Jazz Age: Chicago Black Sox

  The 1919 World Series was played between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. Eight members of the Chicago franchise conspired with gamblers to throw games. The conspiracy is often known as the Black Sox Scandal. Eight of the players on The White Sox (later nicknamed the Black Sox) were accused of throwing the game against Cincinnati. Each of the players involved were charged with criminal charges. The eight men included the great "Shoeless Joe Jackson"; pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams; infielders Buck Weaver, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, Fred McMullin, and Charles "Swede" Risberg; and outfielder Oscar "Happy" Felsch.

  Those in the club (White Sox Baseball League Club) were unhappy because of very low payment. Comiskey (the coach and club owner) was often to blame for the Black Sox scandal because of his ignorance to higher the salary of the players. In order to gain a little extra money, many baseball players joined in on/with gamblers. This mainly meant a whole lot of betting on who would win and whether a player would or wouldn't do good. When one of the players (Gandil) was offered $100,000 if the White Sox lost against Cincinnati, he decided to throw the game in order to win the bet. Needing the money, Gandil took off to find some of the players to help him throw the game, thus sent in motion, one of the biggest baseball scandals ever.

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/blacksox/blacksoxaccount.html
http://www.chicagohs.org/history/blacksox/blk3a.html

Letter Home

Family,
     It's been six months since I've sent my last letter. And today is the first time I've read your reply. I miss you all. And, I'm afraid the situation here has changed. I'm not driving ambulances anymore. We have lost hundreds of our men. The General of our base has had no choice. I'm out in the field now. On the battle field. The first women to be on the battle field. They chose me because of the accuracy I obtain with guns. Thank God papa taught me. I would have been sent to be a nurse instead of an ambulance driver, and being a nurse is so much worse than anyone could ever imagine. I was a nurse for a month before I was sent to the field. I've watched so many of my friends die from disease and extensive, life-threatening wounds. I've watched loved ones die. And I've held those dying in my arms as their last embrace. It was time I avenged my friends. And time I searched for Tommy. I haven't seen him in five months. General Lane said he's MIA, and that there is no point to search any longer. But i haven't given up hope. My brother is out there and alive and I will find him. I promise. And soon I will be home and they'll send fresh troops like they do every eight months. I vow I will find our brother and bring him home when I do. I will spend the rest of the time I have here in search for Tommy. The next time we talk I will be home with our brother. I promise.
                        
                                                                           I love you all, and take care,
                                                                                                  Taryn