The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-06
HAROLD CHASE IS EXONERATED Red Player May Probably Be Used As Trading
 Material.

Hal Chase, great among first base men, was acquitted yesterday by John I A. Heydler, president of the National 1 League, on the charge preferred t; against him by the Cincinnati club ! that he had wagered against his own team and had conspired with other i players to influence the results of games.
 f In passing judgment MT. Heydler, . who devoted hours to a conscientious study of the evidence taken at pri- vate hearing on Jan. 30, said: Tt ts nowhere established that the accused was interested in any pool or wager that caused any game of ball : to result otherwise than on its merits, and that Player Hal H. Chase IS Not Guilty of the charges brought against : him"
 In making his finding, MT. Heydler also issued an ultimatum against bet ting to all players in the National League which is drastic, to say the least. It follows:
 Any player who during my
 term as president of the National
 League is shown to have any in
 rleIeSL III q WdSci Oll any oSAAAS
 played in the league, whether
 he bets on his own club or
 against it, or whether he takes
 part in the game or not, will De
 promptly expelled from the Ma
 tional League. Betting by play |. CTS will not be tolerated
 This is a broad ukase and MT. Heydler may be inviting trouble in trying to enforce it. It bespeaks his boldness, however, and a willingness also to shoulder any burden and its consequences in an effort to prevent a repetition of the Chase case while he is the chief executive of the Ma tional League.
 One can applaud the motive back of it even while questioning It's advisa- bility as a ruling which can be en- forced.
 MT Haydler did not go deeply into : the Chase case or the evidence sub mitted in his formal finding, but in discussing it he brought out several points which indicated clearly how carefully he had weighed every bit of evidence and how convinced he was that the charges had not been upheld.
 In the first place, he pointed out that the charges filed by the Cincin- natl club and by Christopher Mathew son, manager of the team last year, were not specific, but purely general and presented in blanket form by al leging a violation of Section 40 of the National League constitution, which reads as follows
 Any person who shall be proven guilty of offering, agreeing, conspir- ing or attempting to cause any game of baH~to result otherwise than on its merits under the playing rules shall be forever disqualified by the president of the league from acting as umpire manager or player or in any. other capacity in any game of ball partici- pated in by d league club"
 In the second place, Mir Heydler fpointed out, evidence as to his ap- proaching other players was not even faintly established, so that the case shinged largely on whether or not Chase had wagered against his own tteam All testimony was under oath land the witnesses against the firs baseman of the Reds offered evidence only as hearsay kind, which could not be substantiated.
 Chase was good witness in his owr behalf, according to Mir. Heydler Hi - kanswers to all questions, particularly on cross examination, were sharp, di kTect, to the point and on the whole convincing.
 Matty's deposition was carefully toonsidered, in spite of the fact tha he was in France and consequently not on hand to submit to or-Osa ava m tanation by Chase's counseA but ever this affidavit was not specific.
 One oN the strongest points in favo1 sof the accused had to do with on, game in which it was intimated thaJ Chase bet against his club The rec ord showed that in the sixth inning O against Cincinnati and with two mel on bases, Chase went to bat and ham mered out a home run
 Chase expressed satisfaction ol hearing the verdict but had nothin: further to say, but his lawyers af firmed that legal action would be con t1nued to establish full redress" iron the Cincinnati club which caused, hi suspension without cause' and hell iup payment of his salary.
 According to MT Heydler, Chas Testified under oath that he had mad only two wagers so far as he coul remember since playing professions ,tbasebal Once on a game in 1917 be tween Cleveland and Cincinnati an once when he sat in the grandstan as a spectator at a. game between Chi cago and New York