Hey there, Paul,
For the most part, the 8 were indicted for defrauding Shano Collins (John F. Collins at the end of the Indictment) out of $1784, which is how much more he'd have collected, I think, had the White Sox won the World Series in 1919. Collins was a clean Sox, one of them had to be named for the fraud.
Basically, anyone who is willing to discard their emotion and feelings should read The Fix Is in: A History of Baseball Gambling and Game Fixing Scandals (9780786400546): by Daniel E. Ginsburg. Then, they can make informed comments about Jackson's, Weaver's, and Rose's eligibility for the Hall. And they will easily be able to understand why these players should never get in (Pete should be allowed in for the day, any day he buys an admission ticket).
The Indictment and Bill of Particulars
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/proj...ictpartic.html