Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1915 — FEDERALS SECURE THREE STAR TWIRLERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FEDERALS SECURE THREE STAR TWIRLERS

Baseball fans who follow the fortunes of the Federal league say that the Feds cracked the backbone^of American leaguct_baseball opposition recently when they signed Walter Johnson, world’s greatest pitcher, to a two-year contract with the Chifeds, and Chief Bender was taken on by the Baltimore team. Besides this, Rube Marquard, one of the New York National league’s trio of leading pitchers signed to play with the Brooklyn Federal league team. Marquard afterward admitted that he had misrepresented matters to the Federal league people and he was immediately turned back to the New York Giants. Bancroft B. Johnson, president of the American league, and Clark Griffith, manager of the Washington club, talking of the jump, do not agree as

to the value of the speed marvel known as the Idaho wond,er. Johnson says Walter was slipping and the Washington team was goiQg to get rid of him this season. Griffith says the great twirler will never pitch for the Chifeds as long as there is a court of justice. Griffith says he will resort to injunction proceedings in an effort to hold his star attraction. The Federals argue that Griffith seems to forget that Johnson’s contract with the Washington club expired with the 1914 season and the courts have decided in several cases That the reserve clause is not legal, hence Griffith’s protests may be only spasmodic. . The stand taken by President Johnson in declaring that the Washington pitcher was going back indicates that the president has little hopes of get ting Walter back into the fold.

Veteran Pitchers Who Have Signed With Federals.