Norwich bulletin., 1920-08-18
NEW YORK FANS PAID FINAL
 TRIBUTE TO RAY CHAPMAN

l New York. Aug. 17-New York base ball fans paid final tribute tonight te
 Ray Chapman, shortstop of the Gleve- 1 land American team, whose death re- suited early today from the blow he l received on the head from a pitched 1 ball in the game between New 1ork and Cleveland yesterday. Chapman's body was placed aboard the Lal>e o.lo4 t
 Limited, which left the Grand Cen tral station at 6:30 o'clock tonight and is scheduled to arrive in Cleveland to- morrow morning at S:20 o'clock. During the day, while the player body lay at the undertaker's rooms hundreds of, baseball fans called there
 to view it and tonight a large crowd gathered at the Grand Central station
 The assemblage acted as an escort as the coffin was carried through the sta
 ton to the train. The fans formed an
 aisle near the gates and stood with
 barred heads as the body of the dead
 ball player passed through.
 While the death of~Chapman has
 caused sorrow among baseball mag
 mates, players and fans, none seemed as deeply grieved over the accident as Carl Mays, the New York pitcher who delivered the ball in yesterdays game
 that resulted in Chapman's death. After the. game yesterday Mays went to his room and denied himself to all even his intimate friends and team mates on the New York club. He pac- ed the floor of his room during The night and when word came to hlm to- day that Chapman had died the pltch- CT broke down completely and sad ne desired to give himself up to the d4s- trict attorney as soon as possible.
 On his visit to the district attorney s office, Mays was accompanied by Char les McManus, business manager Of the Yankees Manager Iris Speaker and Secretary Walter McNichols of the Cleveland club. Mays made his state ment to Assistant District Attorney John F. Joyce. The pitcher, eyes fill ed with tears and barely able to tell his story, said:
 Tt was straight fast ball and not a curved one. When Chapman came to bat got the signal for straight fast ball, which delivered. It was little too close and I saw Chapman duck his head in an effort to get out of the path of the ball. He was too late, however, and a second later he fell to. the ground. It was the most regrettable incident of my career and I would give anything if could undo what has hap pened."
 After hearing Mays story MT. Joyce said he thought Chapman's death was purely accidental.
 Dispatches from Boston today said the Detroit and Boston players plan ned to draw up a petition asking for the punishment from organized base ball of Mays
 Manager Iris Speaker of the Cleve- land club, talking with Colonel T. L. Huston, one of the owners of the Yan- kees, said the accident was unavoid able:
 T do not hold Mays responsible in any way" he added. T have been act i've in discouraging my players from holding Mays responsible, and in re- spect to Chapman's memory IS well as ier the good of baseball. I hope all talk of this kind will stop. I can realize hat Mays feels this thing as deeply IS any man could, and I do not want 0 add anything to his burden. I do lot know what prompted the action of he Boston and Detroit players. For ny part I think it is deplorable."
 At her hotel uptown Mrs Chapman, yhe entered an uneven race with death | asts night, arriving from Cleveland sev- ral hourseafter her husband breathed lis last, refused to accept the proffer- d consolation of her husbands friends | md team ,mates. Except for Iris | Speaker, manager of the Cleveland | cam. she would see no one spending he. day in her room
 The post-mortem examination of the | ody brought no new information. Ac- | orolng to the autopsy surgeon, Chap 1 nan died from q blow in the left fem | oral region which fractured the stzuii 1 a portion of bone which | aused an inter -cranial hem orrha e.o ---I