December 2022 - George Pallas

2022/12/252022/12/25

Black Sox: Baseball’s First Big Gambling Scandal

My last blog post covered Howard Unruh’s 1949 “Walk of Death” in Camden, New Jersey. This week’s case concerns the Chicago “Black Sox” scandal. In 1919, the Chicago White Sox were favored to win the World Series against Cincinnati. But mobster Arnold Rothstein concocted a scheme to bribe Chicago players to throw the Series.

The 1919 “Black Sox”

Charles Comiskey owned the Chicago White Stockings (shortened to the White Sox in 1904) from 1900 to his death in 1931. A former major league standout player himself, Comiskey was known as miserly (his supporters called him “frugal”). The Sox were one of the top teams in the American League. Still, Comiskey had a reputation for underpaying his players. Despite his stingy reputation, Comiskey was probably no worse than most team owners of the period. The team payroll for the 1919 Sox, winners of the 1917 World Series, was the largest in baseball.

Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, "The Old Roman" — Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, “The Old Roman”

Two factions emerged in the clubhouse. One group resented the more straightlaced players, who included second baseman Eddie Collins, catcher Ray Schalk, and pitchers Red Faber and Dickie Kerr. The two groups seldom spoke to each other, united only in their hatred of Comiskey.

The 1919 Chicago White Sox official team photo before scandal turned them into the "Black Sox" — The 1919 Chicago White Sox official team photo before scandal turned them into the “Black Sox”

The “Black Sox” Fix is In

On September 21, 1919, several White Sox players met in Arnold “Chick” Gandil’s room in New York’s Ansonia Hotel to discuss a fix. They would intentionally lose the Series in exchange for cash from a gambling syndicate reputed to be headed by mobster Arnold Rothstein. Some attendees were ready to proceed, while others were there only to listen.

Black Sox first baseman Charles Arnold "Chick" Gandil ca. 1917 — Black Sox first baseman Charles Arnold “Chick” Gandil ca. 1917

When the Series opened on October 1 at Redland (later Crosley) Field, rumors of a fix abounded. When these rumors reached the press box, several correspondents agreed to compare notes on any players and plays they deemed suspicious. Most fans, though, took the games at face value.

Pitcher Eddie Cicotte, one of the conspirators, started Game One for Chicago. After throwing a strike to leadoff batter Morrie Rath, his second pitch hit Rath in the back. This was the signal that the fix was in. Cicotte made a bad throw to second in the fourth inning, and Cincinnati went on to win 9-1.

The “Black Sox” Have Second Thoughts

After Game Five, Chicago had a single win to Cincinnati’s four (the World Series was a best-of-nine series in 1919). But by then, the “Black Sox” players, angry at not having received the promised money from the gambling syndicate, attempted to double-cross the gamblers. “Clean Sox” pitcher Dickie Kerr won Game Six, while “Black Sox” pitcher Eddie Cicotte won Game Seven.

White Sox pitcher Richard Henry "Dickie" Kerr — White Sox pitcher Richard Henry “Dickie” Kerr

Alarmed by this rebellion, the gamblers threatened violence against the Chicago players and their families. “Black Sox” pitcher Lefty Williams started Game Eight, which Cincinnati won 10-5. Williams set an unenviable Series record by losing three games. Dickie Kerr, on the other hand, won his two starts.

Black Sox pitcher Claude Preston "Lefty" Williams — Black Sox pitcher Claude Preston “Lefty” Williams

For their efforts, the players involved in the fix received $5,000 each (more than $86,000 in 2022). Chick Gandil, as the ringleader, received $35,000 (over $602,000 in 2022).

Fallout from the “Black Sox” Scandal

Throughout the 1920 season, rumors of the fix followed the Chicago White Sox as they fought the Cleveland Indians for the American League pennant. With the regular season almost over and the Sox and the Indians tied for first place, Comiskey suspended seven players. “Chick” Gandil, the purported ringleader, left the White Sox in 1920. The suspensions cost the White Sox the pennant. Cleveland went on to win the American League championship and the World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The eight men of the Black Sox scandal banned from organized baseball for life: (1) P Eddie Cicotte; (2) P Lefty Williams; (3) 3B Buck Weaver; (4) 1B Chick Gandil; (5) SS Swede Risberg; (6) LF Joe Jackson; (7) CF Happy Felsch; (8) IF Fred McMullin.

