New Britain herald., 1926-12-27

Chicago, Dec. 27 Rl-Ty Cobb and Iris Speaker moved on 10 Washington today. presumably to look over the bats in the federal dugout, 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 Wash- ington at the same time was regard- ed 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 in. dicated that he will not be satis- fled until he has been cleared of Leonard's charges. made public last week by Commissioner Landis that he had taken part in a game that was fixed" September 25, 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--- q former teammate of both. One is that the post office department may be asked 10 investigate with the possibility that blackmaiIins charges may. be preferred in con- nection with the correspondence which forms the basis of the allega- tions against Cobb and Speaker.
 Another possibility is that Cobb and Speaker may confer with con- gressional leaders who have ex- pressed belief in their innocence of the charges.
 Two other chapters, one in sym- pathy with Cobb and Speaker. the other hostile, were written yester- day.
 In San Francisco, a letter signed jointly by Charles IT. Strub and William II. Mccarthy, presidents of the San Franciso and Missions clubs respectively. asked Harry A. Will Hams. 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 confederation and admit tedly for revenge, sells it to damn the reputation of men without pre- vious blemish. is not fit to be the associate of decent men,
 Williams. informed of the letter. said he would take no action against Leonard until he received from Commissioner Landis full trans cript of the evidence.
 II have know Cobb and Speaker personally for many years" he ad- ded, and it is inconceivable that either should be guilty of the things minated"
 Williams said that Landis did the only thing he could do under the circumstances, 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 candal of 1919, coupled his endorsement of Landis with crit icism of President Ban Johnson of the American League and President 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.
 AS soon as l learned of the statements attributed to Leonard" Navin said, T reported the matter to Johnson, who in turn reported 10 Landis.'