Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-10-10
FORMER MOLlNER
GIVES TESTIMONY
Tells of His Connection With
Pickpockets and Graft
ing Police.
STORY Is SENSATIONAL
Chicago Police Face Serious Charges
Tribune Praises Ed
ward Altz.

| AS the sensational investigation OF
alleged cooperation between the po
lice and the ''pickpocket trust pro
crosses in Chicago the figure of Ed
ward w. Altz, who was born and
reared in Moline and who now has a
brother and a nephew living here as
well as another brother in East Mo
line, stands out as the nemesis of the
evildoers in Chicago's underworld and
police force.
The amazing testimony he has Civ
en- has stirred Chicago. Yesterday his
| work was complimented editorially by
| the Chicago Tribune. His honesty, un-
like that of so many investigators, is
| unquestioned. Such a tale as his, re-
lated by an investigator of the COM
mon type, would provoke unbelief.
Altz's story has aroused a city.
AS secret investigator for the Chi
cago council crime commission he
| went into the underworld and lived
| there as a pickpocket. What he learn
| ed there he has told in part at a pub
lie hearing of the commission. II was
| a wonderful story. told in answer to
| questions by Attorney Fletcher Do
| byns, in charge of the investigators
for the council, and who will probably
act as special prosecutor in event
! charges are preferred against police
men and police officers who are in
volved. The story follows in part:
! Altz began his testimony by explain
| ing he had been engaged on his task
since early in July and that during
that time he had mingled freely with
pickpockets and had been recognized
as one of them.
Worked With Police.
Il mixed up with them and other
known criminals and associated with
! them day after day and night after
night" he said. 1T was from them
and from the police who didn't know
who l was that l obtained my infor-
nation Most of the time l had well
known pickpockets working with me.
Il got my first information from
! 'snatchers' and immoral women who
know the business-people / became
acquainted with when I was attached
to the second deputy's office. l got
my lists from several sources, but /
verified the information in number
of ways. l visited their haunts and
talked with them or with people who
knew them and knew what they were
doing. l also looked up the records
and found them to be known pick
pockets
He was told to describe the methods
of piCkpocket operation.
''They work in gangs or 'mobs.' as
they call them, including from two to
five men and occasionally a woman.
The first man is the one who actually
picks the pockets. He is known as the
instrument Next in rank is the
Switch the man to whom the instru-
ment hands the watch or whatever is
taken. They call pocketbook a
poke Then there is fellow known
as the STALL whose business it is to
distract the victims attention while
he is being robbed or to interfere with
the chase if there is one.
''The fan is the manor sometimes
a woman-who locates the watch or
poke for the instrument If they
are working in a street car the fan
gets up close and when there is a |
sudden stop falls against the victim or
in some other way feels around to
find what he Is looking for.
Moved by Tricks.
He tells the instrument when he !
has located ii and the STALL gets into |
action. Sometimes he has to make /
the victim move so the instrument /
can get at the pocketbook. If he's in /
corner of the car a coin is dropped (
under his feet so he has to move or
the stall crowds in back of him.
Sometimes when the time arrives to |
lift the pocketbook the STALL burns
the victim on the ear with a cigar or
gets into an alteration with him.
When the job is done they all get
OFF the car and meet at some pre-
arranged place."
Tells of Protection.
His testimony was closed with the
most startling case of police protec-
ton he had encountered. The story
he told under questioning was this:
Il found Brodie Egan's mob was
operating around Forty-seventh and
Ashland, especially on pay nights at
the yards, and that they were work
ing under the protection of a police
officer. When he lays on there and
goes out TO a country fair the officer
sometimes goes with the mob and
acts as the stall He is there with
his star il anything happens. II he
doesn't go the stall is a saloon keep
er who has a police officers badge.
They have even gone to the es;-
IRENE of getting a deputy sherirs
badge TO use out in the country where
the police officer has no jurisdiction.
His Terms 35 Per Cent.
"Once when the mob was out of
town this police officer offered this
TO another picfpocket on the
same terms-35 per cent. The prop
osition was that another officer was 1
TO cover this mob