In September 1920, a grand jury convened to investigate the scandal. Eddie Cicotte confessed on September 28 (he later recanted, as did “Shoeless” Joe Jackson). On October 22, the grand jury handed down its decision, implicating eight players and two gamblers. Comiskey, the supposed skinflint, gave bonuses of $1,500 (more than $22,000 in 2022) to the ten players not involved and to manager Kid Gleason. The checks represented the difference between the winners’ and losers’ share of the 1919 World Series.

The players went to trial in the summer of 1921. Former White Sox pitcher “Sleepy Bill” Burns, who was under indictment, testified for the prosecution. The trial lasted ten days. The jury deliberated only three hours before returning verdicts of not guilty.

Epilogue

Desperate to clean up baseball’s image, team owners solicited respected federal judge (and baseball fan) Kennesaw Mountain Landis to head a reformed National Baseball Commission. Landis agreed to accept, but only if he were the sole commissioner. The owners agreed, giving the judge unprecedented control over the major and minor leagues.

Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis in a photo that appeared in the March 1922 edition of Illustrated World — Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis in a photo that appeared in the March 1922 edition of *Illustrated World*

Despite their acquittal, Landis banished all eight Sox players for life. Buck Weaver, who never received money, was banned for knowing about the fix and not reporting it. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson received a lifetime ban despite not attending the Gandil meeting. Jackson’s 12 base hits set a Series record that stood until 1964. He led both teams in batting with a .374 average, hit the Series’ only home run, and made no errors. His participation in the scandal remains controversial today.

Joseph Jefferson "Shoeless Joe" Jackson. Baseball historians debate his participation in the scandal today. — Joseph Jefferson “Shoeless Joe” Jackson. Baseball historians debate his participation in the scandal today.

Arnold Rothstein, the mob figure allegedly behind the plot to fix the Series, died on November 6, 1928, after being shot two days earlier. Rumors linked the shooting to debts owed from a days-long high-stakes poker game.

Arnold "The Brain" Rothstein — Arnold “The Brain” Rothstein

One of the first and best-known books about the 1919 World Series is Eliot Asinof’s Eight Men Out. First published in 1953, it remains a valuable resource, although later writers contend Asinof’s analysis of the players’ compensation is flawed. Dan Helpingstine’s 2019 book, The 1919 Black Sox Scandal, is a more recent treatment of the scandal. Turning the Black Sox White by Tim Hornbaker is a biography of team owner Charles Comiskey.

Don’t Miss Out! Subscribe to the Newsletter

Subscribe to True Crime in the News, a monthly email newsletter that looks at recent news stories that will interest any true crime fan. There is also a summary of the previous month’s blog posts. You won’t want to miss this, sign up for the newsletter today.

2022/12/182022/12/25

Howard Unruh: Astonishing and Evil Walk of Death

In my last blog post, we met Tony Baekeland, a troubled young man who murdered his mother and eventually took his own life. This week’s case concerns Howard Unruh. In 1949, Unruh walked through his neighborhood in Camden, New Jersey, shooting people as he went.

Howard Unruh

Howard was a shy but unremarkable kid born and raised in East Camden, New Jersey. He attended school in Camden, graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in January 1939. With World War II raging, Unruh enlisted in the Army on October 27, 1942. During the war, he saw action as an armor crewman in various parts of the European Theater. His crew chief later recalled that Unruh was an unusual soldier. He never drank, swore, or chased girls. Instead, he spent his spare time reading the Bible. When in combat, he kept a detailed record of every German soldier he killed.

After the war, Unruh returned to New Jersey and lived with his mother. Before enrolling in classes at Temple University in Philadelphia, he worked in a sheet metal shop for a brief time. College didn’t suit him, and he soon withdrew, citing his “poor physical condition.” Now, instead of working, he hung around his mother’s apartment. Part of the time he spent practicing shooting in the basement, where he’d built a target range. Another pastime was tracking every perceived slight and grievance against him.

Howard Unruh and the “Walk of Death”

On September 6, 1949, a Tuesday, Howard Unruh ate breakfast with his mother, who then left to visit a friend. Howard left the apartment at about 9:30, dressed in a brown suit with a bow tie and armed with a Luger P08. He walked out onto River Road.

