The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-09-29
How SOX Sold Worlds
Series is Told TO jury
In Dramatic Procedure Indict-
ments Are Returned Against
Eight Stars.
PURGING is TO CONTINUE
Charles COmiskey Smashes His
Pennant- Chasing Machine for
Sake of National Game.

Chicago, Sept. Establishments were
voted against eight baseball stars to-
day and confessions obtained from lwo
of them, when the Old Roman, Charaes
A. Comiskey, owner of the Oft time
champion Chicago White Sox, smash
ed his pennant chasing machine to
clean up baseball. The confessions told
how the Sex threw last years world s
championship to Cincinnati for money
paid by gamblers.
Seven Sox regulars and one for
mer player comprise tie players
against whom true bills were voted
by the Cook county grand jury, and the
seven were Immediately suspended by
Mr. Comiskey with his team only ont
game behind the league leading Cleve-
land Indians, the White Sox' owner
served notice on his seven stars that,
if they were found guilty, he would
drive them out of organized baseball
for the rest of their lives.
Officials of Chief Justice Charles
McDonaId's court, desirous of giving
the national game the benefit of pub
licity in its purging, lifted the curtain
on the grand jury proceedings suffi-
Joe Jackson, declaring that he delibere-
ately just tapped the ball, a picture of
one of the worlds most famous pitch
ers in tears, and glimpses of alleged
bribes of $1,000 or $4,000 discovered
under pillows or on beds by famous
athletes about to retire.
Big Leaders in Court.
Around 4ba 1o,,r+ roo,,, % o,,o t;v,,o
or another were some of baseball's
greatest leaders, among them John J.
McGraw, manager of the New York
Giants, awaiting a call to testify to-
morrow, and John Heydler, president
of the National League, who went be-
fore the grand jury 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 result of testi-
mony uncovered by their owner were:
Cieotte confesses.
Eddie Cicotte star pitcher who
waived immunity and confessed, ac-
cording to court attaches, that he took
a $4,000 bribe.
Arnold Gandil, former first base
man.
'Shoeless Joe" Jackson, heavy hit
ting left fielder
Oscar ("Hap') Felsch, center fielder.
Charles C"Swede'D Risberg, short
stop.
Claude Williams, pitcher.
George C'Buck'D Weaver, third base
man.
Fred McMullin, utility player
While the grand jury voted their
true bills, the Old Roman, Sc ted in the
midst of his crumbling empire out at
White Sox park, issued the telegram
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 trembling. Mr..
Comiskey, who has owned the White
SoX since the inception of the Ameri-
can league, said this was the first time
scandal had ever touched his family"
and that it distressed him too much to
talk about it.
Players Bare Part.
The rush of players to bare their
part in the affair started TODAY when
Cicotte appeared at criminal court
building and asked permission to testi-
fy. 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 beneath his
pillow, where it had been placed b,,
professional gamblers
He said he lobbed the ball to the
plate so slowly you could read the
trademark on it in the first game At
Cincinnati when he was taken ont of
the box after three and two-thirds in
nings had been played.
Series Records.
Last years world series records
show that in the first inning of 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 scored when Grob flied