Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-26
TRUE DETAILS OF
THE KELLEY CASE
A Magnate's Personal Quarrel
With the Player Being
Worked to the
Limit. BE-

| phase on account of the savage attack upon
the player by the ST. Louis Sporting News
In last weeks issue. copy of which reach
! ed this city yesterday. The Sporting News
Is supposed to be the official organ of the
| American League. and President Ban
Johnson was in the Mound city the early
| part of last week, 1t is an easy matter to
| locate the source of the attack.
The attack starts off with a small para
graph on the editorial page, which reads
| as follows:
| When a trainer or jockey is ruled off
| race track for dishonesty. he is debarred
| from all courses until reinsated by the Of
| fcials who placed him under the ban. That
| procedure should be followed with black
listed ball players"
| No names are used here. but it doesn't
| take a ma gnifying glass to discern upon
! whom the onslaught is directed The Sport
| Ing News is right in saying that any dis
| honest ball player should be put in the
| same class with a dishonest jockey or
| trainer but no one ever claimed that Kelley
| had done anything dishonest while In the
American Association. His crime consisted
| solely in charging that one Of the umpires
| employed by that organization had made
| wagers on the games in which he officiated
as arbitrator of plays. The testimony taken
at the time showed that certain parties had
told Kelley that the umpire in question had
| bet on the games and that they could fur
| nsh affdavits to prove the assertion.
| Kelley Is a hot-headed but fearless lad,
| and without stopping to think of the conse-
quences assumed the authority for the
charges, and when brought before the board
| of investigation Of the American Associa-
| ton failed to make good for the simple
| reason that the parties who had furnished
| him the information refused to come for
ward. When Kelley found out the hole
| he had dug for himself he admitted to the
investigating committee In straightfor-
| ward manner that he had made mistake
| and he withdrew the charges.
! Kelley had been thorn In the side OF
| several members of the committee for sew
| eral seasons past on account OF winning
pennants, and they decided to get rid OF
| him in their organization once and for all
| time. Resolutions were framed and passed
| barring Kelley from playing or managing
| in the American Association for conduct
unbecoming a manager or player, and thus
| the case rested for time. Kelley sought
| redress in the courts. but was persuaded by
| friends to withdraw his case, it was
thought at the time that the matter Tould
be Strengthened out to his satisfaction.
Just low serious these charges were can
be CLEANED from the fact that the investi-
eating committee did not think enough of
them to forward the report of its findings
to Secretary Farrell of the National Asso-
citation of Minor League Clubs, an organi-
cation of which the American Association
Is one of the leading members. Can it be
conceived that had Kelley cen dishonest in
his actions the committee :. Ould have hest
tated to notify the officials of the Matte, II
Association and let the world know the full
details Of the case?
The giSt of the whole matter can be
summed up in the words OF a president of
one of the American Association clubs an
avowed enemy Of Keleys, who remarked
| last week to an official of the Washington
| club:
I'VE concluded that Kelley was an unde-
| sirable member of the American Association
| and concluded to expel him."
| Two other editorials deal with the trans
! fer of Kelley to st. Louis and question the
right of the national commission to decide
that he did not belong to the st. Louis
| the reserve list. This part of the contro-
| versy was wiped out when Manager Cam
tillon bought Kelley from the st. Louis
club for 81 500.
The Sporting News also claims that Pres
| ident Johnson notified the St. Louis club
| prior to kelley's sale to the Washington
| club that he would not be allowed to play
in the American League until he was re-
| instated by the American Association. As
sertionS of this sort are all very well at
| the present time. but it is more than an
even bet that Mr.. Johnson took very little
| interest in Mr.. Kelley until he heard that
| Washington had purchased the right to the
| player
When the case was taken before the
| national commission. Messrs. Hermann.
| Puliam and doubtless johnson returned
| the papers with the Endorsement that it
| was a matter for the National Association
to adjudicate. more than likely coming to
this conclusion through the f1imsy charges
| preferred
| Kelley was then secured for the Des
| Moines club. and when he was finally out
| of the American Association the magnates
Of that organization again took up his case.
| and four of the eight voted to put him
| in good standing. The other four, of whom
| President Lennon was the ruling spirit. re-
fused to vote for reinstatement. Lennon
had become an arch enemy of Kelley in a
| quarrel that originally was the cause of all
| the trouble, and he eXerted all his influence
| to prevent reinstatement. If Kelley had
| been the dishonest man charged by the
Sporting News how is it that One-half Of
| the American Associate magnates were
| in favor of putting him back in good stand
| ing once again? Several of the western
papers have all along intimated that but
| for Lemons opposition Kelley would have
| been reinstated long ago and the unsavory
| case closed.
| From the wording of the editorials in the
| Sporting News an unsuspectng reader
would naturally come to the conclusion
| that Kelley had thrown games for gam
| bling purposes or committed a crime on
| a like plane. Just how fimsy the charges
! were can be CLEANED from the following
resolution which was passed by the Ameri-
| can Association at meeting of that body
| December =, 1906:
IN accordance with the findings of fact
| adopted by this association l.. A. Lydiard
and M. ]. Kelley are hereby declared in
| eligible as owner. manager. player. or for
! any position in the American Associa ton
| of Professional Base Ball Clubs or with
| any club that is member of said org AMI
Zation.'
! There is charge of dishonesty there.
| and the trainers thereof were doubtless
| content to sweep Kelley out of their or
| ganization SO that some else beside
| this plucky leader could win championship
! flag. The truth Of the matter Is that Kel-
| ley and Lennon had a personal quarrel
| and that the latter had enough influence
to force the former out of the American
| Association. To say at this late day that
| Kelley has been dishonest Is an infamous
| charge. and the pity of 1t is that he didn't
take his case to the courts and show up
| the entire base proceedings.
SUNDAY SCHOOL LEAGUE NOTES.