Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-12-30
CRIME CROWDS CRIME
CHICAGO SWEPT BY A vERITARLE
REIGN OF TERROR.
No Mans Life or Property Seems TO
BE Secure-EiRht Murders and TIA
Robberies Is the Startling Record
for Sixty Days.

Robberies Is the Startling Record |
for Sixty Days,
Eight murders and ia holdups and |
burglaries in the last sixty days is the |
appalling record o. crime in Chicago. !
The community is under a reign of ter
ror, and conservative men declare that
vigilance committees must be organized
and one or more murderers or thugs
lynched in order TO check the despera
does. Under present conditions life and
property are unsafe.
Thousands of peaceable citizens who
never carried a weapon before are car
rying arms to-day for self protection. In
many sectiops of the city women are
afraid to venture out after nightfall.
There has been a startling increase in
the sale OF firearms lately. That the sale
has not been altogethei TO men Of good
character is unquestienaly true.
Usually a determined and systematic
move hy' the police of cope with the Grim
inals of big city has the effect of driv-
in the vicious element to cover and to
period of inactivity. Ever since the
fight with and capture of the car barn
bandits-Van Dine, Niedermeier and
Roeski--there has been an epidemic OF
robberies, murders and attempts at muir
der and robbery.
Before the inquests were held on the
detective who was killed by the bandits
Mt the Indiana dugout and the railway
brakeman who defended his train against
seizure by the outlaws aud lost his life,
highwaymen waylaid and MORALLY
wounded a prominent lawyer who was
on his way 10 his home in an artstocratlc
residence district This was James ~
Fullenwider the attorney ia Chicago OF
the Standard Oil Company, who, when
ordered by three highwaymen to throw
up his hands, did so, but, thinking he
might escape, started to run TO his home,
| n block distant. He received bullet In
! his back, which caused his death next
! day. His murderers fed, and the police
are as yet without any elew TO them.
| The same night Albin Fox, a wealthy
| horse dealer of Rockford, H., who had
/ but just arrived in tie city, was accosted
| In the Northwestern Railroad station by
! a stranger. who represented himself as a
/ registered guide Of the city. Fox en-
/ ployed the man, and in paying him dis
! played a large roll of bills. As they
| were crossing a bridge near the station
/ the guide suddenly turned upon the
| horse dealer, beat him into insensibility
| with revolver, took $1,000 and fed.
I Fox was found unconscious and sent to
the hospital.
/ These were only the chief crimes by
/ the local banditti for one night for more
! than score of robberies were commit
! ted that night.
The next night at late hour an ex-
! pressman driving in the northwestern
/ part of the city discovered a buggy with
| out horse drawn across the street car
! track. He got off his wagon and pulled
the obstruction away from the rails. As
| he did so three men who were hiding in
the shadows dashed upon him. and, ours
! ing him for removing the buggy, bea, him
almost to dealt. and then took from his
pockets large sum. his days collec-
tons. The bandits had put the ostruc-
| ton on the tracks intending to hold up
the next car and rob the conductor
A robber holder than the average Chi
cago highwayman operated at the same
time IN Il territory q little east of the
would-be car holdup men. He mas
oueraded with a policeman's star and a
burglars black mask, using one or the
other as occasion required for his pur-
pose, holding mp and robbing six men
that night. He was captured, however,
and il is now ascertained that he Is guilty
of thirty robberies.
I A bartender pursuing two burglars
who smashed the show window Of big
jewelry store early in the morning, and
who threatened to shoot II they did not
stop, got a bullet in the breast He is
in the hospital. Two nights later the
postofIlce at Winnetka, a pOpulous sub
urb, was entered by thieves, who blew
! open the snfe and got away with $1,000
There is no clew to them
/ A couple of nights later two robbers
visited haywood and burglarized seven
business places. On successive nights
several saloonkeepers, n tailor, grocer
and tw, Chinese laundrymen were held
up and bbed in their places Of business
the bandits in each case obtaining large
sums of money.
A movement Is now taking place for
the formation of citizens protective com
mittee, throughout the city. IL is admit
ted that no man, woman or child is safe
after dark. Ones life may be taken by
/ a thieving thug at dusk within a stones
throw of the police station or public
1 building with crowds passing almost at
arms length. What effect the wave Of
| crime Is having upon the minds Of the
J Young is evidenced by recent arrests of
/ truants throughout the Cit. On most
/ of those arrested, and they were all I'M
; deI i3 years, were found pistols, knives,
| blackjacks and other dangerous weapons.