Description: 1926 Ban Johnson 3-page Investigative Letter RE: Tris Speaker & Ty Cobb alleged illegal gambling Includes the 3-page Ban Johnson letter as well as the original informant letter from the gambling establishment employee.This is a great historical piece, which is a three-page letter dated October 18, 1926, to Ban Johnson from PI Detective Cal Crim regarding the results of an investigation he undertook concerning the link between Clay Folger, Chief of the Dunn Field Police, and bets Folger placed for Tris Speaker and Ty Cobb at a gambling establishment.The entire ordeal spawned from an original anonymous letter (included in this lot) that was sent from an employee of the gambling establishment directly to Ban Johnson a year earlier, stating as fact that Clay Folger bet $1000 on Chicago to win over Cleveland on a specific date that is detailed in the letter. Not surprisingly, Chicago DID defeat Cleveland that day and the bet was paid to Folger. Interestingly, Folger also had a close association with Babe Ruth when he was tasked to retrieve Ruth's 500th home run baseball in 1929.The content of these four pages is extraordinary and a lost piece of baseball history that fills in some scintillating gaps regarding some of the gambling exploits of Tris Speaker and Ty Cobb. Ban Johnson was removed as American League President in 1927 because, in part, he covered for Ty Cobb, although Baseball Commissioner Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis ultimately cleared both Cobb and Speaker of any wrong-doing.In investigating the origin of these pieces, major industry experts and public institutions were contacted to positively determine that there is good title of ownership and the material is NOT from any library or museum archive. The content of these letters is partially electronically obscured/blurred so that the purchaser can decide if it will be made public. Individuals who are conducting advanced research towards publication in the public domain may be provided photocopies, if materials are requested exclusively outside of eBay. Ban Johnson Letter - page 1 Ban Johnson Letter - page 2 Ban Johnson Letter - page 3 Ban Johnson informant letter We accept PayPal as well as all major credit cards (Mastercard/Visa/Discover/American Express). Contingencies may also be made to accommodate other buyers' payment requests pursuant to eBay rules and regulations. We ship via USPS first class mail or, for larger ticket items, via FedEx next day delivery. Insurance is added to most items at no extra cost. All payments should be received within 10 business days of auction end unless otherwise agreed upon by buyer and seller. WI residents please add 5.5% sales tax. Questions? Contact us through the eBay system. Office Hours: from 10 am to 7 pm (CST). All descriptive and photographic information in this listing - copyright © 2018, BMW Sportscards
Price: 19000 USD
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
End Time: 2024-12-18T21:32:23.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Player: Tris Speaker & Ty Cobb
Original/Reproduction: Original
Item: Investigative letters written to Ban Johnson
Subject: Gambling
Year: 1926
Vintage: Yes
Sport: Baseball
