The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-08
GAMBLERS SCHEME TOsQUIET' BASEBALL CASES
SCENT PERIL TO
GOUGE IF FANS
ARE AROUSED
Seek Court Order To
Dispel Ire of Fan
dom.

Chicago, Feb. S.-Professional
gamblers and lottery syndicates
throughout the nation are watching
every step in the case Of the eight
Chicago ball players and I'VE al
legged gamblers indicted for throw
ing the 1919 world series.
Every days delay in putting the
accused men on trial for conspir-
acy Ellis the gamblers with hope
that the cases will be dropped.
They fear that the centering Of
public attention on baseball gam
bling, with the cfookedness that
it has injected into the great
American game, will create a pub.
lie demand that federal, state and
city. ofdcials stop it.
Their business in bets, pools
and lotteries total several million
dollars . day. A large part OF
this ID profit, taken from suckers.
So they are busy spreading
propaganda. They are playing on
these points:
That the game has been cleaned
up by the publicity given the orig
inal expose;
That the crooked ball players
have been punished by being driven
from the game;
That revival of the cases through
the trials would injure the baseball
business;
That it would be legally difficult
to prove the charges of conspiracy;
That if acquitted the accused
ball players could sue and collect
damages.
But many fans throughout the
country are voicing the demand
that the cases be pushed through
to their logical conclusion. They
| criticise letting some of the
crooked players live at ease on
| their spoils. They say such pun
| ishment should be melted out TIC
them as will deter players from
going wrong for all time.
Those Indicted.
The players indicted are all
former White Sox: Arnold Gan.
dill, Oscar Felsch, Charles Risberg
Fred McMuilin, George Weaver
Claude Williams, Joe jackson and
Edward Cicotte.
The alleged gamblers indicted
are Racheld Brown, william
Burns, Abe Attell, Joseph ]. Sulli
van and Hal Chase. Atteli is the
/ former pugilist. Chase the former
ball player.
They are charged with obtain
ing money under false pretense'
and with conspiracy.
Four Of the defendants are I'm
!. der $4,000 bail each, two unde
$4,000 bail each. The other.
haven't been arrested.
Cicotte, Williams and jackson
confessed before the grand jury
After the deal to throw the serie'
was made, said Cicotte, he fount
$4,000 under his pillow. Viii
liams said he was given $4,000
which he split with Jackson. Th
others, it was said, were cheated
out of the spoils promised them.
Owner Charles Comiskey of tn
White Sox Immediately discharged
the accused players, wrecking |
team that was in the pennant race
He is still trying to rebuild hi
club.
Another upshot of the expos
was tightening up on gamblers il
various big league towns.
Finally the magnates decided
after talks Of war to the knife
and a new league, to make Fed
eral Judge lands of Chicago tn
supreme dictator and arbiter o
baseball at S42,5O0 a year, t
guide the destinies Of the gam
through clear waters.
| Just how Lands stands o.
pushing the prosecutions is un
known.
/ Change in Prosecutors.
/ Meanwhile Hartley Replogll
the assistant states attorney VIII
conducted the grand jury expose
has gone out of Office as the resul
Of the election.
i Robert Grove, the new state
attorney, says his assistan
George German, will try the cases
German says he has delayed be
cause he has a number of case
against murderers and robber
and "it is more impoFtaat to TT
these first"
But now he promises to ca
; them for trial this month.
Chief Justice Charles S. McDor
aid has the power to assign th
cases at once or to permit turtle
postponement.
II convicted the indicted me
could each be given two years
, nrigOn and fined AZ 0fl(l