Unruh’s first target was a bread delivery truck driver; the shot missed by inches. Next, he began targeting the people on his list of supposed “enemies.” He started with shoemaker John Pilarchik, shooting and killing him instantly. From the cobbler’s shop, he went to Clark Hoover’s barber shop. His shots killed the barber and the six-year-old boy having his hair cut. The next target was pharmacist Maurice Cohen. On his way to the pharmacy, he shot and killed insurance agent James Hutton when Hutton wouldn’t get out of his way.

Cohen and his wife, Rose, saw Unruh approach the pharmacy’s back entrance. They ran to their apartment above the drugstore. Cohen climbed onto the porch roof while Rose and their 12-year-old son hid in separate closets. Unruh shot Rose several times, killing her, before following Cohen onto the roof and fatally shooting him. Cohen’s 63-year-old mother, Minnie, was shot and killed while trying to phone the police. Young Charles, the Cohens’ son, survived.

Howard Unruh handcuffed after his interrogation by police (allthatisinteresting.com)

The next person on Unruh’s enemies list was tailor Thomas Zegrino. On his way to Zegrino’s shop, he fired at a car driving on River Road, killing the driver, Alvin Day. Zegrino wasn’t at his tailor’s shop that morning, but his wife, Helga, was, and Unruh killed her.

The Capture of Howard Unruh

By now, police had been alerted and were converging on the scene. Unruh retreated to his mother’s apartment, which police soon surrounded. A brief gunbattle ensued. The gunfight ended when police threw two tear gas containers into the apartment. When ordered to surrender, Unruh replied, “I give up. Don’t shoot.” Officers then arrested him without further fanfare.

Camden police arrest Howard Unruh. Note the bowtie.

Howard Unruh immediately confessed to the shooting spree and took full responsibility. However, he didn’t stand trial. Diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, he landed at the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital instead.

Epilogue

Howard Unruh killed 13 people ranging in age from 2 to 68 and wounded 3. He remained in the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital until his death on October 19, 2009, at age 88. His “Walk of Death” was America’s first recorded mas murder incident but, sadly, not the last.

One of the last photos of Howard Unruh before his death in 2009

Charles Cohen, who survived Unruh’s attack by hiding in a closet, was the maternal grandfather of Carly Novell. By also hiding in a closet, Carly survived the massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

You can read more about Howard Unruh in Ellen J. Green’s book, Murder in the Neighborhood.

Don’t Miss Out! Subscribe to the Newsletter

2022/12/112022/12/10

Tony Baekeland: Odd Son, Troubled Mother, and Murder

There’s nothing quite like an unsolved mystery, which made my last blog about D.B. Cooper so tantalizing. This week, we look at a different type of case. This is the story of Tony Baekeland and how he murdered his own mother.

Tony Baekeland

Antony “Tony” Baekeland came from a wealthy family. His great-grandfather, Leo Baekeland, established the family fortune when he invented Bakelite, an early plastic product.

Tony’s father, Brooks Baekeland, Leo’s Grandson, considered himself an author. His mother, born Barbara Daly, became a prominent socialite.

Barbara and Brooks Baekeland early in their marriage (FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — Barbara and Brooks Baekeland early in their marriage (*FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images*)

Despite their wealth, the Baekeland family had issues. Brooks, the supposed author, seldom took up his pen. Barbara was notorious for her unstable personality and rude outbursts. She also endured bouts of severe depression and drank a lot. On more than one occasion, she attempted suicide. Both parents conducted extramarital affairs. Not a stable household for a young boy.

Barbara Daly Baekeland and her infant son, Anthony Baekeland

Brooks and Barbara Baekeland lived a nomadic albeit high-rolling lifestyle. Although they maintained a permanent home in New York, they spent most of their time in Europe. While in Europe, they rented homes and villas in London, Paris, Switzerland, and Italy.

Barbara Tries to “Cure” Tony Baekeland

Tony Baekeland was either gay or bisexual. In 1967, when he was 20, he supposedly started an affair with an Australian named Jake Cooper in Italy. Cooper denied the sexual relationship, but he did introduce young Tony to hallucinogenic drugs. Horrified, Barbara rushed to Italy to bring her son back to Switzerland.

