The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-07

ter one or two other amendments had been made, and that MT. Sullivan ad- vised against signing it. But he (Mc- Crawl was told that lone or two of the directors had to catch train West; that MT. Tener did not feel any animosity, and that he had better sign, MT. Hampstead advising it. So the signature went.
 g.. This from MT. Littleton to Mo Graw-"You say in your repudiation that, after carefully reading certain newspaper articles, etc., that they were untrue. Now, did you read over these articles?" E
 MT. McGraw-"No, r only read the underlined sentences in Mercer's story"
 MT Littleton-'"Then you r-puciat- ed something which you had not Iseen?"
 TO-. MT. Ltt1eton-"You say you told the newspaper writers you were helping them by signing the repudia- tion?"
 MT. McGraw-"Yes." MT. Litt1eton-"Do you consider that referring to any one as, "scurri- lous' and calling him a liar is help ing him very much? If so, in what way?"
 No answer
 Il. McGraw stated that he had been told that there was a possibility that he might be suspended for the year without pay and that libel suits would be brought against the papers. President Tener answered this by stating that no threats of any sort had been made against McGraw and that no thought of libel suis had been en- tertained.
 12./ Mir. Litt1eton brought out this point: t'One of the baseball writers chief complaints is that they were branded as writers of scurri1ous arti- cles and were made out as liars with out being a given chance to defend themselves or offer any testimony in Irebutta1.'' The blame here was fixed upon the league and all concerned with the repudiation meeting. Chair man Toole stated that the league had no such intention, when 1t gathered; l; that the meeing had been called to bring about discipline. -''But," sure MT. Iittleton,' cit isn't what you met to door meant to do-it's what you ac- ua1ly did"
 13. Mr. Ward brought out the point that baseball writers do not always quote the men they interview verbatim. To which Mercer replied: | NO, we OCn |. OI Ln0 ldnS udS6
 used is too forcible to be printed in a newspaper"
 | IA. MT. Littleton to McGraw: "Did you at any time after the Mercer in terview and the others were printed, deny before Mercer or any other news ] paper man that you gave out this l interview until you were called upon
 to sign this repudiation?" | Mr. McGraw: 'fNo, I did not" | The matter, as it now stands, is a
 matter of veracity between McGraw
 on one side and Mercer, Crane, Sim
 mott and Graham on the other-not
 only as to the original interview, but
 in regard to the statement that Mo
 Graw claimed he was coerced. | Mercer says that he got an inter-
 view from McGraw and that after
 ward McGraw. read and O. K.,d it.
 McGraw says he didn't give any inter ! view and that he didn't read it after
 ward.
 Mercer, Crane, Sinnott and, Graham
 say that McGraw told them, in ef-
 feet, that he was forced to sign un-
 der pressure. McGraw admitted that
 no pressure was brought. ] In other words. as Bill Veeck, of '"The Chicago American" remarked
 ''McGraw and the National League
 branded newspaper writers as scurril-
 ous liars in order that a couple of di-
 rectors could catch a train West. What
 could be simpler ?''