The Washington times., 1919-11-23
(Comtsmued from Last Sunday

IN previous weeks many Amazing exploits of the
Il master criminal and his organization of cunning
rogues which is collecting its nefarions toll from
almost every industry and social class throughout the
United States have been related these pages But the
extraordinary of all revelations of the cunning and
vicious power of this thief and his confedeates
remains to be told on this page to-day.
We have seen how this efficient band of crooks with
its thoroughly businesske organization its board of d.
rectors its legal department its financial bureaus its
"fences and its experts in crme directs the huge army
of thieves and confidence" men and women who
santy the command of the master mind which has
gathered them together-with MURDER blackma and alb
duction common tricks of their pernicous trade We
have seen too how the is slowly being closed about
him and his chief aides by the extraordinary precautions
being taken by the different detective organizations
formed by the of department stores heads of the
fur and silk and ewery industries and financial interests
and devoted wholly ferreting this dangerous band.
And this page goes to press there has just been
veaed the daring of all of the master criminals de-
fances of the law and the forces opposed his operations
With dramatic nsoence he has reached his hand actu
ally beyond the chambers of the judges of the criminal
courts to defy every of the law by which hoped
to some day drive him from his work. Skilled police off,
eas and master detectives succeeded not long ago put
ting behind prison bars two and two who,
they had evidence to believe belonged to the inner
or the master CRIMINAL chlef ShopilfterS
For many weeks each of these four persons
"shadowed by the detectives, who took night and day
turns in keeping them under surveillance They were
ply their trade in the big stores of the city and
instead of being arrested they were followed to their
rendezvous
When the proper time the detectives gave each
other sign and by one these four of the master
criminals aides were arrested: They taken into
custody separately, and allowed communicate
with each other Each prisoner then made fully
acquainted with the evidence gathered by the detectives
of their recent thefs from the great department stores
and jewelry stores of the city They completely
convinced that there way for them heavy
penitentary sentences And then they told that il
they wished cemency they could only by revealing
the identity of the master criminal the chief of their band
that of his aides through whom his hiding place might
be revealed
As is customary with the master criminals agents. each
OF the four refused to talk But the detectives expected
this. Bondsmen supposedly representing the financial
department" of the master criminals organization,
promptly forward with money with which to bail the
prisoners out of jail The detectives had expected this
they had fled with the proper court clerks scores of
separate charges against each prisoner each covering
individual theft during the time the four under
yeillance. Each of these charges thus fled away
with the records required the deposit of separate
bond before the prisoner could eventually gain his release
awaiting trial. This course of proceedings resorted
to by the detectives because they knew that if the ps
gained their release under bail they would promptly
disappear and simply forfeit their bonds
The four prisoners left in the custody of the
Court of Special Sessions of New York City, the criminal
branch of the States courts
week later William f. Murphy, superintendent of
the Stores Mutual Protective Association the detective
organization OF the department of the Eastern
cities called at the Tombs New York famous city prison
to see the prisoners He asounded learn that each
OF the had been released FIVE days before under
ball by order of the Court of Special Sessions
Detective Superintendent Murphy quickly called for
the prison recorshe documents which relate each step
IN the history of each prisoner Here he duly entered
in the regular form that each prisoner had been released
under bail provided for charge aonehat the records
did not show that there any additional charges at
all-ony one for each prisoner.
The order for the release of the prisoners to
duly signed by the Chief Justice of the Court of Special
Sessions
superintendent Murphy hurried the offices of the
chief clerk OF the Court of Special Sessions where the
additional charges had been placed file for the atten
ton OF the Chief Justice Here again the records as
founded Mr. Murphy. There no trace of the papers
IN which the additional charges had been made In their