Winslow daily mail., 1926-12-22
ACCUSED BALL
PLAYERS
:. j. FIXING CHARGE
agership Of the Detroit team.
Cobb Denies Charge

Cobb denied this, today, assert
ing that his resignation was vol4
S'i 1tntary, and in furtherance of de-
sire to retire from a club with
which he had no hope of winning
:, o. pennant. Speaker, here with
rCobh yesterday to testify before
Commissioner Lands, left for
-rn Cleveland before the charge of
scandal was made public, but
au,CQbb said, he understood that
Speakers resignation had been re-
quested by the management of the
Cleveland club, in view Of the
Leonard charges. a 1
Ban Johnson, president of the
American league, withheld a for
NAL statement pending examine
= ton of, the evidence, but he did say
-'rthat '',both Cobb and Speaker saw
the handwriting on the wall, and
decided to pull out"
r~---F+e said he was surprised that
: the testimony was divulged at
present, and that he regarded both
Cobb and Speaker as having been
'very drastically dealt with"
, Commissioner lands, although
giving out the complete testimony
of Leonard, discounted it's value
as evidence because Leonard, who
is in California, had repeatedly re-
fused to present the charges at
hearing at which Cobb and Speak
er could be present.
All Out of Baseball.
He made no ruling, in view of
the fact that Cobb, Speaker, Leon
ard and Wood all are out of base
ball, and said that if changed con-
diti0ns necessitated decision as
to what attitude organized baseball
should take in regard to the four,
such decision would be forthcom-
ings lf.
Cobb, asserting that he "never
bet a cent on an American league
baseball game" admitted today
that his letter to Leonard bore up
4
; MED that he had shared in or had
Known of any plan to- throw" the
: contest, and called the bet to
7 which he referred legitimate one
of the sort frequently entered into
: by basbal players. Despite his
own. habit of refusing to bet on
games in his own league, Cobb
said it was frequent custom
among players to bet on their own
team and that he sometimes had
) knowledge Of bets like this, just
as l have known of club owners
betting on horse races, or on base
ball games"
s.iaI have been in baseball for
twenty-five years." Cobb said, with
-4Haver in his throat, as he talk
ed of the charges. II have play
ed the game as hard and square
and clean as any man ever did, all
/ thought of was to win, every
year, every month, every day, ev-
cry hour. My conscience is clear.
l will rest my case with the Am
erican fans, and will match my
record in baseball against that of
anybody connected with the game"
Cobb ascribed Leonard's story
: to pique over his dismissal from
T, the Detroit Club in 1926 and to his
J desire for money.
J Leonard got $4,000 for those
; two letters, 1 understand, from
! American league officials. I think,
, too, that he tried to sell them to
. newspapers on the Pacific coast.
) If Leonard had anything on me, do
> you think l would have released
\ him in 1925? I always was friend
; ly with him, but had to let him
: go for the good of the club. II
: had feared anything, or had any,
thing to fear, is it reasonable that
) L, should gain his ill-will by get
, ting waivers on him?"
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4 CpEAKER TS SILENT