The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-19
M'PHAIL 'KIDNAP' OF ONE-LECCED
 STAR, AN ERROR
BY DOUGLAS WALLOP United Press Staff Correspondent

l 0L DOUGLAS WAkLUR
 United Press Staff CorrespOndent)
 Washington, March l9-CUP)- Clark Griffith of the washington
 Senators called off his one day feud with the New York Yankees
 today, but not until he had been
 assured that Col. Larry s. Mac Phail did not "kidnap" Q soldier
 ball player from him in underse- retary of War Robert Patterson's private airplane.
 It was an affair to stir the imagination of Q scenario writer and there were more errors than in Sunday School picnic ball game between the "Fats" and the "Leans".
 It isn't entirely clear yet just who misunderstood whom, but briefly here is the way 1t developed from sometime after dawn to dusk yesterday:
 It. Bert Shepard, whose right leg was amputated below the knee in a bombing mission in Europe, had been working out as a pitcher with the Senators in College Park, Md, and was scheduled to hurl there Sunday afternoon.
 Instead he was flown to Atlantic City, N. J., by an aide to Patterson. He worked out there with the Yankees. MacPhail, who was in Patterson's office before going on inactive army status last month, was picked up by the planes pilot, It. Col. Bill Spencer in Baltimore. When the plane landed by the ball park at Atlantic City, Mac Phail introduced Shepard to base ball writers. There were quick rec ollectionS of another day, after the first World War, when MacPhail almost succeeded in kidnapping the deposed Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany.
 MacPhail disappeared before there was time for explanations. In a matter of minutes the wires were hot with stories of how the fiery red-head had spirited the 24-year- old air force lieutenant from under the nose or Gr111Jn.
 The reports got to Griffith and the gruff, elderly boss of the Ma tionals got good and hot.
 That snatch of Shepard was a lousy trick" he said then. Its against the ethics of baseball to snatch a player from another teams training camp-especially when gave the boy chance to get on his feet
 Then he got the War Depart ment's story on the whole affair and though his first reaction was to snort that it was a "concoted alibi that sounds fishy', he be- came conciliaory later and said it was all "big mistake"
 'McPhail did not steal him from me-" he said. Tt turns out that the War Department arranged the whole thing, but of course didn't know about that
 The War Department said the trip was arranged after confer ence' by Patterson with group of disabled veterans including She pard. It had the dual purpose of giving Shepard chance to work out with the Yankees and of help ing the morale of more than 100 soldiers, who had lost legs or arms in the war, and who were there yesterday to see him pitch.
 It was emphasized that neither Griffith nor MacPhail can have any contractual strings on She pard, even though he is 8 free agent, because he still is in the army and cannot be signed as long as he is in uniform.
 Griffith said someone in Patter- sons office asked him to let She pard pitch with the club in spring training and, because of his excel lent form, he became the sensation of the camp. The spokesman from Pattersons office, Griffith said. had indicated that he would be given a chance to sign Shepard If he showed ability.
 Shepard admitted that he want ed to talk business with MacPhail and not Griffith.
 T want job in baseball" he said. ''So far, no one around the Washington club has talked busl- ness. If MT. MacPhail wants me, I'll go with the Yankees
 Shepard, who played in the Wis consin tSate League, the Evangel- inc League of Louisiana. and the California Arizona League before the war flew back here with Mac Phail after the workout. He is at Walter Reed hospital, where he still is receiving treatments for flax wounds, and where he recently was fitted for his artificial leg.
 Griffith said he hadn't talked over terms with Shepard until he received ruling from baseball of- ficials on his Minor League status. He said he had received word yes terday that Shepard was now free agent and that he could be signed as soon as he was discharg- ed from the army.