A VICE RING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 18 September 1926, Page 11

A VICE RING

AMAZING CIVIC CONDITIONS.

Ben Jluduer, Chicago's repuatedi,millionaire bootlegger., was arrested 1 in Canton,. Ohio, on charges of procuring the murder of Dod Maliett, editor of the Canto News, who was shot six weeks ago. 'The crime was connected with the illegal liquor traffic. The grand jury returned the indictments against—liudnaiC-. as--well —as against Pat Maedermott and Louis Mazer, who are accused of firing the fatal shots. . , ,

' The story of the conditions leading up to the capture and. sentence of the criminals is very, interesting. -. While the assassins defied the police to capture them, .citizens of Canton city were terror-stricken by threats <_ further killings by the rulers of the gamblers, bootleggers and others.The; fund for tracking the slayers, for which a 50,000-dollar goal-was set had passed 25,000 dollars when the men were apprehended. Rumblings of conceited action bv the citizens against the Canton Police Department were heard. There were rumours that a vigilance /committee, eomposd of more than 100 leading citizens. was being organised to call upon jVfayor Stanford- it. Swarts, and demand. the resignation of Police-Chief S. A Len°-cl. A°tightening of the underworld- was noticeable. The cry of an outraged citizenry was for direct action without benefit of courts. Community leaders were anxious, and throughout tlie; city ministers prepared Sunday sermons bearing upon the need of .-justice, but justice that, must be orderly. They appealed'.'to love of justice and warned their congregations of the- danger of merelv taking vengeance. A shake-up in the Police. Department was impending because of the lack of/

AMERICAN EDITOR KILLED y

The sudden decision of the peopleTto remain silent led the police over a circular course. A large number of underworld, characters were examined, but threw no light on the murder. McKinley’s, native city, which now lias a population- of more than 100,000, dug deep into, its pockets, to defray the expenses' of hiring special investigators, but. did not- defy death by openly revealing any information it possessed. Nine murders- have been committed within a few months, and none but those referred to liaye been punished.

progress'in the man-hunt, and- a pri- • vate detective. Ora Slate, who cleared up rhe Nesbit bath-tub murder at Troy last, winter, was placed in charge of the hunt for the murderers, and- was hia.de directly responsible to Prosecutor MeClintoek. • The underworld bosses, who had ruled Canton for a number of years, for. a time successfully covered- up the tracks of the assassins. The trusted accomplices visited all the underworld ’ haunts with instructions from the “big bosses.” Bootleggers, dope, ped--dlors, and crooks were ordered to suspend operations until the murder investigation “blew over.” All members of the gang knew only too well the fate of a “squealer.” And the citizens preferred to remain quiet rather than become victims of the hired gunmen imported 1 by the chiefs of the underworld! gangs. Remain sileut aud live longer” was. the warning broadcast by agents of the vice- and crime ring, and- Canton residents decided to take that advice. A number of persons gave descriptions of strange characters seen loitering around the. Mellett. home. .".A