Chicago's Black Sox


The Trial

Partial transcript of Joe Jackson's testimony before the Cook County Grand Jury September 22, 1920.  He answers questions about his role in throwing games.

Partial transcript of Joe Jackson's testimony before
the Cook County Grand Jury September 22, 1920.
He answers questions about his role in
throwing games. (CHS, Joe Jackson Collection)

The trial of the accused White Sox players, who had been suspended for the remainder of the 1920 season, began in June of 1921. The grand jury records, however, including the confessions of Jackson, Cicotte, and Williams, were reported missing (they turned up four years later in the hands of Comiskey's lawyer, George Hudnall, who never explained their reappearance). After a month of hearing testimony, it took the jury just two hours and forty-seven minutes to acquit all defendants. Lack of evidence and the missing confessions resulted in the not-guilty verdict. In the end, the trial did not answer many questions. The facts, never clear cut to begin with, continued to be manipulated, distorted, and subject to outright lies.

During court testimony, Jackson relates his suspicion that

During court testimony, Jackson relates his
suspicion that "Chick" Gandil had cheated the other
players out of money from the gamblers.




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