Indictment & Bill of Particulars in People of Illinois v Cicotte (The Black Sox Trial)

Details: Parent Category: Black Sox Trial (1921)

Indictments

State of Illinois
ss
County of Cook

Of the March Term of the Criminal Court of Cook County, in said County and State, In the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and twenty one.

The Grand Jurors aforesaid, chosen, selected and sworn in and for the County of Cook, in the State of Illinois, in the name and by the authority of the People of the State of Illinois, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present that one Edward V. Cicotte one Claude Williams one Joe Jackson one Fred McMullin one Arnold Gandil one George Weaver one Oscar Felsch one Charles Risberg one William Burns one Hal Chase one Joseph J. Sullivan one Rachael Brown one Abe Attel one Carl Zork one Ben Franklin one Ben Levi one Louis Levi and one David Zelser late of the county of Cook on the Thirtieth day of September In the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and ninteen In said County of Cook, in the State Illinois aforesaid, Did unlawfully wilfully fraudulently wickedly corruptly wrongfully and maliciously combine conspire confederate and agree together and with divers other persons whose names are to the said Grand Jurors unkown with the fraudulent and malicious intent wrongfully and wickedly to obtain from the public generally and any individually whom they the said Edward V. Ciootte the said Claude Williams the said Joe Jackson the said Fred McMullin the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felach the said Charles Risberg the said William Burns the said Hal Chase the said Joseph J. Sullivan the said Rachael Brown the said Abe Attel the said Carl Zork the said Ban Franklin the said Ben Levi the said Louis Levi and the said David Felser might meet large sums of money the exact amounts of which are to the said Grand Jurors unknown the same being lawful money of the United states of America of the money personal goods and property of the said public generally and any individual whom they the said Edward V. Cicotte the said Claude Williams the said Joe Jackson the said Fred McMullin the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felach the said Charles Risberg the said William Burns the said Hal Chase the said Joseph J. Sullivan the said Rachael Brown the said Abe Attel the said Carl Zork the said Ben Franklin the and Ben Levi the said Louis Levi and the said David Zelser might meet by false pretenses and to cheat and defraud the said contrary to the Statute, and against the peace and dignity of the Same People of the State of Illinois.

The Grand jurors aforesaid, chosen, selected and sworn in and for the County of Cook, in the State of Illinois, in the narne and by the authority of the People of the State of Illinois, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present that one Edward V-, Cicotte one Claude Williams one Joe Jackson one Fred McMullin one Arnold Gandil one George Weaver one Oscar Felsch one Charles Risberg one William Burns one Hal Chase one Joseph J. Sullivan one Raohael Brown one Abe Attel one Carl Zork one Ben Franklin one Ban Levi one Louie Levi and one David Zelser late of the County of Cook, on the thirtieth day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and nineteen in said County of Cook, in the State of Illinois aforesaid, did unlawfully wilfully fraudulently wickedly corruptly wrongfully and maliciously combind conspire confederate and agree together and with divers other persons whose names are to the said Grand Jurors unknown with the fraudulent and malicious intent wrongfully and wickedly to obtain from the public generally large sums of money the exact amounts of which are to the said Grand Jurors unknown the same being lawful money of the United States of America of the money personal goods and property of the said public generally by means and by use of the confidence game, Contrary to the Statute, and agaisnt the peace and dignity of the Same People of the State of Illinois.

