Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-05
PROBE POSTPONED
AS R|SBERG FAILS
TO ARRIVE IN TINE
Mysterious Call Says Base
Balls AcCuSer "WiII Not Be
There Until 80"
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO. January 5.-The hearing
of the charges made by Charles A.
"Swede'' Risberg, accusing the White
Sox and the Tigers of a crooked series
in 1917, was postponed today until
1870 pm, due to the failure of Risberg
to appear.
A half an hour before the hearing
was to have been opened, Commits
sioner Kenesaw Mountain Lands re-
ceived a mysterious telephone call pur-
porting to have come from Risberg.
The voice at the other end Of the line
said:
"Risberg will not be there until
1870"
Thereupon the receiver was banged.
Commissioner Lands as well as 20O
or more base ball players and re-
porters were mystifled by the call.
Commissioner ro, Landis waited Is
minutes after the appointed hour be-
fore ordering the postponement. He
could offer no explanation for Ris-
berg's failure to appear, as the former
White Sox shortstop had assured him
he would be on hand promptly.
Landis Is Mystified.
Risberg was supposed to have left
his little farm near Rochester, Mimi,
last night.
"I don't know anything about it.,
except what the voice said to me on
the phone" said Commissioner Lands.
"The facts speak for themselves.
Risberg is not here. The call evidently
was a local call. one made in Chicago.
I am at q loss to understand 1t, in
80 flrnn1iCQ6
While waiting for Risberg base ball
stars of the past and present and the
hundred or more newspaper men
iammed the offices of the commits
sioner as tightly as peas in a can.
There was barely enough room to
move around Buck Weaver, who
with Chick Gandil and six others, in
ciuding. Risberg, were banished from
organized base ball for the part they
pIayed in the crooked worlds series
of 1919, shouldered his way through
the crowd just few seconds before
Lands poked his head out of his office
with the words of the mysterious tele-
phone call.
Weaver was there to do whatever
he could in aiding Risberg in substan-
on his way here to bare more alleged
scandal.
Faber Gives His Side.
Urban (Red) Faber, Sox pitcher in
1917 and still one of the leading fling
ers of the club, today gave his first
statement on the White Sox donation
to Detroit. -,
1--WE were playing the Athletics" he
said, "at the same time Detroit was
playing it's Boston series in September,
1917. Somebody on the bench, noticing
from the scoreboard that Detroit was
beating Boston, said: We ought to
make those fellows DetroiO present
for beating Boston The next day in
New York Chick Gandil came to me
to collect this money for the present
to Detroit and l gave him q check for
my share of $45 and the shares of sew
eral other of the boys who did have
any money along with them. l never
heard anything about Detroit being
hired to lay down to the White SoX
until RiSberg'S story the other day.
/ am confident that nothing was said
of this pool for the Detroit team until
the day the Tigers completed a three
game series of victories over Boston.
| Risberg's charges are the bunk"
kidnapping Is RumOred.
| RiSberg arrived In town at 1880 am,
| and when he failed to appear the
r-umor quickly spread that he was
kidnapped by a Chicago newspaper for
the purpose of questioning him. Com
missioner Lands was unable to add
any light to the rumor, but he was
reminded that Risberg was brought
here last Saturday night, three days
ahead of the time he was expected to
come. by a Chicago newspaper, which
paid all of the expenses.
When Commissioner Lands asked
Risberg after recital of his amazing
story last Saturday night If he did
not need some expense money the
representative of the paper told Ian
dis that he would continue to take
care Of Risberg's expenses.