Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-21
COBB AND SPEAKER
LINKED IN PLOT TO
'F|X' GAME ON BET
Said to Have Conspired With
Leonard and Wood ir
Crucial 1919 Contest.
By the Associated Press.

/ BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, December 21.-Ty Cobb
| and iris Speaker We're linked today
| in an investigation conducted by Base
| Ball Commissioner Lands involving
| tween Detroit and Cleveland played in
Detroit, September 25, 1919.
Commissioner Lands. without max
ing any decision, made public more
than 100 pages of testimony taken In
connection with the case.
J Cobb and Speaker recently resigned
as managers of the Detroit and Cleve'
land clubs. respectively.
Charges Involve Betting.
Dutch Leonard, once pitcher with
the Detroit club. and Joe Wood, an
other American League pitcher, also
were named in the Investigation,
which Commissioner lands indicated
involved betting on the result of the
game.
Today's scandal was the third to be
exploded on the American base ball
public within the last six years, and
on the surface appeared to be as star
Ting as the famous crooked world Sc
IIsries OF 4919s after which eight stars
of the Chicago White Sox were for
ever barred from organized base ball.
The volume of testimony Commits
F; sioner Lands made public included
I+letters Cobb is purpcrted to have writ
! ten to Leonard, the Tiger pitcher.
| Fred C. West, who is not imme-
| diately identified in connestion with
/ the investigation, also was named in
/ the testimony.
| Cobb, here with Speaker for hear
| ing granted by Judge Lands yester-
! day, declared today that he did not
know OF the bet until long afterWard,
| and that the box score of the contest
which Detroit won, to 5, would show
! that neither he nor Speaker could
| have been implicated in throwing the
game.
Cobb related that Dutch" Leonard
| Detroit pitcher, and Joe Wood, CleVe
| land pitcher, had bet $500 against $42t
| that Detroit. then in third place, woulc
win from the second place Cleveland
| club on September 25, 1919. Wood die
not play in the game, Cobb said.
Players Cite Records.
| Speaker. accused of having knowl
| edge of the plan for Cleveland to lose
| made three hits, two of which were
! doubles, while Cobb, charged witt
/ knowledge of a prearranged Detroi'
victory, got only one hit in FIVE times
at bat Boland pitched for Detroit.
THAT ought to show" Cobb de
! clared, that neither Speaker nor
were in on it,"
| Cobb did not bet on the game, he
said.
| II have played base ball for 2:
! years." Cobb said with catch in nj;
voice.
/ Speaker and / have tried repeated
| ly to get Leonard to face us at {
| hearing, and Lands has tried any
| number of times to get Leonard here
| from the coast, but he would no
! come
| Cobb Denies All Charges.
Il could not think of anything but
! win. Every year, every month, ever!
| week, and every day. ! did my deaC
| level best to play good ball and to live
| so that l could play good ball. never
bet on an American League ball gam,
| in my life. l don't believe anybody
ever played the game any harder Of
| cleaner or squarer than /.
II am involved in this smudge sever
years after the thing happened. NJ,
| position is vindicated in the testimon,
and so is that of Speaker. ] refer the
| base ball fans of the country to my
record in base ball. ] am proud of i
! and / will leave my case to them"
What about the status of CObl
and Speaker" Commissioner Landi!
was asked.
These men being out of base ball
no decision will be made unles:
changed conditions in the future Ie
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