The Grand Jurors aforesaid, chosen, selected and sworn in and for the County of Cook, in the State of Illinois, in the name and by the authority of the People of the State of Illinois, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present that heretofore to wit:
On the thirtieth day of September In the year of our lord, one thousand nine hundred and nineteen In said County of Cook, in the State of Illinois aforesaid, And for a long time prior thereto the American League Basebal Club of Chicago was a corporation engaged in giving and producing for gain and profit certain athletic exhibitions commonly called baseball games in the said City of Chicago, County of Cook and State of Illinois, and in divers other cities of the United States of American, and in the managment conduct and operation of its said business and the giving of said exhibitions the said Said American League Baseball Club of Chicago then and there had in its employ and hire certain persons commonly called baseball players towit one Edward V. Cicotte one Claude Williams one Joe Jackson one Fred McMullin one Arnold Gandil one George Weaver one Oscar Felsch one Charles Risberg and one John F. Collins and divers other baseball players each of whom played certain parts and positions in such games; and it became and was the duty under the contract of employment and hire of said persons to play their parts and positions in said games with their best skill and ability.

And the Grand Jurors aforesaid upon thier oaths aforesaid do further present that there was then and there about to be played by and between the said American League Baseball Club of Chicago a corporations and a certain baseball club known as the National league Baseball Club of Cincinnati a cerain series of baseball games and on the part of the said American League Baseball Club of Chicago and the said Edward V. Cicotte the said Claude Williams and the said Joe Jackson the said Fred mcMullin the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felsch and the said Charles Risberg and divers other babeball palyers were to participate and play in said series of baseball games.

And the Grand Jurors aforesaid upon thier oaths aforesaid do further present that the said Edward V. Cicotte the said Claude Williams the said Joe Jackson the said Fred McMullin the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felsch and the said Charles Risberg and one William Burns one Hal Chase one Joseph J. Sullivan one Racheal Brown one Abe attel one Carl Zork and one Ben Franklin one Ben Levi one Louis Levi and one David Zelser well knowing teh premises and contriving and intending to beat and defraud the said John F. Collins Baseball player as aforesaid of a large sum of money towit seventeen hundred adn eighty four dollars lawful money of the United States of America did in the County of Cook and State of Illinois on the thirtieth day of September In the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and nineteen unlawfully knowingly wilfully corruptly feloniously wickedly fraudulently and wrongfully combine conspire confederate and agree together and with divers other persons whose names to the said Grand Jurors are unkown with the fraudulent and malicious intenet to wrongfully and wickedly cheat and defraud the said John F. Collins baseball player as aforesaid of the said large sum of money towit seventeen hundred and eighty four dollars lawful money of the United States of America by then and there giving and causing to be given to the said baseball players the said Joe Jackson the said Fred mcMullin the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felsch and the said Charles Risberg and each of them divers large sums of money the exact amounts of which are to the said Grand Jurors unkown as a bribe present and reward offered and given by the said William Burns the said Hal Chase the said Joseph J. Sullivan the said Rachael Brown the said Abe Attel teh said Carl Zork the said Ben Franklin the said Ben Levi the said Louie Levi and the said David Zelaer and divers other persons whose names are to the said Grand Jurors unknown to the said baseball players the said Edward V. Cicotte the said Claude Williams the said Joe Jackson the said Fred McMullin the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felsch and the said Charles Risberg and each of them and then and there to be taken accepted and received by the said baseball players the said Edward V. Cicotte the said Claude Williams the said Joe Jackson the said Fred Williams the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felsch and teh said Charles Risberg and each of them with the unlawful wicked and corrupt purpose and intent of influencing said baseball players the said Edward V. Cicotte the said Claude Williams the said Joe Jackson the said Fred McMullin the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felsch and the said Charles Risberg and each of them in their playing doings and acts in the performance of their plays as baseball players and employees of the said American League Baseball Club of Chicago a corporation in the said series of baseball games to be played by and between the said American League Baseball Club of Chicago a corporation and the said National League Baseball Club of Cincinnati and to wickledly and coruptly cause the said baseball players of the said American League Baseball Club of Chicago a corporation the said Edward V. Cicotte the said Claude Williams the said Joe Jackson the said Fred McMullin the said Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felsch and the said Charles Risberg to not execute the plays required of them in said games of said series with their best skill and ability and with the intent to cause said players the said Edward V. Cicotte and the said Claude Williams the said Joe Jackson and the said Fred McMullin the siad Arnold Gandil the said George Weaver the said Oscar Felsch and the said Charles Risberg to intentionally and wilfully fail and refuse to play thier parts as baseball players in said baseball games of the aforesaid series with their best skill and ability and to cause and induce them and each of them to improperly and erroneously and not in accordance with thier best skill and ability execute the playes required of them as basebal palyers in said games and to thereby cause the said American League Baseball Club of Chicago a corporation and the baseball players of said American league Baseball Club of Chicago a corporation to be unsuccessful in the winning of said games and to fail to win said games and to thereby cheat and defraud the said John F. Collins baseball player as aforesaid of the said large sum of money towit seventeen hundred and eighty four dollars lawful money of the United States of America, contrary to the Law and against the peace and dignity of the same People of the State of Illinois,

