The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-11-09
A BIG CRIME WAVE;
EVIL TACTICS CHANGE
KEEPING UP WITH MODERN
CROOK HARD TASK. OPERA
TIONS HAVE CHANGED.
OFFICERS AT WITS END
Officials Unable to Cope, in Many
Cities, With Increase in Murders,
Smuggling and Other Banditry
Which Sweeps the Nation.


Driven to desperation by the wave
of crime that has been sweeping over
the United States since the close of
the world war, police authorities of
city, state and nation are invoking the
aid of science and invention in the
fight against hold-up men, bomb
throwers and nurderers.
In Philadelphia, New York city and
other large cities steps have been taken
to provide fleets of motorcycle and
swift automobiles to pursue and cap
ture the daring motor bandits, who
now infest every city of considerable
size. Mounted police in Pennsylvania,
New York and other states are being
placed on more efficient basis to pre-
vent the reign of terror existing in ru-
raj districts, while in Washington plans
are on foot for improving the secret
service in its battle against anarchists
and twentieth century smugglers.
William J. Flynn, chief of the Unit
ed States secret service, is waging a
bitter offensive against the anarchists
and bolshevists in the United States.
He has experts of all kinds on his
staff and has a net spread from the
Atlantic to the Pacific for those who
would undermine and overthrow the
government.
1t was largely through his efforts
that Emma Goldman and Alexander
Berkman, arch traitors and anarch-
lists, were deported, with 248 fellow
conspirators, to soviet Russia.
Smuggling by Airplane.
The authorities became accustomed
| to the tracks of the old time snug
glers and were able to cope with them,
| bat now the accomplished Smugglers
have pressed aeroplanes into their ser
vice. Already a well-developed SNUG
Cling ring in this country and Mexico
has been uncovered.
The authorities on both sides of the
Rio Grande agree that something will
have to be done to establish aeroplane
patrol service between the two coun-
tries. AS result OF the war the gov
eminent is now in possession OF a large
number of first class aeroplanes, anc
border officials are anxious to have
these machines utilized in an attemp
to halt this unique smuggling.
For volume and daredevil boldnes
the airplane smuggling of the south i
not to be compared with the way II
which the prohibition amendment il
being violated along the Canadian
border. The game of smuggling liquor
across the border has proven so lucra
tive that hundreds are giving their en-
tire time to it, openly defying The
handful of inspectors scattered along
the great dividing line
Ingenious methods are adopted tC
bring the contraband across the Dor
der. At Buffalo, N. Y, recently, ;
funeral cortege crossed the boundary
near Niagara Falls. 1t included every
thing that goes with a first class fun
eral, flowers, pail bearers, chief mourn
ers and black draped coffin. The only
unusual feature of it lay in the fac
that the coffin, instead of containing
a corpse, was filled with bottles of the
best Canadian whisky.
Inspectors at Malone, N. Y, recent
" found box car, supposedly hllec
with baled hay, but the inside bales
had been replaced with cases OF liquor
Hold-ups Common.
The growth of crime in the large
cities has increased so rapidly that au'
thorities are, in some cases, finding
themselves unable to cope with it
Prohibition has caused less drinking
among criminals, and, consequently
clearer brains and keener wits Jew
elry stores, banks, stores and offices
have been boldly stuck up" by day
light thugs who were not averse,. ii
it seemed necessary, to numbering
their victims. In some cases the rob-
bers operated within block of a po-
lice station.
The authorities are at their wits END
in their attempts to suppress crime
The war has changed crime conditions
Methods effective against criminals
five years ago are all but useless now
The police are being provided with al
of the modern means OF combating
crime and hope, during the coming
year, to reduce the appalling number
Of murders, hold-ups, bank robberies
and other outrages to a minimum.