New-York tribune., 1920-09-29
Players Promised $780,
600, Got $25, 900; Gam
dill Called Plot Framers
Accused Men Suspended
Charged Williams : :.
Received $4,000
Pitcher Weeps as He Tells
Grand Jurors How He
Lost LIST and 4t4l Games

CHICAGO Sept. % {By The AS
sociated Press).-Indictments were
voted against eight baseball stars
to-day, confessions were obtained
from two Of them, and Charles A.
Comiskey, owner Of the oft-timS
champion Chicago White Sox,
smashed his pennant chasing ma
chine to clean up baseball. The con.
fessions told how the Sox threw last
years world championship to Gin
cinnati for money paid by gamblers.
Seven Sox regulars and one for.
mer player comprise the players
against whom true bills were voted
by the Cook County grand jury, and
the seven were Immediately sus-
pended by Mr.. Comiskey. With his
team only one game behind the
league-leading Cleveland 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
McDonald's court, desirous of giving
the national game the benefit of
publicity in it's purging, lifted the
curtain on the grand jury proceed
ings sufficiently to show a great
hitter, Joe jackson, declaring that
he deliberately just tapped the BAH;
picture of one Of the worlds most
famous pitchers, Cicotte, in tears,
and glimpses of alleged bribes of
$4,000 or $4,000 discovered under
pillows or on beds by famous
athletes about to retire.
McGraw Waits to Testify
Around the courtroom at one time
or another were some of baseball's
greatest leaders, among them John ].
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 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 testi-
mony uncovered by their owner were:
Eddie Cicotte, star pitcher, who
waived immunity and confessed,
took $4,000 bribe.
Arnold Gandil, former first base.
man.
"shoeless Joe" Jackson, heavy
hitting left fielder. 4
Oscar Hap" Felsch. center fielders
Charles "Swede" Risberg, short-
stop.
claude Williams, pitcher. -
George Buck" Weaver, third
baseman.
Fred McMullin, utility player.
While the grand jurors voted theig
true bills, Gomiskey, seated in the
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 Amers-
can League, said this was the first TINA
scandal had ever touched his "famiiy3
and that it distressed him too much to
talk about it.
1--WE will play out the schedule If we
have to get Cinnamon to replace the
suspended players" Harry GrabneR.
secretary Of the White Sox, announced
this afternoon. =.
Cicotte wesps for His Gkildssn ss
:
The rush of players 60 bars shs{
parts in the affair, started te-day; whsss
Cicotte appeared at Criminal Coury
Building and asked permission to tess
tify. Cicotte wept, court attacn4a
said, and expressed his sorrow for hts
two small children as he told how lie
did his utmost to lose rather than win
$4,000 beneath his pillow where it had
been placed by professional gamblers.
He said he lobbed the bali to the
plate so slowely "you could read the
trade mark on it" in the first game aa
Cincinnati, when he was taken out of
the box after three and two-thir4s
innings had been played.
This is just the beginning" Az
sistant States Attorney Replogle
said Tonight 1--WE will have
more indictments within q few days.
anu pelore we get through we VIII
have purged organized baseball of
everything that is crooked and dishon-
est.
1--WE are going after the gamblers
now. There will be indictments within
q few days against men in Philadel-
phia, indianapolis. ST. Louis, Des
Mbines, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and
other cities. More baseball players aiso
will be indicted. We've got the goods
on these men and we are going t6e
limit" -
The details of Cicotte's confession
follow closely the story told in Phila-
, delrhia last night by Billy Maharg, for
mer prizefghter, II was said. This
story was published in late editions oS
yesterdays Tribune.1 ~
Gandil Namea as Plot Originator
The first to eoafsss was Cieotta. He
charged that First Baseman Gandii was
the originator Of the plet and induced
the gamblers 70 back the scheme aad
then corrupted mis- fellow players,
The gamblers agreed TO pay the