(Robert E. Crowe)
STATES ATTORNEY

Bill of Particulars

STATE OF ILLINOIS
SS:
COUNTY OF COOK
IN THE CRIMINAL COURT OF COOK COUNTY:

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS

--vs-- Indictment No* 23912.

EDWARD v. CICOTTE et al.

Bill of Particulars as to Count 1, Count 2, and Count 3, of Indictment No. 23912, filed in conformity to rule entered July 5th, 1921, by his Honor Judge Hugo Friend, one of the Judges of the Criminal Court of Cook County.

The defendants in the above entitled cause, and each of them, are hereby notified that the State will offer evidence tending to show that the defendants, Edward Vs Cicotte, Claude Williams, Joe Jackson,, Fred McMullin, Arnold Gandil, George Weaver, Oscar Felsch and Charles Risberg in September and October of 1919 were engaged as base ball players and were members of a bass ball club known as the American League Base Ball Club of Chicago, a corporation;

That said American League Base Ball Club of Chicago was engaged to play in competition with a certain other base ball club known as the National League Base Ball Club of Cincinnati, Ohio, a certain series of games of base ball; some of the games of said series to be played In Chicago and other games of said series to be played In Cincinnati, Ohio;

That the defendants, William Burns and Hal Chase were at various times connected with base ball as professional base ball players but were not participants in any of the games of the above mentioned series;

That the defendants, Joseph J. Sullivan, Rachael Brown Abe Attel, Carl Zork, Ben Franklin, Ben Levi, Louis Levi, and David Zelzer were not connected with bass ball as players, but ware reputed to be gamblers or prize fighters and interested in the promotion of gambling enterprises and sporting events of questionable character;

That considerable public interest was manifested in the outcome of said series of games and each game of said series;
That each of said games was publicly regarded as an important sporting event and that the spectators of said games and each of them was required to pay an admission fee -to the field where said games were played;

That the defendants participating in said games as players conspired confederated and agreed together with the defendants not participating therein to so conduct themselves throughout the said games and each of said games and so manipulate their playing in each of said games as to make certain in advance of the playing of said games the outcome thereof and the winner thereof, and so as to make certain in advance of the playing of all of the games of said series the outcome of the majority of the games of said series and the winner of the majority of said series of games;

And the defendants not participating in said games as base ball players, conspired, confederated and agreed together and with the defendants participating in said games to operate among the spectators of said games and others and the general public to procure divers large sums of money by means of and by use of the confidence game.

That one Charles C. Nims a resident Of Chicago, Illinois, was unlawfully, fraudulently and feloniously swindled out of the sum of $250.00 by the defendant, Joseph J. Sullivan, who was then and there engaged in carrying out the conspiracy aforesaid and who did then and there obtain from the said Charles C. Rime the sum of $250.00 by means and by use of the confidence game contrary to the Statute In such cases made and provided, And for further particulars, the defendants are respectfully referred to the first, second, and third counts of said indictment.

(Robert E. Crowe)

_________________________________
State’s Attorney of Cook County, Illinois.

(George Gorman)

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Assistant State’s Attorney.

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