Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-29
Man Who Handled Money in
Base Ball Incident Issues
Surprise Statement.
COBB, SPEAKER AND WOOD
LAY PLANS TO FIGHT BACK
Scandal of 1919" Apparently Near
Legal Straightforward Did Not
Sell Letters, He Says.

BY the Associated Press.
DETROIT, December 29.-Fred O.
West, Navin Field employe. men
toned as the man who placed alleged
bets on the Detroit Cleveland game of
September 25, 1919, that resulted In
charges against Ty Cobb and Iris
Speaker. issued a statement today
denying that any money was bet on
the game. The money involved In
the transaction, he declared. was bet
on q horse race.
The base ball bet, according to
West, was Dutch" Leonard's idea.
Leonard, he said, wanted to bet the
money on Detroit against Cleveland,
but West, instead OF placing the
money on the game, bet it on the
race, he says.
When Ty Cobb, Iris Speaker and
Joe Wood say they did not bet on the
game of September 25. 1919--the game
between Detroit and Cleveland at
Navin Ffeld-they are speaking the
truth; they did not bet a cent. But
neither did Dutch" Leonard bet OH
the game.
''The money that figures in the case
was bet on a horse. and the horse
won. The money that was given Joe
Wood by me and the certified check
that Wood mailed to Leonard was
the original bet and the winnings
Cobb and Speaker had no money up"
Advised Bet on Horse.
West declared Leonard called him
to the clubhouse on September "a
and told him he wanted to bet on the
Detroit Cleveland game the following
day..
He asked me If 1 could get a
check for 81, 500 cashed. told him /
didn't think I could and that didn't
want to be responsible for that
amount OF money overnight"
He called Leonard by telephone
that evening, West said, and was told
to get the money from Joe Wood in
the morning and bet on Detroit
against Cleveland.
'The next morning ! went to the
hotel and met Wood" the statement
continues. II told si1ina that Leonard
had left the money with him and that
l was to make the bet Leonard nlerI-
toned. I was to turn the winnings
over to Wood after the game and
Wood said he would send 1t to Leon
ard.
"I told Wood ! had a good thing
for that day, a hot tip on a horse
called Panaman. also told him that
] would like to lay the money on
the horse because 1 could get much
better odds. Wood said That would
be a good bet
Prepared to Make Good.
II was prepared to make good part
of the bet If the horse lost. told
Wood that could not make good all
of it. Wood said he would make good
the balance in case of the horse
losing.
Wood gave me an envelope that
held the money" West continued. He
then placed one bet of 5000 on Pana-
man with one handbook, he said, and
two others of 500 each with other
bookmakers. II tried to get $500 more
on the horse. but failed" he added.
"All the money that was laid was
S400."
BY accepting the lowest odds quoted
on Panaman, West said. he effected
Immediate collection from the book
makers. II got $3.50 in cash, hustled
to the railroad station and met Wood
and handed him the money" West
went on. Il also paid him the two
500 bets and the winnings on them.
/ had not collected the winnings nor
had 1 taken up the original sums bet.
L paid this out of my own pocket
and on the next day l went TO the
handbooks and collected. How the
money was divided after Wood got 1t
/ don't know"
West said that Joe Wood did not
testify to the real bet because "he
hoped to bring Leonard East by keep
ing hidden from him the fact that the
money was not bet on the ball game
Wood tried to bring Leonard to Chi
cago, and had he come then the real
facts would have been flashed" on
him. But it seems this ruse failed to
bring Leonard into the open.'