Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-07

By frederic =. HAsKIE

FEW YORK Nov S-These lean days in
N Gangland. Never have so many of the Leading
4 lights York's underworld found them
selves unwilling guests of the state owen Madden
of the famous gang known by his name and one
of the powerful criminal leaders OF the town. is
doing twenty years Ten or more of the Jungle gang
are behind bars leading members OF the Hudson
busters, Corcoran Roost gang. the Bob Walker
gang the Williamsburg Savages, the Golden Eagles
the Pansy gang the Slaughter gang, the Sucker
Bills the Rats and the Pearl Buttons are in Jail,
mostly for long bits
Many of these gangs are indeed little than
brave memories now And for most of the gangsters
remain at large. times are exceedingly hard,
Carrying a gun New York is getting to be so
hazardous hardly The old-time dance hall
rackets are becoming painfully tame and ordinary not
to mention the that they no longer so profit
able Dope selling is beset by new and distressing
difficulties.
So CangIand is passing through crisis in its
career Many of the gangsters finding their New
York headquarters untenabe that they are moving
to nearby places on the Jersey coast to the great
distress small police chiefs But pickings are
slim outside of the big town. The most humiliating
thing of all happened. Many self-respecting
gangster has had go to work for a living. The
notice have positive knowledge of number of such
unusual cases they helping these men all they
can for gangster holding down job is better than
one behind the bars
This unusual state of stress in OF New York's
professional circles is due to special campaign
against the gangs which has been inaugurated by the
present police administration under Commissioner
Arthur Woods. The campaign consists. in the first
place effort to eliminate the political element
from the gangland problem. This is delicate matter
and delicate subject to discuss. Suffice it to say that
gangster professional repeater he considers it
poor election day that vote dozen times
He bully the polls, and makes profession
of staging those little raids which afford oppor-
tunity for stunng ballot boxes And so it happens
that when he is caught he is not always convicted
and when convicted he sometimes gets surprisingly
short sentence.
Now anyone in touch with gangland will admit that
there is a change knowing one will tell you
that when gangster is about to get short bit
the commissioner often "goes to the 'front.' somebody
gets called and the short bit becomes long one
Translate yourself. Probably is claim
ing that politics been taken out of gang
land. there is reason to believe that the gang
leader is finding his political affiliations are not the
crutch to his injured fortunes which they once Were
The second element in the campaign against gang
land takes the form of well-organized squads,
toaling between twenty and thirty all
the problem of uprootng the criminal
organizations. In this connection, meet Sergeant
"Jimmie Finn leader largest gang squad, and
chief field OF campaign. Sergeant Finn is
blonde youth neatly dressed and softly spoken
thrtyfour years old and looks nearly ten years
less. BY his statement, he was born on the East
Side and knew all the gangs and gangsters before he
toned the force twelve years ago. And according to
common report, both within and without the depart
ment, his middle name is battle
Sergeant Finn probably knows about the
strange ways personalities of New York gangand
publicity makes gangsters If these newspaper fellows
didn't much about the gunner, he thinks there
wouldn't be many gunner 20 write about So don't
let this account tempt you to a life of crime
In spite all the front-page space that has been
devoted the spectacular crimes the place
of these unique organizations in York society has
probably been clearly set forth in print For
place in the organization they undoubtedly have
They exist response demand the roots of their
being ramify throughout the complicated of the
city's life; that is what makes them hard to
combat
The political activities of the New York gangster
have been set He is also the Hessian in
the battle capital and labor. Both sides
him. and use him regularly. The gangNleader is
criminal with a talent for organization, and enough
nerve dominate towards, who deliver certain
number of strong-arm gunner at call In addition
to these activities the gangster is professional
derer and kill the behest of anyone who makes