The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-04-26

SUPERIOR, April 24.-(Special
to the Rip-saw. 1.-The lawless folk,
who have run Superior for the past
thirty years, are getting desperate
over the riling tide of law enforce
ment and the demand for a decent,
law-abiding city.
Murder, bribery, threats and
black-hand letters are some of the
means employed by crooks and GRIM
inals to counteract Mayor Baxter's
enforcement of the laws and the
Rip-saw's spotlight of publicity.
Already one life has paid the pen
atty to the hatred and desperation of
the underworld.
On or about the morning of March
1, the body Of a man was found ly-
ing back of the Schweitzer hotel.
The find was kept as quiet as pos
sible but some details leaked out.
Inquests are not common in Su-
perior and Coroner Downs, as well
as county attorney Mckay, decided
that death through acute alcoholism
was so evident that an inquest and
autopsy were not necessary.
In due course it was learned that
the mans name was Mike Madigan.
His home was in St. Paul and he had
a married sister, Mrs. Hughes, In
Council Bluffs, Iowa. Instructions
as to Madigan's burial came from
the Catholic Bishop in st. Paul and
the unfortunate man was laid away
in Superior on March Is.
Mike Madigan Was Murdered.
Facts have developed which show
that Madigan was murdered, either
by choking or poisoning, or both.
There were marks on his neck that
indicated physical violence. A hand
kerchief crammed in the mans
mouth indicated that he had tried to
wipe some deadly, burning poison
out of his mouth, as would be natur-
al to a nan in frenZied pain. 1t is
believed that Madigan was given a
bottle of whisky heavily saturated
with some deadly acid.
The underworld thought the poor
fellow was a stool pigeon. The facts
are that he more likely was familiar
with dumps and joints, therefore was
tagged around by detectives without
his knowledge. He paid the extreme
penalty, as seemed we'll known
throughout the underworld.
For some days it was hard to buy
booze at the blind pigs.
"No, I cannot sell for few days.
Didn't you hear that the stool pigeon
was killed last night?"
In restaurants frequented by the
lawless element it was common talk
that the man had been murdered.
Bold Attempt at Bribery.
Murder done too often or on the
wrong person brings danger of an
! awakening by state officials, zeal by
the police or even swift action by
| law anG order committees. Bribery
| if found out, has a mild punishment
compared with murder. Some un'
derworld workers therefore prefer
bribery to murder, although it may
cost more immediate cash.
On April IA, a young man in Su'
perior asked a private detective tt
60 to the theater with him. While
together, the young fellow boldly
asked the inspector if he and his
partner would not jump the town
and take all the evidence against
local crooks, if paid $1,000 each.
The detective stalled and ther
duly reported the matter to his su
perior officer. In due course, it was
communicated to the city officials
If you have something on Su
perior crooks and they know 1t, they
gladly will square, it with gold.
For a long time, Max Rosenberg
had a notion that bit of "mazuma'
would square him with anyone fo
anything. Now poor old Max Ii
pleading that abatement proceeding
against his place be dismissed SO tina
he can sell out and go to Chicago
Threats Are Freely Made.
One popular sport in the under
ground traffic has declared that HI
will shoot anyone who bears testi
mony against his wife or against tn
yellow Kid This aggressive cit
izen usually wears a big gun in hi
hip pocket when watching the cral
games.
Now and then some criminal tank
up on poor whiskey and howl
around the street how he is goin
to kill some enemy of lawlessness
usually pouring out obscenity tina
would cause his quick arrest in cit,