Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-28
| SENTIMENT SEEMS
TO SWING TOWARD
ACCUSED PLAYERS
iris And Ty In Washington
Make No Statements-Sev-
eral Seek To Bar Leonard
From Organized Game For
ever

Chicago, Dec. 27.-(P)-Ty Cobb
and iris Speaker moved ON Wash
ington today, presumably to look
over the bats in the Federal dug
out, hopeful Of finding one with
which to knock "out Of the park" the
charges thrown at them by Dutch
Leonard, former American League
pitcher.
Neither Speaker nor the attorney
who accompanies him would offer
any explanation of their trip to the
capital but the fact that Speaker and
Cobb planned to be in Washington
at the same time was regarded as
significant.
Cobb, who left his Augusta, Ga.
home with the din of enthusiastic
avowals of faith of his town folk In
his integrity still echoing, was equal
ly reticent.
Cobb, however, has indicated that
he will not be satisfied until he has
been cleared of Leonard's charges
! made public last week by Commits
sioner Lands, that he had taken part
in a game that was fixed" Septem-
Der rs, 1919.
Two possibilities are seen as the
two star outfielders line up for the
| first time in their many years In
baseball against the same pitcher, a
former teammate Of both. One is
| that the post office department may
| be asked to investigate with the pos
sibility that Matchmaking charges
may be preferred in connection with
| the corr espondence which forms the
| basis of the allegations against Cobb
| and Speaker.
Another possibility is that Cobb
and Speaker may confer with Con-
gressional leaders who have express
ed belief in their innocence of the
| charges.
Two other chapters, one in SYM
pathy with Cobb and Speaker, the
other hostile. were written yesterday.
In San Francisco, a letter signed
| Jointly by Charles H. Strub and Will
liam III. Mccarthy, presidents Of the
San Francisco and Missions clubs
respectively, asked Harry A. Will
liams, president of the Pacific Coast
League, to bar Leonard forever from
| all parks under the jurisdiction of the
| league.
ANY man. the letter said. "who
conceals for seven years the evidence
of an alleged unlawful act and. then,
for money consideration and admit
tedly for revenge, sells 1t to damn
the reputation Of men without pre-
vious blemish. is not fit to be the as
sociate of decent men,"
Williams, informed of the letter
said he would take no action against
Leonard until he received from Com
missioner Lands a full transcript of
the evidence.
Il have known Cobb and Speaker
personally for many years." he add
ed, land it is inconceivable that
7 either should be guiny of the things
minated"
Williams said that Lands did the
only thing he could do under the cir
cumstances, as the charges would
have become known from other
sources. In Chicago, Charles A
Comiskey, owner of the Chicago
White Sox. also came to the defense
of the commissioner.
Comiskey. chief sufferer from the
world series scandal of 1919. coupled
his endorsement of Lands with
critimism of President Ban johnson
of the American League and Presi-
dent Frank Navin of the Detroit
Tigers. These two men, Comiskey
said, should have made public the
facts as soon as they learned of them,
so that the players if guilty, could
have been punished Immediately.
Replying to the "Old Roman" Ma
vim said ComisKey was talking
through his hat"
"As soon as learned of the state
ments attributed TO Leonard" Ma
vim said, Il reported the matter to
Johnson who in turn reported TO
Landis."