Evening star., 1915-01-10

ball will lay bare it's inner workings
convinced that no law is being violat-
ed by it. 1t is proposed to show that
the rules governing the entire organ
lzatton have for an object the safe
guarding of the sport and the interests
of the players and club owners alike
Facts also can be produced to sub
stantiate these claims.
According to an inside story ema-
mating from a Federal League source
the new league barely missed signing
Eddie Collins last summer, long before
Comiskey grabbed the Mack star Col
Inns. of course, is now safely anchored
, to the Chicago club by new model
contract. But according to this story
Collins would have gone over to the
Feds had it not been for a mix-up in
which Hal Chase figured.
1t is known that the Feds got after
Collins early in the spring At that
time the Athletics star was under &
contracts which contained the ten-day
release clause and the Feds assured
him that it was not binding. Collins
was visited by Gilmore. but while he
refused to talk shop, he did not en-
tirely discourage the off:er
The incident by which Collins was
lost occurred in Chicago when the Ath-
letics were there on their last trip OF
the season. Collins had assumed a
belligerent attitude toward Mack be-
as much money as he should.
Gilmore got hold of Collins and made
an engagement to meet him. They had
long talk and Gilmore made Collins
a proposition which Collins took for
consideration. He even agreed, ac-
cording to Gilmore, to go over to the
Feds at the close of the season and
practically everything was arranged
except the actual signing of the con
tract. Gilmore made an appointment
with Collins for the next day to close
the transaction.
When Gilmore reached his Office the
following morning he found tele-
gram there which called him away to
Indianapolis Oh urgent business. He
was not able to keep his engagement
with Collins, but as the Athletics were
to be in town for two days more he
planned to see Collins the following
day. when he would be back in Chi
| cago. Hal Chase was the only person
in the Office with him at the time, and
as he rushed out to get his train he
left instructions with Chase to call
Collins on the phone at his hotel and
| tell him that the appointment was off
| for that day and that he would meet
him at noon the following day.
1t seems these instructions slipped
Chases memory and when Collins put
in an appearance at Gilmore's Office the
next morning and was informed that
he had left the city he became indig-
nant and left the office.
If expressions by patrons of the game
amount to anything, there is not the
slightest danger Of Walter Johnson
receiving anything but a. cheerful well
, come when he makes his appearance
here next spring. Washington fans are
fair in their base ball judgment, and
for years they have idolized johnson
who, by reason of his remarkable
prowess, was easily the star of the
local aggregation during nearly his
entire stay here.
Despite the fact that he did not quite
pitch up to his usual standard in the
last campaign, he, nevertheless, ex-
celled in several respects, and was
third in the pitching list.
1t is perhaps true that Walter made
some mistakes in his talks regarding
the Federal League offers he received,
and he undoubtedly did not follow the
dictates of his conscience when he
CONTINUED on Second PaSe.)