Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim65
Jackson was charged with perjury, it was investigated and a warrant was issued for his arrest and he failed to show up for a pre-trial hearing.
In his civil trial, Jackson testified he never made the statements that were in grand jury transcripts, he claimed no one ever approached him about a fix, then admitted he took $5,000, there were just way too many inconsistencies to believe anything he said. No matter who was coaching him on what to say, the truth is the truth.
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Don't disagree and hadn't heard that part of it. But if he did have a warrant issued, why was it never followed up? Something doesn't make sense. Here's an interesting story from a writer at the time with additional information maybe not well known.
https://chicagology.com/baseball/191...ejacksontrial/
And during the original trial, the same attorneys for Comiskey that were supposedly helping to defend him were then working against him in the later civil trial he brought against Comiskey for back pay. The hints, rumors and coincidental occurrences that point to all the collusion, bribery and underhanded tactics going on back then is appalling. During the 1919 trial, Jackson was told what to do and say by Comiskey's attorneys, and he was obviously very naive and foolish in thinking that Comiskey was ever looking out for him. By Comiskey's own testimony and actions he proves himself to be an even bigger liar than pretty much anyone else involved in the scandal. It is very obvious he is concerned solely with protecting himself and his interests, and that he would do virtually anything to do so, and at the detriment of anyone else. Here's a really good question for you. Since Jackson had told him about the scandal and everything, and he still worked to keep it secret and hide it from then AL President, Ban Johnson, along with re-signing all the guilty players for the next season, isn't he technically guilty of pretty much the same thing as all the accused in the case, even though his involvement was more after the fact? So when the truth started coming out about his knowledge, involvement and obvious cover-up, why wasn't he also immediately banned from baseball by either Johnson, or Landis later on? Hmmm, could it be because he was one of the owners that paid their salaries?????
It is very interesting how when you look at MLB's Rule 21 regarding gambling and the fixing of games, it specifically stops short of including exactly what Comiskey is clearly guilty of in regards to this whole cover-up. Does anyone not think he was given special treatment because of his place and ownership back then? He clearly wouldn't get away with that today and would likely be forced to sell the team immediately. I believe it was Landis who put Rule 21 in place, around 1927 or so. Do you really think it was a coincidence that the Federal League case against MLB that Landis oversaw, and purposely delayed to the benefit of the MLB owners, wasn't at least partially responsible for his being offered a lucrative job as their Commissioner? That sounds a lot like a payoff to me! Any reason then that he may not have given Comiskey a break when writing that Rule 21 then so it wouldn't specifically incriminate him for what he had done? In fact, wasn't he hired for 7 year terms as Commissioner? And oh yes, wasn't 1927 the 7th year of his initial term so WOW, another coincidence. He got voted to another 7 year term right after putting the new rule in place that didn't incriminate one of the MLB owners, how convenient.
So would it really be a shocking surprise for someone rich and powerful like Comiskey to have gotten his attorneys to draw up records and documents to improve his case, or to make Jackson look bad for his benefit. Or even reach out to the judge in the later civil case for help. Heck, look how the MLB owners sidled up to Landis for his help. Truth is, if Landis did knowingly handle things in the case brought by the Federal League in favor of MLB and its owners, he should have retired from the case due to his his inability to be impartial. And then accepting a job and money from MLB owners soon after only makes his potential collusion with them all the more plausible. And for all we know, Landis himself being a former federal judge could have intervened on behalf of Comiskey with the civil judge in the later case, and the claim and warrant for perjury were possibly done to deter Jackson and his attorney from even thinking about coming back after Comiskey ever again. So again, if they really intended to go after Jackson for perjury, why did it never go to trial if they went to the trouble of charging him and even issuing a warrant?
Despite the conflicting testimony of Jackson and him keeping the money, it appears that pretty much all of that damning evidence is due, at least in part, to Comiskey and his attorneys' involvement in the case and in all likelihood from telling Jackson what to do and say in the original trial. Just think about it, how coincidental is it that transcripts and grand jury testimony disappear from the original trial, which helps to get the Black Sox players acquitted, but then suddenly reappear and are produced by Comiskey's lawyers just in time in defense of his civil trial against Jackson?
So if Comiskey did tell Jackson to keep the money, and then tried to cover things up like it sounds, it seems Jackson was trying to do the right thing and do what his boss and employer said. And don't forget, back then with the reserve clause in baseball, Jackson was basically an indentured servant to Comiskey and he knew it. If he went against what Comiskey said he could be locked out of baseball forever anyway. In fact, in today's world what Comiskey did to Jackson could almost be considered criminal in some cases. So if Jackson doesn't deserve to be in the HOF, then Comiskey even more so, should be banned from baseball retroactively, and his name removed from the HOF immediately.