The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-09-29
CICOTTE CONFESSES
TO GETTING $4,000
With His Team Within Striking
Distance of Pennant, Comiskey
Suspends Accused Men and
Says He Will Drive Them
Out Of Game Forever If They
Are Found Guilty-Cicotte
Weeps AS He COnfesses.

Chicago, Sept S.--Indictments
were found against eight baseball
stars today and confessions obtained
from two OF them when the Old Ro
man." Charles A. Comiskey, owner OF
the oft time champion Chicago White
Sox, smashed his pennant-chasing ma
chine to clean up baseball The con
fessions tod how the Sex threw last
years world S championship to Gin
cinnati for money paid by gamblers.
Seven sox regulars and one former
player comprise the players against
whom true bills were voted by the
Cook county grand jury and the seven
were immed ately suspended by Mr..
Comiskey. With his team only one
game behind the league leading Cleye
iand Indians, the White Sox owner
served notice on his seven stars that,
il they were found Guilty he would
drive them oat OF organized baseball
Tor the rest of their Ives.
Officials of Chief ustioe Charles Nc
Donalds court, desir0us Of giving the
National game the benefit CT publici-
ty in its purging, lifted the curtain on
the grand jury proceed ngs sufficient
Iy to show great hitter, Joe Jack
son, declaring that he deliberately
Just tapped the ball; a picture of one
OF the worlds most famous pitchers.
Cicotte, in tears, and glimpses of al
legged bribcs of $4,000 or $4,000 dis
covered under pillows, or on beds by
famous athletes about to retire.
Around the courtroom at one time
or another were some Of baseball S
greatest leaders, among them John J.
McGraw, manager of the New York
Giants, await ng call to testify tc-
morrow, and John Heyder, president
of the National League, who went be-
fore the grand jurors this afternoon,
The exact nature of the information
Mr. Comiskey put before the grand
jury was not disclosed. The men
whom the jury involved as a result
of testimony uncovered by their own
er were; N
DF
waved immunity and confessed ao
cording to court attaches, that he took
a $4,000 bribe. U i
Arnold Gandill former first base
man,
"Shoeless Joe" Jackson, heavy hit
ting left fielder
Oscar Hap Fel4ch center fielder.
Charles f'Swede' Risberg, short
stop.
Claude Williams pitcher
George Buck Weaver third base.
man.
Fred MoMullin, utility player.
While the grand jurors voted their
true b lis the Old Roman, stated in
the midst of his crumbling empire out
at White Sox Park, issued the tele-
gram suspending those involved, paid
off Weaver Cicotte and Jackson ON
the spot and announced that checks
for pay due the others would be sent
them at once. With his voice trembl-
ing, Mr. Comiskey, who has owned
the White Sox since the beginning of
the American League, said this was
the first time scandal had ever touch
ed his family and that it distressed
him too much to talk about it.
The rush of players to bare their
part in the affair, started today when
Cicotte appeared at Criminal Court
building and asked permission to tes-
tify. Cicotte wept, court attaches
said, and exclaimed in anguish his
sorrow for his two small children
as he told how he did his utmost TO
lose rather than win the 1919 world
series after he had found $4,000 be.
meath his pillow where it had been
placed by professional gamblers.
He said he lobbed the ball to the
plate so sic wly you could read the
trademark on it" in the first game at
Cincinnati, when he was taken out of
the box after three and one third inn.
ings had been played
Last years worlds series records
show that in the first inning TO the
first game he started by hitting Rath,
the first Cincinnati batter, In the back
Daubert followed with a single over
second base that sent Rath to third
and he score when Groh flied to
jackson. Bath beating Jackson's
throw tothe plate,
Chicago, Sept 2S,-Charles Com.s-