The Elkins Inter Mountain

DECISION GIVES ABSOLUTION TO TWENTY PLAYERS

Nothing said about Appeal of Buck Weaver for Reinstatement in Big League

COBB AND SPEAKER ANXIOUS FOR DECISION

Their Conference with Landis was put off Pending today's Decision

CHICAGO, Jan. 12 (AP)—All the base ball players involved in the alleged scandal between the White Sox and the Tigers in 1917 were exonerated by Commissioner Landis in a decision today.

Commissioner Landis ruled the fund raised by the White Sox was not collected or paid to the Detroit players for sloughing the series in Chicago but was paid because of Detroit's achievement of beating Boston. The Commissioner further rules there was no sloughing of games in 1917 or 1919 except possibly by Swede Risberg and Chick Gandil, who accused the White Sox and Tigers of having played fixed games. Risberg and Gandil testified the White Sox sloughed a series to Detroit in 1919 to pay the Tigers for sloughing the series of 1917, so the White Sox could edge out Boston in the tight race for the American League pennant.

Landis' decision is a virtual acceptance of the story told by Bill James, former Detroit pitcher, that he accepted $850 from Gandil but the money was reward for the Tigers beating Boston and not for sloughing off any games to Chicago. Landis' decision is a virtual denial that he believed either Risberg or Gandil told the truth.

The decision gave blanket absolution for twenty odd players now active in the major and minor leagues. Among them are three managers—Ray Schalk of the Chicago White Sox, Owen Bush of the Pirates and John Collins of the Des Moines club of the Western League. Others cleared of the charges of corruption are Clarence Rowland, manager of the White Sox in 1917 and now an American League umpire, Eddie Collins, pilot of the White Sox last year and now of the Athletics, Kid Gleason, coach of the Athletics, Howard Ehmke, pitcher with the Athletics, Red Faber, White Sox pitcher, Harry Heilmann and George Dauss of the Tigers, Eddie Murphy, Rochester, Dave Danforth of Milwaukee, Red Russell of Indianapolis, Rey Wicker son of Louisville, Bob Veach, Toledo, Oscar Stanage, Pirate coach, Oscar Vitt, now of the Coast League, Nemo Leibold, Columbus, George Cunningham, Birmingham and Byrd Linn of Reading, Pa.

Landis gave no hint of a decision on the appeal of Buck Weaver, former White Sox third baseman, banished from organized base ball because of the crooked world's series between the White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds in 1919.

Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, who have been pleading for vindication of charges that they "Fixed" a Detroit-Cleveland series to clean up in a betting coup, also are anxious for a decision from Landis regarding their status. Their attorney had planned to meet Landis last Saturday but the conference was put off pending today's decision. That it has been given base ball followers expect them to renew their campaign for vindication.