Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-27
Decision Means Both Are Eli
gibIe to Return to Base
Ball in Spring.
RESTORED TO RESERVE
LISTS OF THEIR CLUBS
Commissioner Reviews Indictments
That Led to Release of Stars
by Detroit and Cleveland.

| BY the Associated Press
/ CHICAGO, January 27.-Ty Cobb
ana Iris Speaker today were found
| not guilty of base ball crookedness.
! The two famous stars were cleared
! of all suspicious of dishonesty in
decision by kenesaw Mountain Landis,
base ball commissioner.
Commissioner Lands ruled that the
dismissed managers of the Detroit
| Tigers and the Cleveland Americans
did not fix ball game in 1919 for a
| betting coup, as charged by Hubert
| Dutch) Leonard, former Tiger
| pitcher. Consequently Commissioner
Lands restored Cobb and Speaker to
| the reserve lists of their clubs, MAX
! ing them eligible to play base ball
again if they choose.
Followed johnson BOmbshell.
The commissioner made his ruling
after Ban Johnson, president ION
| leave" of the American League, threw
| a bombshell into the base ball world
! by handing Lands the letters pur
chased from Leonard which tended
to implicate Cobb Speaker and
Smoky Joe" Wood, a one-time BoS-
Lands made persistent efforts to have
Leonard face the players he accused,
| but Leonard refused.
Commissioner Lands said Speak
er and Cobb professed to have no
doubt as to their ability to vindicate
themselves If given an opportunity
to come face to face with Leonard
but they could not answer for the
others involved, in whom they We're
! deeply interested. Lands said they ap-
peared to be particularly disturbed
respecting the situation involving
Smoky Joe" Wood
Finally after Lands had failed to
induce Leonard to face them, Cobb
and Speaker decided they would quit
base ball rather than have q hearing
with Leonard absent.
All Charges Denied.
Cobb, Speaker and Wood all vigor-
ously denied Leonard's charges,
made after Cobb had dismissed him
from the Detroit club.
While they insisted they had no
doubt of their ability to answer the
charges" the decision pointed out,
they were concerned about the
possible effect upon themselves and
others in whom they were deeply
interested. They appeared to be
particularly disturbed respecting the
situation Of Joe Wood.
t'These considerations, as Cobb and
Speaker represented the matter to me,
brought about their desire to quit
! base ball, despite their appreciation
of the fact that such action might
be misconstrued. Inasmuch, therefore.
as Leonard's attendance could neither
| be induced nor enforced, the commits
sioner consented that the hearing be
put over indefinitely, and it was under
stood that would be the end of the
matter, unless conditions thereafter
should so change as to require a
different course.
"It was pointed out at the time
that number of people knew or had
heard of the Leonard charges and of
the Cobb and Wood letters, and the
likelihood of suspicion and rumor re-
sulting from a retirement in these
circumstances of two players of such
prominence was fully discussed. And
1t was definitely understood that the
| interests of all concerned might there
after require a public statement set
ting forth the charges and the an.
SWers.
Releases Are Explained.
''The American League directors
were informed of the status of the
players and that Cobb and Speaker
desired to leave base ball for the
| reason stated. Accordingly, the De.
troit and Cleveland Clubs granted re.
leases, and the American League direc.
tors rescinded their resolution calling
for hearing, with the same under
standing that this ended the matter
unless subsequent developments shouId
necessitate hearing and publication
Shortly thereafter gossip and
rumor got busy, as usually transpires
when these two kindly, sympathetic
agencies are at work. They left in
| their wake a variety of progeny in.
| finitely more harmful to the indiyid
uals concerned than the truth could
! possibly be. Many press associations
and scores of newspapers were per-
! sistently demanding the facts There.
fore, Cobb, Speaker and Wood were
called to Chicago and the situation
laid before them.
'"They all realized that untrue. dis
| torted and garbled accounts were
being inuendoed and agreed that a
hearing had become desirable, even
| with Leonard persisting in staying
/ away.
Leonard BaIks Again.
Accordingly, a final effort was
! made to have him attend, but again
! he refused. The hearing was held
and the commissioner at once issued
| the record for publication in accord
ance with his definite understanding
with Cobb, Speaker and Wood"
The decision today was in response
to a request from Cobb and Speaker
| that their base ball status be defined
| This request was. in contemplation of
| possible future service and in accord
| ance with the commissioners state
ment of December 81, 1926. when he
said:
These men being out of base ball,
| no decision will be made unless
changed conditions in the future re-