CRIMINAL GANG

Evening Star, Issue 20019, 9 November 1928, Page 9

CRIMINAL GANG

PROFIT OF £10,000,000 Philadelphia, ' the ■ city of brotherly love,” is said to bo usurping the reputation tor organise*, crime which Chicago. hitherto' has' been creditor) with. Growing indifference to public opinion regarding criminals, who are advised by expert lawyers, fortified vntl an elaborate bookkeeping system to rccoro and control graft, and protected by some of the highest, otficails—has resulted in a grand jury investigation- and a repo, which would bo incredible if it wer* cot official in 'its revelation of crime a a busines. The,, report reveals the amazing fact that the number of liquor ileus in Philadelphia is 10.000.- 1 - These ” spcak-casies ” are mostly known to the. police and ate said to bo permitted under a recognised system of bribes- or fines.

Gangsters, armed to the,tooth,_.bave indulged ,in assault, robbery, and murder, and .a-shop has beer discovered whore machine-guns, bullet-prool vests, ami silencers for revolvers were sold, and no questions asked. The proprietor, now in the hands of the police, says ho thought' they were bought ro protect the banks This man has sold as many as 450 machine-guns, and can give no information at to where they have

gone. _ The highly-organised criminal ring not only 'bought an arsena' of weapons, but is helievedu .to have'set aside, in, banks, £2.000.000 as insuranc. against " a rainy day .”' for the loading members. The money has r. been placed in leading bank* under fictitious.; names.' Members of the gang livcd.in magnificent, if vulgar, stylo. It is estimated’ that thcr profits in tlio last six years amount to £10,000,1/00. Such a vast ■scheme wa.- only possible with the r nivanci) of the yrolicc. Books' have' been found recording regular payments by one ot tin firms in the bootlegging ring to the police, year in, year out, vgt 50do to SOOdol a month. One ominous- entr reads: — 10,000dol (£2,000) to head cop ” Police graf for permitting lorries ot liquor "ioi pus through the streets and " spcak-casies ” .to remain open is estimated 'to tola. t.t least £200,000 a yew. Policemen ’have offered large sums to be transferred to unitt where graft is plentiful. 1 :

The recent inquiry has been, forced by the-outspoken ■ comments of Judge Edwin Lewis." He says it has been common knowledge- for two years that one of the chief city- streets is the hauti of boot-leggers; yet in four years .hr has had only one bootlegger before him. A constant procession of witnesses has passed before th*< grand jury. One mild--looking ' little man has been in and out twenty times’. He'is known to the sporting fraternity as ' Booboo ” Hoff V and “ the newsboy beet baron.” He is re-garded-as hea. 1 of the criminal gang. Officials think That eerie of the methods of organisation and control are beyond him; hud are seeking the hidden genius behind the ring. When he is found it is believed that wholesale arrests of police officials will tab p'acc in one coup. ,