Then next in this gallery of notables in the background of baseball is the Jew gambler, Abe Attell, whose connection with sports has been of a questionable character ever since his dethronement from his pugilistic pedestal. Attell is known as the “king bee” of the scheme to “throw the games” in the World Series. He knows all about underhanded “throwing” of contests, because he has “thrown” his own fights, now feigning to be beaten when it involved gambling bets and easily winning when the same reasons prompted. Attell is of such a character that he ought to be barred from the grounds of any sport, as Mr. Fullerton suggests. He is the Morris Gest of sport, without Gest’s success. All the players named Attell as the “fixer.” Even Rothstein named Attell as the “fixer.” It seemed unanimous—with perhaps Attell’s own consent—that he should be regarded as the “fixer”: it made it so much more comfortable for others. Attell went so far as to say that he approached Rothstein with the proposition to raise a pool to bribe the players to “throw the games,” but Rothstein declined. And yet Maharg, another Jew, whose name spelled backward is “Graham,” says that a telegram came through signed “A. R.” which promised $20,000. The “A. R.” was supposed by some to mean Arnold Rothstein, but others say he is too shrewd even to sign his initials. However, it was asserted that 10 gamblers, all Jews, cleaned up $250,000 on the games and that nearly as much money was used to manage it.
Attell was the “goat,” the unanimity being rather startling. It has been known, of course, that men have been so deep in sin that they have been chosen to bear the sins also of their friends on promise that “influence” would be exerted, or on threat that if they didn’t stand as “goat” certain past indiscretions would be advertised. Whatever Attell’s case might have been, he stood the gaff.
Attell told the ball players that Rothstein was putting up the money.