The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-02-04
Dempsey Case Will Be Investigated By Army Board To Give Champion Chance
 To Disprove Charge Of Stacker

New York, Feb. At the office of the Army, Navy and Civilian Board of Boxing Control in this city, Jack Dempsey, the heavyweight champion, will appear tonight, either in person or by affidavits, and submit the mat ter of his activities during the war to the following committee: Alfred l.. Marilley, counsel to the board, Chair man; Major Anthony J. Drexel Riddle, Gutzon Borgluna, Dr. Joseph B. Ray croft, Robert Edgren, Roswell F. Easton, R. Breckenridge Steele, Adam Emple, and Commissioner John s. Smith.
 Colonel Roosevelt, who is 8 mem Der of the committee of the Interna- | tiona1 Sporting club, was asked to serve, but replied expressing regret | that his many duties rendered 1t inn possible.
 The action planned by the board, it
 is announced by Adam Emp1e, the 1 Secretary, is due in part to the large
 number of letters received from all
 over the country urging that it hold l the proposed investigation, which was
 first suggested by Dempsey himself
 in telegram addressed to Major An thony J. Drexe1 Riddle. President of the board, and couched as follows: l Hast June you gave me boxer s license, number two, which certified
 on the face of it that I had a clean
 and honorable record as a boxer. Since that time a few posts of the American Legion, who are not in any way familiar with my record, adopt
 ed resolutions condemning me as a 1 draft dodger' in the late war, an
 indictment wholly unsupported by
 facts.
 What I have done has been to fol- , low implicitly the instructions as giv- en to me by the representatives of the
 government. The slogan at that time
 was follow the governments instruc-
 tions.' That applied to me as tc
 every other citizen sn the United States and I was carrying out then
 orders and abiding by their instruc'
 tions, and I was not a "draft dodger,'
 as these few Legion posts have de- | clared and. who base their decision or l false evidence through persons wht are trying to put same over to fur 1 their their own selfish interests. An
 I to be crucified and condemned be
 cause I followed the orders as givel
 to me by the government: N
 l This is an appeal to you as a bod, 2 of thorough and honorable sportsmen
 whose aim has always been justic and fairness, and a square deal fo
 all, to investigate this matter thor ! oughly, and if I am innocent of tn , charge of draft dodger," clear m l publicly before the world, and if l am guilty, condemn me.
 . 1 I will either present myself per : i sonal1y for examination by you 5 board, or submit to you, upon tele t graphic request, a complete statemen
 of my activities during the war in af
 1 T
 your final decision in the matter, a. , to be misjudged without chance t e prove my innocence is cruel, and V feel that your honorable board will a ! least see that justice will be done t - me.
 = Upon recenpt of the telegram tn
 members of the Board of Boxing Con h tro1 were at first inclined to feel it ir g advisable to take the matter up fol t mally, but consideration of the inter t est aroused in many quarters by tn e charges against Dempsey, and of tn 7, possibility of the report of boxing be e ing adversely affected by the agitatio y unless clear-cut. decisive action weI @ taken, has convinced them that th
 contemplated move is wise. n The board announces that its res > son for inviting Commissioner John n Smith of the N. J. Athletic Commi. n sion, to serve on the committee is bt y cause of "the drastic action which I e took in regard to Dempsey, and tt le assumption on our part that he mu le be in possession of very definite an IS important knowledge to Justify u st extreme measure of barring Dempse I- from boxing in the state of New Je = sey.''