CHICAGO UNDERWORLD

Taranaki Daily News, 14 December 1926, Page 11

CHICAGO UNDERWORLD

KILLING ONE ANOTHER OFF. POPULAR AS THE MOVIES. San Francisco, Nov. 3. Chicago, home of gangsters and bandits, fear those disturbers of the peace no more. In fact, they have been raised to such a pitch in popular favour that the newspapers have taken to interviewing them. Instead of killing off police in the execution of their duty, the bandits and gangsters have started killing each other off at a rate that is positively bewildering the officers of the law. Three killings have been staged within as many months, with two,, four and six victims respectively. Unfortunately, on the two latter occasions, a reputable member of the community has paid the extreme price of being found in their company. In the first case it was the brilliant young State attorney, who was becoming known nationally for the number of gangsters he was haling to the gallows, and in the second a no less brilliant lawyer, who happened to be counsel for one of the rival gang leaders. The weapons used in the early cases were ordinary machine-guns, mounted on the floor of touring motor-cars. The latest weapon is even an improvement on the Lewie gun, for a one-man mach-ine-gun. Weighing only about twice as much as the ordinary British Army service revolver, it can be operated easily with two hands, in much the same position as a child’s catapult is held, with the forward arm controlling the trigger and direction of fire, the other taking i-e recoil, and no part of the gun touching the body. FILM STAR POPULARITY. The papers are outdoing each other in their presentation of the case of the gangsters, who are rapidly assuming the popularity of film stars. The United States has its Press constituted in such a way that the nation will never be allowed to run short.of gangsters and vicelords, for their existence is an absolute necessity to the yellow journals. Again, it is the confirmed belief of many large cities of the United States that Chicago could rid itself of its gangsters and ban. dits in a week, if it chose. That there is some truth in the. latter conviction is shown by the passage-at-arms that took place at the inquest on the latest killings, between the coroner’s doctor and Captain O’Connor, one of the police chiefs of Chicago. The doctor charged the captain with being “dumb” about the movements' of the gangsters and their operations. The captain replied by abusing the doctor, urging him to let in a little fresh air where his brain reposed at present. “KING OF THE UNDERWORLD.” The king of the underworld and head of the beer-runners in Chicago, one Scarface Caponi, is calling in the public Press for a cessation of hostilities be. tween the gangs. He says he is prepared to sign an armistice. He declares there is enough business for all the gangs in the beer-running trade, without killing each other, like animals., in the street. “I don't want to die in the street, punctured with machine-gun fire,” he said. “I have begged these fellows to put away these things and talk sense to me. They have all got families. I have one. if someone could get the remainder of the north-side together, and anyone else who thinks they are ‘bucking’ me (running counter to me) on this game, and can get them to sit down and listen to me, I will make peace with all of them, and keep it also.” The theory about the latest killing, when six men were murdered from the windows of a shop as they emerged into the street opposite the Catholic Cathedral, is that the killers were imported from New York, as the Chicago police was going through one of its “clean-ups” with which the regular gangs are always familiar. Heinie Weise and Paddy Murray, described as "north-size booze ovfrlord and gangster,” and “his lieutenant,” were among those that paid' the penalty on that occasion. No evidence or clue has been found in either of the three killings