Black Sox scandal (American League) Records, 1914-1969 | WorldCat.org (original) (raw)

Summary:Records and photographs from American League President Ban Johnson's office relating to the Black Sox World Series Scandal in 1919, when eight players were indicted for throwing games for financial gain. Other baseball gambling incidents discussed in the collection include the relationship between New York pitcher Carl Mays and Boston gambler "Pete the Greek," and a 1917 incident in which the White Sox players took up a collection to pay pitchers from the Detroit club, who beat Boston at a crucial point in the pennant race, $200 each. The records consist primarily of Johnson's correspondence, but also includes trial documents and exhibits, player interviews and depositions, the reports of private investigators hired by the League, and photocopies of period newspaper accounts of the scandal. Collection highlights include letters documenting the efforts of attorney James R. Price to have Abe Attell extradited to Illinois, and a transcript of his interview with former player Joe Gedeon; letters and telegrams showing Johnson's extraordinary efforts to find and extradite Bill Burns; correspondence showing how closely certain members of the press, including J.G. Spink of The Sporting News and newspaperman Joe Vilas, worked with the League in investigating the scandal; and pages from the register of the Hotel Sinton in Cincinnati, Ohio showing the names of the White Sox players as well as Abe Attell and other gamblers