Antony "Tony" Baekeland — Antony “Tony” Baekeland

Barbara decided that finding the right girl would “cure” Tony of his homosexuality. To this end, she invited a young Spanish girl named Sylvie to live with the family. Her plan failed; Sylvie and Tony did not become lovers. Instead, Sylvie did begin a romance with Barbara’s husband, Brooks. Fed up with Barbara’s volatile behavior and infatuated with Sylvie, Brooks divorced Barbara in 1968. He and Sylvie later married.

Still determined to “fix” her son, Barbara hired prostitutes and forced him to have sex with them. When this failed to alter the young man’s sexual orientation, she decided to have sex with him herself. At least that’s what Barbara told her friends. People who knew her doubted she ever slept with her son, and no proof of the affair exists. But rumors of it still persist.

Tony Baekeland Murders Barbara

It’s no surprise that Tony Baekeland developed issues of his own. When Tony exhibited schizophrenic and paranoid traits, his father refused to allow psychiatrists to treat him, dismissing the entire mental health field as “professionally amoral.”

In late July 1972, Tony tried to throw his mother into traffic outside their Cadogan Square penthouse in Chelsea, London. He failed because he lacked the strength and because one of Barbara’s friends intervened. Barbara refused to press charges. Tony did spend some time at The Priory, a private psychiatric hospital, but the hospital soon released him.

Barbara Daly Baekeland (Wikimedia Commons)

After his release, Tony continued to see a psychiatrist. His doctor, concerned about his condition, warned Barbara that Tony was capable of murder on October 30.

Two weeks later, on November 17, 1972, Tony stabbed his mother with a kitchen knife, killing her. She was 51, and he was 25. When the police arrived, Tony was on the phone ordering Chinese food.

Epilogue

Tony confessed to killing his mother but ended up in Broadmoor Hospital instead of a prison cell. Due to a bureaucratic foul-up, Broadmoor released him on July 21, 1980, when he was 33. Tony immediately flew to New York and moved in with his 87-year-old maternal grandmother. Six days later, he stabbed his grandmother eight times and broke several bones.

After spending eight months at the Riker’s Island jail, Tony expected to be released on bail after a court hearing. However, the judge adjourned the case because of a delay in receiving Tony’s medical records from the UK. He returned to his cell at 3:30 p.m. on March 20, 1981. Thirty minutes later, guards found him dead by suicide. He’d suffocated himself with a plastic bag.

You can read more about the Baekeland case in Savage Grace, a 2007 book by Natalie Robins and Steven H. L. Aronson.

Don’t Miss Out! Subscribe to the Newsletter

2022/12/042022/12/02

D.B. Cooper: Mystery Man, Astonishing Hijacking for Money

John Dillinger, whose fantastic escapes I profiled last week, has earned himself a place in the pantheon of American folk icons. Likewise, the subject of this week’s case has attained near-mythical status. I’m talking about the legendary hijacker, D.B. Cooper.

D.B. Cooper in the Age of Skyjacking

The 1960s and 1970s were, as writer Brendan Koerner put it in The Skies Belong to Us, the “golden age of hijacking.” In the four years between 1968 and 1972, hijackers commandeered more than 130 flights. Motives ranged from political (“Take me to Havana”) to demands for money. Airlines in this period either complied outright or tried negotiating with the hijackers.

D.B. Cooper emerged from this air piracy melee. On November 24, 1971, the day before Thanksgiving, a man approached the Northwest Orient Airlines counter at the airport in Portland, Oregon. Witnesses recall him having dark hair and brown eyes, wearing a black or brown business suit, and carrying a black attaché case. He paid cash for a one-way ticket on Flight 305, a thirty-minute trip to Seattle’s Seattle-Tacoma airport. He gave his name as Dan Cooper (a reporter’s error changed “Dan Cooper” to “D.B. Cooper”).

Early FBI composite sketch of "Dan Cooper" (FBI, November 1971) — Early FBI composite sketch of “Dan Cooper” (FBI, November 1971)

On board the Boeing 727, Cooper sat in seat 18-E in the last row and ordered a bourbon and 7-Up.

