Does anybody believe that Jack Johnson....

[T.Horton]

It was. The second floor was a whorehouse. If he was running prostitutes out of his own establishment, I don't really see how he wasn't profiting from it. And you didn't have to profit financially in order to be violate the act, it just concerns the transportation of women for "immoral purposes". The first two men charged under the act had done nothing more than take their girlfriends away for a holiday.



I'm sure they did, but Johnson's behaviour made it a lot easier for them.

do you have a link or a quote to the bolded?

[Greatest1942]

do you have a link or a quote to the bolded?

can't supply the 1st one immediately, but here is a WOMAN who alleged the same about Johnson :-

" Agents soon traced Johnson's former companion Belle Schreiber to a whorehouse in the nation's capital. Cmemory of dates and places seemed encyclopedic, and her bitterness at Johnson's treatment of her made her just the witness investigators were looking for. Within days, the federal grand jury had issued seven Mann Act indictments, charging Johnson with transporting Schreiber from Pittsburgh to Chicago on October 15, 1910, for the purpose of prostitution and debauchery. Johnson was arrested on November 7, and Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis (who would one day become the first commissioner of baseball and ensure that the sport remained segregated) set bail at $30,000, then threw both Johnson and his bail bondsman into the Cook County Jail. It took a week to bail them out"

Other interesting reads :-

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...chreiber&hl=en

But to the best of my knowledge (unless I am missing something, I do have tons of material about that era), it will be hard to prove conclusively that he ran a whorehouse.

[Kid McCoy]

am going to try and find some quotes - the original reason was to stop interstate trafficking of prostitutes, namely those brought into the country, just traveling with hookers isn't the same.

Johnson having a motel upstairs is not the same as being a pimp or madam.

No I don't have a link. I'll have a root around and see what I can find. It may have been officially called a motel but if so it was a motel used by ladies of the night and their clients...

[T.Horton]

can't supply the 1st one immediately, but here is a WOMAN who alleged the same about Johnson :-

" Agents soon traced Johnson's former companion Belle Schreiber to a whorehouse in the nation's capital. Cmemory of dates and places seemed encyclopedic, and her bitterness at Johnson's treatment of her made her just the witness investigators were looking for. Within days, the federal grand jury had issued seven Mann Act indictments, charging Johnson with transporting Schreiber from Pittsburgh to Chicago on October 15, 1910, for the purpose of prostitution and debauchery. Johnson was arrested on November 7, and Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis (who would one day become the first commissioner of baseball and ensure that the sport remained segregated) set bail at $30,000, then threw both Johnson and his bail bondsman into the Cook County Jail. It took a week to bail them out"

Other interesting reads :-

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...chreiber&hl=en

But to the best of my knowledge (unless I am missing something, I do have tons of material about that era), it will be hard to prove conclusively that he ran a whorehouse.

Thanks for this. That is a direct quote from Roberts book....at least he used it, I don't if others have. In any case, yeah, it is tough to prove that he had any part of the prostitutes aside from bedding them.

[rob snell]

arrogant fool

The legality of his conviction has been the topic of many a debate for years and will I am sure will continue without agreement. What is clear and for the most part accepted is that Johnson was targeted due to his amazing ability to enrage the white population by having sex with white women.

He went out of his way to shove it in their faces and clearly loved every minute of it. Jouhnson was an arrogant fool right upto his death and the idea of the pardon was a transparent stunt to promote the sale of the book and film - which worked as I bought both.

i think that had he stayed in the States the KKK would have lynched him when he got out of prison. The only person who has come close to the ability to enrage the US govt. and white americans is of course Ali, who's conversion to religion was so convenient and used as a stick to wave in the face of his opponents. A black man getting in touch with his roots and refusing to do the bidding of his white masters.

Why people persist in believing his reasons for dodging the draft is of constant amusement to me, and as he celebrates his birthday I am certain he would be thinking to himself how well he did in suckering people. I think for that he sure was the greatest

[GJC]

The only person who has come close to the ability to enrage the US govt. and white americans is of course Ali, who's conversion to religion was so convenient and used as a stick to wave in the face of his opponents. A black man getting in touch with his roots and refusing to do the bidding of his white masters.

Why people persist in believing his reasons for dodging the draft is of constant amusement to me, and as he celebrates his birthday I am certain he would be thinking to himself how well he did in suckering people. I think for that he sure was the greatest

Always felt that Ali's religion was sincerely felt and he is a Muslem to this day albeit not NOI. Think that the only cynics were the NOI who to my mind used Ali. I look at it that he was an angry young man who was drawn down one path and mellowed over the years, as we all do, and "amended" his religion to what he is today, a Sunni Muslem (?)
Back to the thread, Johnson wasn't a nice man and probably broadly did what he was accused of. Did the authorities gild the lilly and make the crime fit him? For sure, if they are out to get you they will, don't think that's changed much. The way Johnson lived his life he didn't do himself or his race many favours.

[El Jesus]

Johnson was a thug who battered a woman into hospital.

domestic violence like that was pretty damn widespread then, not to excuse it, but it was a different time when that stuff was pretty acceptable. im pretty sure your grandfather did the same, you probably just aint gonna hear about it.

[rob snell]

agree

you make a very valid point on domestic violence and how common it was. Not happy about my grandfather though !!

[WeltshmerzKO]

Jack Johnson was framed, no doubt about it. Did a race and ideology essay on it for uni. If anyone is unfamiliar with his story or wants to learn more i would recommend a great documentary called "Unforgivable Blackness" which was done by PBS. should be on youtube, I'm sure most on boxing scene have seen it but if your haven't check it out!

[T.Horton]

Jack Johnson was framed, no doubt about it. Did a race and ideology essay on it for uni. If anyone is unfamiliar with his story or wants to learn more i would recommend a great documentary called "Unforgivable Blackness" which was done by PBS. should be on youtube, I'm sure most on boxing scene have seen it but if your haven't check it out!

i would actually like to read your essay if you'd allow it.