The sun., 1919-08-02
TANNER SMITHS
MURDERER is SLAIN
Men In Motor Shoot Robert
Shaw and Friend on Ho-
boken Corner.
REVENGE is LIKE CRIME
Dead Assassin Wed Paterson
Girl After Killing His
Benefactor.

Tanner Smith avenge his death but they
Killed his murderer in much the same
manner In which Smith was slain when
they shot to death Robert Shaw at Sec
end and washington streets, Hoboken,
Thursday night. They had planned the
deed despite the counsel of an intimate
friend Of the family. who asked a num-
Der of Tanners friends the night before
the funeral Wednesday to 'let the law
take its course" The police say the
dead mans friends beat them to It by
an hour" tHf
George Lewis, an inseparable friend Of
Shaw. is under guard In Christ Hospital.
Jersey City, charged with the murder of
Smith. He too was shot down by the
friends Of Tanner and left for dead
where he fell some few. feet from his
companion's body. The pair were stand
ing on the corner talking when an auto
mobile filled with men wrapped in rain
coats and with hats pulled we'll down
over their eyes, slid through the rain and
stopped at the opposite curb. No one
paid attention to 1t until a fusillade was
hred from the cloaked figures. Shaw
fell almost instantly. shot through the
hack, the bullet entering the heart.
Lewis was shot twice through the back
Of the shoulder. He staggered into the
street and fell. This was the signal for
the car to drive on, and 1t vanished
through the downpour. A bystander
was creased in the cheek with bullet.
Lewis Was Not Suspected.
Smith was killed in a similar manner
last Saturday night while he sat in a
friendly game of cards In the Marginal
Club in Eighth avenue near Fourteenth
street, Manhattan. He was shot four
times from behind. The police and the
District Attorney said that Shaw and
Lewis did 1t. and that they have four
witnesses who will prove It.
1t was an open secret that Shaw had
killed Smith. Paddy Smith, a younger
brother of Tanner. the day before the
funeral said that he knew his brother
was killed by his best friend, but 1t was
somewhat of a surprise to the Smith
family yesterday to learn that the police
say Lewis also had fired shots into their
brothers. body.
fne Day after ne had killed mis- friend
shaw married Miss Grace Madden of
Paterson, who Is detained in police head
quarters In Hoboken as a material wit
ness. She protests her ignorance Of any
Of Shaw's affairs. She knew so little
Of him. she said. that she did not know
him by the name OF Shaw, but Shore"
the name she took at the ceremony per-
formed Sunday in St Michaers Church.
West Thirty-fourth street. She il a
pretty blonde Of 10. The police are in
clined to believe her protestations
thinking that Shaw must have withheld
the truth Of his unsavory career as
gangster and gunrnan from her.
Three other men besides Lewis are be-
ing held in connection with the murder
of Shaw. These are Peter Costello and
Edward Costello. brothers, and Joseph
Mcdonald. They are held without bail
as material witnesses
Members OF the Smith family. includ-
ing the mother Of the slain Tanner. said
that they did not know the Costello
brothers or Mcdonald that as far as
they knew neither of them had ever
visited Tanner In his home nor had they
ever heard him speak of either OF them.
SHAW was Toinmy's best friend
(Smiths name was Thomas Francis. but
he was known as Tanner" to every one
except his sisters.) He did everything
he could to keep that boy straight" his
sister said, and all nodded assent.
Tanner had got Shaw paroled to his
custody and guardianship from prison
where he had been sent for year for
carrying a gun. He had given his per-
sonal word to the authorities that he
would see that Shaw would "go straight
him. He had given him money without
end while he was in prison, had pro-
vided him with little luxuries and had
= encouraged him to "go right" Finally
Smith believed he had reformed Sha :
and had him released to. his custody to
start the regeneration. He put Shaw to
work for him at a higher wage then
the man had ever got in his life.
you got to go straight now, Rubber
ct AL
Smith is quoted as saying by friends
who overheard the conversation between
them. Shaw said he would and Smith
was overjoyed. Shaw did his work with
I'll grace, grumbling and pickering fire.
quently. but Smith expected this at first
and was not worried When he back
slid, Smith forgave, and yanked him
back to solid ground. But the back
slidings because too frequent and Smith
was troubled. Shaw got into trouble
with his coworkers. picked rows with
them. and In many ways made things
unpleasant for his benefactor. who had
TO ask their indulgence for his irritable
friend.
And all the time in addition to paying
him his salary, Smith was giving him
money. Shaw demanded 1t, and. Indul-
gent with his protege. Smith let him
have II.
Finally Shaw's conduct and demands
became uncomfortable to the patient Smith
who himself had reformed six years be-
fore and was doing everything he could
to lead others into law abiding ways.
Shaw and Lewis and Smith met In q
saloon six hours before Smith was killed
and there Shaw made another demand
for money. Smith refused 1t. Shaw wal
sore, the police learned, and left the place
IN anger. This was Saturday afternoon
After dinner. as Paddy Smith said. his
brother put on his silk shirt and went
around to play a gaAe OF cards with
the boys at the Marginal" While he
was sitting there Shaw and Lewis, his
inseparable companion of the last few
days, entered the place, passed the
time o'day, walked behind Tanner and
began shooting" Though shot through
four times by the man he had befriended
and his companion. Tanner raised him.
self on his elbow and fired three shots
at the. fleeing men. He was mortally
wounded before he could pull his gun
which he carried on a police permit, to
protect himself when he carried his nav
roll OF some $4,000 every Saturday "a
pay of the stevedores, OF whom he was
boss. He died a few minutes after.
Just what Shaw and Smith did tina,
night the police cannot say. The trail
was next found Sunday, when Shore. !
with "a nervous companion as best
man." brought Miss Madden to the
church and was married Previous tc
the staying OF Smith. Shaw and Levi.
had got a room and lived In II in 93s
Hudson street, Hoboken. Shaw took his
bride Sunday to the home of his aunt, Mrs
Anne Topf. In West New York, not faI
L.,