Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-13
ST. LOUIS MUST PAY
O'CONNOR'S SALARY
Jury Awards Dismissed Man.
ager S. 900 in Full Compen-
Sation. for Years Work.

ST LOUIS, May 13-The St. Louis
American League base ball club must pay
Jack O'Connor 5000. the amount ne
would have received I'm salary had he not
been discharged as manager prior to the
opening Of the 1911 season, a jury in the
circuit court decided last night. The
trial, which had occupied the court all
day, came to a close with unexpected
suddenness. The jurors were out only
thirty minutes.
O'Connor was called to the stand i'm re-
buttal as the last witness. He denied
the testimony of Sidney Cook and Julius
Cronheim that they had from the grand
stand overheard O'Connor give orders
that enabled Napoleon Lajoie OF the
Cleveland team almost to tie the batting
average Of Ty Cobb for the 1910 season.
Sidney Cook, who witnessed the nnai
double-header between the Cleveland and
st. Louis Americans in the season of
1910. testified that while sitting In the
grandstand just above the st. Louis bench
he heard OConnor, manager OF the local
team. instruct his players to favor their
opponents.
Mr.. Cook testified that he heard O'Con-
nor instruct Pitcher Malloy to give bases
on balls to certain Cleveland batters, and
in one instance heard him instruct Mailoy
to hit Manager MCGUIRE Of Cleveland with
the ball. Malloy. the witness said. hit
Manager Mcguire. The effect Of these
instructions, the witness said. was to
bring LajOie to bat every other inning.
Cook also testified that he heard O'Con-
nor swear at Third Baseman Corriden
for getting his hand on a ball hit by
Lajoie. thus causing Lajoie to be cred
tied only with a sacrifice.
Julius CrOnheim, who sat in the grand
stand with Cook. testified that he heard
the instructions to the players similar
to those testified to by Cook, but said
he was not SO sure Of the voices of the
speakers as was his companion.
Richard Collins base ball writer and
the ofifcial scorer for the local American
games. testified that Lajoie's batting was
the unusual feature Of the game. that his
bunting was unusual, and that Lajoie
"ehoked" the bat. or held it high up.
This, he said. ordinarily would indicate
purpose to bunt, but yet the basemen
stood far back Collins said he explained
this at the time on the theory that the
basemen thought Lajoie was choking
the bat to fool them. and il they got
nearer would hit the ball hard Corridor,
he said, fielded the ball when it came his
way and tried to throw it to first.
Clarence Lloyd. another sports writer.
testified that Corridor played away on
third on the day in question. but that
was his usual practice.
Jack OConnor. in his testimony. denied
that he had favored Lajoie. or that he
had criticised COrriden for stopping as
many of Lajoie's drives as lie did.
President Hedges of the st. Louis team
denied that he discharged O'Connor at
the order of Ban Johnson He also said
that between $5O0,Oe0 and S1Go.00o had
been invested in the St. Louis Americans
and that in the last three years 100000
had been spent in strengthening the team.
Mr.. Hedges said he attended the double
header in question, and at the time made
no protest at the work of the st. Louis
players
A deposition flied i'm the case by Presi-
dent Ban johnson of the American
League stated that Johnson ordered the
dismissal Of O'Connor on the ground that
he had instructed Thihr Basema u
John Corridor to play back of the base
when Napoleon Lajoie was at bat for
Cleveland, thereby enabling Lajoie to run
up his batting record. 1t was in that
season that the batting contest occurred
between Lajoie and Ty Cobb of the De-
troit Americans for an automobile prize.