Well Al I went over there and Harry said the boss was busy but he would find out would he see me. Well after a wile Harry come out and said I was to go in the inside office so I went in and Comiskey was setting at his desk and for a wile he didn’t look up but finely he turned around and seen me and shook hands and said “Well young man what can I do for you?” So I said “I come to see you about this here contract.” So he asked me if I had signed it and I said no I hadn’t so he said “Well they’s nothing to see me about then.” So I said “Yes because I figure they must of been some mistake in the salery you offered me.” So he said “Don’t you think you are worth it?” So I said “This here contract calls for $2,400.00 per annum and I was getting $2,500.00 when I quit and enlisted in the war so it looks like you was fineing me $100.00 per annum for fighting for my country.” I said “Gleason said he wanted me and would send me a contract that I would be satisfied with.” Well Comiskey said “If Gleason said he wanted you he must of been kidding me when I talked to him but if he wants you bad enough to pay the differents between what that contract calls for and what you want why he is welcome but that is up to him.”
Well Al it was all as I could do to hold myself in and if he was a younger man it would of been good night Comiskey but I kept a hold of myself and asked him why didn’t he trade me to some club where I could get real jack. So he said “Well I will tell you young man I have got just 1 chance to trade you and that is to Washington and if you think Griffith will pay you more money than I will why I will make the trade.” Well I told him to not trouble himself as I was through with baseball any way and had decided to go in to some business so he said good luck and I started out but he said “Here you have left your contract and you better take it along with you because some times when you leave a contract lay around the house a few days the figures gets so big that you wouldn’t hardly know them.”
Well I seen he was trying to kid me so I said “All right I will take the contract home and tear it up” and I walked out on him.
Well Al that’s all they is to it and I am tickled to death that it has came out the way it has and now I can take the best offer that comes along in some good business line and can stay right here in Chi and be home all the yr. around with Florrie and the kiddies.
As for the White Sox I wished them good luck and beleive me they will need it the way Gleason and Comiskey are trying to run things and they will do well to finish in the same league with Boston and Cleveland and N.Y. but at that I don’t believe its Gleason that’s doing it and the way I figure is that this is his 1st yr. as mgr and he is a scared to open his clam and if he had his say he would give me the $2,800.00 I am holding out for. But its Comiskey himself that’s trying to make a monkey out of me. Well god help his ball club is all as I can say.
As for leaveing them trade me to Washington that would be a sweet club to pitch for Al where the only time they get a run is when the president comes out to see them and he’s libel to be in France all summer.
Chi, March 20.
Friend Al: Well Al this is the last letter you will get from me from Chi for a wile as I am leaveing for Texas with the White Sox tomorrow night. The scheme worked Al and by setting pretty in the boat and keeping my mouth shut I made them come to me.
I suppose you will be surprised to hear that I am going to get back in to harness but wait till I tell you what come off today and you will where they wasn’t no other way out.
Well I went over to the stores this a.m. and when I come back the Swede said some man had called me up on the phone. So of course I knew it must of been the ball pk. so I called them up and the secty. answered the phone and I asked him if anybody wanted to talk to me. So he said no but Gleason was there if I wanted to talk to him.
So I said put him on the wire and pretty soon I heard Gleason’s voice and he said “Well Jack are you going along with us?” So I said “What about salery?” So he said “You have got your contract haven’t you?” So I said “Yes but it don’t call for enough jack.” So he said “Well if you earn more jack than your contract calls for you will get it.” So I said “If that’s a bet I’m on.”
So he told me to bring my contract along and come over there and I went over and there was a whole bunch of the boys getting ready for the get away and I wished you could of heard them when they seen me stride
