpiIh th
 satchel, accepted oen thrown from the bench of the Birmingham players. | saw Durrett leave the plate and walk
 There he found two punk" balls, not fit even to practice with. (This l have his word for.) Durrett called Buckley g attention to this fact. but the umpire ordered Durrett back to his place. This precipitated a wordy war. which we could not hear in the grandstand where we were seated.
 Next thing I noticed Buckley had rushed to the gate, opened it. and was ordering Durrett to leave the game and grounds. Durrett tried to explain, but the umpire called three policemen and had Durrett removed from the grounds. AS far as teh report concerning the
 throwing of the bat is concerned ua ,ss 1t IS IS ! the direction of the umpire. It Is true, however that Durrett did shake Buck
 ley a little, but that is all There being substantiated by the Birmingham players themselves.
 Matthews, the catcher for Birming- rett did not use foul language, nor did he hear or see him do aught that would justify his expulsion from the game, much less from the grounds. after Durrett's place was filled by Mo Aleese, one deputy sheriff and two po-
 licemen took their seats on the Mont,
 Rayers eHneh Dnss sie1 an6 ffom ahe
 umpire. until the Montgomery team were about to quit the field, on this account. when Bukley then asked
 T believe you, Judge Kavanaugh: to be a fair minded man. You, as well as any one else. knows that baseball is Durretts living It is his pro1ession, plays winning ball. he can retain his position, but If his team plays losing ball, he will be replaced by compe- tent man, as soon as the Board of Di- rectors of his club adjudge him un- suited for the place. Under such cir cumstances, can you blame him for losing his head. when decision after decision, rank as a dead horse, were made against his team, throwing them 10 the bad in spite of his efforts to win out in a game in justice theirs?
 Taking the foregoing into due con rett's place do you not believe that with the humiliation incident to the publication of false reports regarding | the scenes on the baseball diamond. in | which he Is alleged to have thrown a | bat at the umpire, assaulting him ana
 otherwise played the bully. all or | which was false, that Durrett has been sufficiently punished? This. with fine of $25 imposed by the umpire, and $i9 | by the Police Court. looks as If 1t would | appeal 10 your high sense of justice | and cause you to remit the penalty or
 ten days suspension imposed by you 1 The penalty of ten days will not | only be hardship on the manager of | our team but will cripple our team l materially This letter Is written with | out the Knowledge or consent of any I person interested It Is written in pure | love of justice and sympathy for tho l game of ball I nor any of my friends.
 are interested nnancialiy in any team, but are Hans" and love clean sport. | Hoping you will give this your earn | est consideration and asking to hear | from you. l am.
 Very truly yours, James l. Sullivan, TT F Harrison, | w. J. Toole, | ". R. Fisher"