Color composite sketch of D.B. Cooper (FBI)

D.B. Cooper Hijacks Flight 305

Flight 305 took off on time at 2:50 p.m. PST. Once it was in the air, Cooper handed a note to flight attendant Florence Schaffner. Thinking he was making a pass, Schaffner dropped the note in her purse without opening it. The man leaned toward her and whispered, “Miss, you’d better look at that note. I have a bomb.”

Ms. Schaffner did as the hijacker requested. She asked him to show her the bomb, and he opened the attaché case. The contents of the case looked like a bomb. Of course, there was no way she could tell if it was real.

A Boeing 727 in the livery of Northwest Orient Airlines (Clint Groves)

Cooper told her he wanted: $200,000 in negotiable American currency, two front parachutes, and two back parachutes.

Captain William A. Scott told passengers that a “minor mechanical difficulty” would delay their arrival in Seattle. The plane circled Puget Sound for almost two hours while police and the FBI mobilized and prepared to meet Cooper’s demands.

D.B. Cooper Parachutes into American Legend

Flight 305 landed at SEATAC at 5:24 p.m. and parked in an area away from the terminal. Flight attendant Tina Mucklow retrieved the ransom money, after which Cooper allowed the passengers to deplane.

Cooper gave explicit instructions to the cockpit crew. He wanted a southeast course toward Mexico City at the minimum airspeed possible without stalling the aircraft—approximately 100 knots (115 mph). The plane, he said, should fly no higher than 10,000 feet. Cooper also specified that the landing gear must remain deployed, the wing flaps lowered 15 degrees and the cabin unpressurized. Captain Scott told the hijacker that under those conditions, he would have to refuel before reaching Mexico City. They agreed on Reno, Nevada, as the fueling stop.

FBI sketch of D.B. Cooper from late 1972 (FBI)

Problems with the refueling process delayed matters, and Cooper became impatient. But at 7:40 p.m., the plane took off again. Cooper wanted flight attendant Mucklow to lower the rear stairway. When she resisted, fearful of being sucked out of the plane, Cooper said he’d lower it himself.

Boeing 727 with the aft airstair open taken in Bozeman, Montana, in 1974 (R.W. Rynerson)

Around 8:00 p.m., a warning light lit up in the cockpit, indicating someone had deployed the after staircase. At 8:13, the aircraft’s tail pitched up suddenly, forcing the pilots to trim the plane.

The crew of Flight 305 after landing at Reno: (L to R) Captain William Scott, copilot Bill Rataczak, flight attendant Tina Mucklow, and flight engineer Harold Anderson (Washington State Historical Society)

No Hijacker Aboard

At 11:02 p.m., the aircraft landed at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. A cadre of law enforcement surrounded the plane but didn’t approach. Captain Scott searched the cabin and found no sign of Cooper. A thirty-minute search by an FBI bomb squad determined that neither the hijacker nor his purported bomb was aboard.

The FBI launched a massive investigation. The physical evidence gathered included fingerprints, Cooper’s clip-on necktie, hair samples, and cigarette butts. But the FBI was unable to match the fingerprints to any suspect. And it was decades before DNA testing could have yielded results from the hairs or cigarette butts that would help the investigation. D.B. Cooper had vanished into the November night.

Did. D.B. Cooper Survive?

From the beginning, the FBI doubted Cooper survived the jump. Several factors led to this conclusion. First, although he had some knowledge of parachutes, Cooper did not appear to have much experience with them. Second, he didn’t have the equipment to survive in a remote area under inclement weather. Finally and perhaps most persuasive, no one ever spent the ransom money.

Not everyone agreed with this assessment, however. Three copycat hijackers, Martin McNally, Frederick Hahneman, and Richard LaPoint, did survive jumps in conditions similar to what Cooper faced. So, maybe D.B. Cooper did make it after all.

Epilogue

The FBI developed more than a dozen suspects but could not positively connect any of them to the hijacking of Flight 305.

In 1980, eight-year-old Brian Ingram found three packets of the Cooper ransom money totaling approximately $5,800 along the banks of the Columbia River. It was the only portion of the money ever recovered.

Part of the ransom money recovered from the banks of the Columbia River in 1980

On July 8, 2016, the FBI announced it had suspended the active investigation of the Cooper case. Sources cited the need to focus investigative resources and manpower on higher and more urgent priority issues.