"This matter comes before me on complaint of the Cincinnati club against Hal Chase, a player under contract with the club for the season of 1918. The player appeared in person with his attorneys. In substance, the player was charged with making wagers against his club on games in which he participated. In justice to Chase I feel bound to state that both the evidence and the record of the games to which reference was made fully refute this accusation. In one game in which it was intimated that Chase bet against his club the records show that in the sixth inning with two men on base and the score 2 to 0 against his team, Chase hit a home run, putting Cincinnati ahead. All available evidence has been carefully taken and considered. If the charges were proved it would follow as a matter of course that the player would forever be disqualified from participating in National League games. Any player (during my term) who is shown to have any interest in a wager on any game played in the league, whether he bets on his club or against it, or whether he takes part in the game or not, will be promptly expelled from the National League. Betting by players will not betolerated. My conclusion and finding, after full consideration of the evidence, is that it is nowhere established that the accused was interested in any pool or wager that caused any ballgame to result otherwise than on it's merits, and that player Hal H. Chase is not guilty of the charges brought against him."

Thus, Mathewson's charges were laid to rest. For the time being. President Heydler would later admit to sportswriter Fred Lieb that he suspected Mathewson was telling the truth, but that the charges could not be made to stick since Matthewson was not present. "I have no proof that will stand up in a court of law," Heydler explained. John McGraw, Mathewson's former manager, was at this time offering Chase a place on the Giants. This may explain his testimony — highly anticipated as he was expected to testify about Chase soliciting help from McGraw's players in the fixing of games. But when his time came t ospeak, McGraw said he knew nothing of such conversations. Was McGraw trying to clear the path for Chase's appearance in a Giant uniform?