Omaha daily bee., 1919-12-06
DARING R AIDS
OF CRIME BANDS
TERR0R|zE CITY
Police Hold Back Information
On Wave of LaWIessness-
Brave Woman Routs
Highjackers.

Highjackers, holdup men,. sneak
thieves and an army Of criminals of
other descriptions, unmolested and
unafraid, operated IN Omaha Thurs
day night, victimizing men and
women in various sections OF the
city.
A squad OF Commissioner Ring
er's hand-picked plain clothes men
devoted their energies to looking for
vagrants up and down Sixteenth
street in the vicinity of the Hayden
Bros. store, which was burglarized
last Sunday night, when the thieves
made their getaway with loot
amounting to $63,000 without leav-
ing a single trace as to their iden-
tity.
Calls Fire Department.
Mrs. Catherine Allison, 4l0 South
Thirty-ninth street. widow of the
late DR.. c. c. Allison, called the
fire department at 5 yesterday morn
ing to rout "high-jackers" from her
home after her daughter, Grace,
had fired six shots at the house
breakers.
II knew the hremen would respond
sooner" Mrs. Allison said.
The Allison home was evidently
in the hands of nine "high-jackers"
stationed at various points of
vantage for escape when Miss Ali
son was awakened by noise below
a window of her bedroom.
Use Two Cars.
IL peered from the window and
saw two cars standing in front of
the house" Miss Allison said. Il
awakened mother and asked her for
the gun. She cautioned me to be
careful as Mr.. Adams, the night
watchman, might be the man stand
ing outside.
II fired at one man apparently
standing on guard in front of the
house. He just turned and walked
slowly to the cars. Soon, | saw
four men come out of basement
window carrying a case, which con-
tanned nothing but Pluto water. The
men dropped the case and ran to
the cars. In all counted nine per-
sons in the raiding party"
Miss Allison said she was not
nervous about shooting at the man.
She i. a crack rife shot, and not
even her mothers caution held her
from shooting at the "high-jackers."
"I wanted to show them how we
welcome = party like that" she
said
When french arrived on their
unusual errand, they obtained de-
scriptions Of the igh-jackers" and
made a search of the neighborhood.
The police were notified later of
the burglary.
Highwayman Robs Man.
L. F. Fickbohn, 2207 Davenport
street, was held up by . highway
man at Twenty-fourth and Cass
streets. The bandit, who was ARMED
with a revolver, took S. from Mr..
Fickbohn's pocket.
The multitude Of reports Of
burglaries, holdups and robberies
daily pouring into central station
has overwhelmed police officials to
the extent that the complaints are
no longer given to the newspapers.
Who is responsible for holding back
this information from the public
could not be ascertained at head
quarters.
Officer. in charge at the station
this morning deny that such reports
are being hidden away.
1t is known, however, that scores
OF complaints of holdups and rob
berries are being buried by members
Of the police department and the
public is not permitted to know any
thing about them.
Regardless of the great many
complaints of crimes being commit
ted night and day in Omaha, and
being hidden away from public
knowledge, since November l8 there
have been committed here, accord
ing to police reports, approximately
Is holdups and burglaries. OF this
unusual number, which is far in ex-
cess Of all crime records in the his
tory of the city, not single high
iacker. burglar or sneak thief has
been apprehended by the police.
SO far as is known, the heads of
the departments have not even
taken any extra precautions to
handle the situation which is ter
rorizing the people of the commu-
nifty. Policemen are. walking their
beats as usual, with the exception
that one of the new members OF
the force sometimes is assigned to
walk with an older man and keep
him company during his long hours
of the nights along the darker
streets of the city. Detectives still
arc relentless in making war on
bootleggers and life miserable for
men and women who are suspected
of frequentirg disorderly houses.