Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-18
STATE TO PREPARE NEW
CASE AGAINST PLAYERS
Action Follows Collapse of Inmc-
dfatc Prosecution of Indicted
White SoN.
GROVE NOW HAS CHARGE
Prosecuting Attorney Announces
He Will Handle Situation From
Now On-Dcclares Grand Jury
Evidence Was Stolen.
IBy Associated Press I

-.
CHICAGO, March i7.-lmmcdiate
prosecution of Chicago White Sox
baseball players and others indicted
in connection with the alleged throw
Ing Of the 1871? worlds series col
lapsed today, when the state. charr
ing corruption of its chief witnesses.
dropped the cases against seven of
the players. and Judge William r.
Dover took the others OFF the court
call
Tonight, however. the state plunged
INTO the TASK of preparing new case
with announcement that the matter
would be placed in the hands of n
grand jury again tomorrow and re-
Indictment OF the players whose eases
We're dropped sought.
Robert l.. Grove. states attorney.
TOOK charge OF the case today and
announced that he would handle il
from now on He ordered the cases
dismissed after his plea for six
months in which 10 gather new evil
dencc had been denied by Judge
Dover and made May as the date
OF III" trial
To bring Guilty TO Justice.
Tonight i'll formal statement Mr..
Grove: placed the blame for the coli
lapse of the ease on his predecessors
charging they had handled IL inn,
property. on an alleged conspiracy.
which he said had defeated Justice
and corrupted Joe Jackson. Eddie Ci-
cote and Claude Williams, the men
who confessed to the grand jury He
announced plans To go personally be-
fore the grand jury tomorrow to seek
new indictments. He pledged him
self To use every means to bring the
guilty persons in this case TO JUSTICE"
declaring that many guilty persons
had not been indicted by the grand
jury. and that important witnesses
were excused from answering Ques-
lions which would have brought the
real consprators To justice.
Mr.. Groves action today released
Joe jackson. Eddie Cicottc. Claude
Williams. Eucl Weaver. Oscar Felsch.
Swcde" Risbcrg and Fretf McAiulln
from custody of the law, their eases
being dismissed. The cases against
Chick Gandj, Hal Chase. Joseph j.
sullivan Rachel Brown. Abe Attcii
and william Burns. the latter 1vr
charged with engineering the alleged
worlds series deal. were taken off the
call, but may be brought up again.
had surrendered and given bail.
There was little prospect Of the men
returning to baseball. however. all
being both uncond i;ionaliy released
and on the ineligible list.
Mr. Grove, in his argument today,
told Judge Dover that grand jury
testimony had been stolen and that
Il conspiracy had hampcrcd the state
AT every point, lie demanded six
months to gather new evidence.
When Judge Dover replied that
sixty days was the limit, Mir, Grove
shouted: We'll. the game ie called,
then: II, ask nollc proscpui."
George Barrett. American League
attorney. persuaded him to drop the
cases only OF the men who had given
bail, and this was done. despite at
torncys for the defense.
The men Indicted 81
Il ban OF silence tonight, their attor-
ncyS forbidding them to talk for pub
iication until the statute of limita-
Mr.. Groves statement explaining
Why ne dropped the cases follows. in
The investigation before the grand
jury which returned these indictments
Office. 80
shortly after February direct
Gd my second assistant. George L.
German, To have the baseball eases
set for trial at the earliest possible
date. and the trial was set for March
~ MI German began To prepare for
me tria. and We were amazed To find
that the investigation OF this crime
conducted by my predecessor before
the October grand jury was not n
complete investigation and that wit
ncSScs were permitted to withhold
material evidence and were excused
by the states attorney from answer
inS questions which would uncover
me entire conspiracy. We were fur
thcr amazed Ia learn that all OF the
testimony taken before IN" grand Jury
was being publicly offered for sale
by New York newspaper syndi-
cate.
Players Under Dominntion
we then learned that Cicottc who
had testified before the grand jury
mat he was party To this conSDir-
Acy and had received $1,000 as his
share of IN" spoils, and that Claude
Williams :fnd Joe Jackson. who trsti-
fed that they had received S., 00D
apiece in payment as their share. had
been corruptly or otherwise brought
under the domination OF other de-
PENDANTS who had not testified and
We're refusing To testify upon the
trial Of their ease as Witnesses for
the state.
we further learned that many
other persons wh" were PARTIES TO
this criminal conspiracy had not been
indicted.
When This situation was Gated to
my attention directed MIR German
TO ask that the cases bc passed from