Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-08
No Apparent Relief
from Crime Wave
Gripping Gotham

New York, Jan. New York has
thrown away it's nickel novel of 1920.
to begin reading the 1921 thriller of
Dead Mans Gulch moved into Broad
way and the Black Hills set down on
Fifth Avenue somewhere between
the Waldorf Astoria and 42nd street.
With something like 400 robberies
and "stickups' on the newspaper list
of crimes for the past year, and more
than 100 murders and killings set
down by news offices as "unsolved,
the New Year has had set for it
penny dreadful record it will take
two-gun men from Coyote Canyon
lifetime's endeavor to beat.
A ride from the Grand Central in
| taXicab now is conceded by leading
papers of the city to have nothing on
trip in the Deadwood Stagccoach
and the big hotels and restaurants
loom up as CHEEKY as the Santa Fe
Saloon in the Wild West days of the
SiX-gun totcr and the Bad Boy Ban
dts of Bloody Hollow. Twenty po-
lice rif1emen patrol the streets at
night in automobiles. The curfew
Park is closed to yehicular and ped
ostrian traffic, and all persons abroad
must give account of themselves
when asked.
In the past month judges on the
criminal courts bench have urged for
nation of citizens committees on O
par with the vigilantes Of the from
tier before it was accused of moving
back east to metropolitan centers.
The Mayor has warned all persons
carrying or possessing valuables to
against highwaymen and the police
have tried to get back to something
like first principles in life and prop
orty protection.
Crimes have been chronicled as
though they were robbery and muir
Ger cyclones, and the subway news
paper reader has felt all the thrill of
riding the Overland Limited in the
days when Jesse James and his gang
held no prairie railroad immune from
their ravages.
Estimates have placed about $4,-
G0O,000 as the total value of loot OBJ
,
men in New York during 1920. Day
light holdups, attacks in leading
Great White Way hotels and auto
mobile banditry have yielded much
OF the valuablCs stolen. AS many as
80 robberics and thefts have been
featured for months acts Of vio-
lence of note, and six such attempts
in day have been recorded.
Or the more than 100 "unsolyed"
murders listed by some papers, a
number now are nationally, if not
International, known. Beginning
with a killing last New Years Day.
/ 1920's record started strong. Con-
spicuous in the y months list were
the murders of Joseph E. Elwell,
Miss Renie Constance HoXie, and
Frederick c. Ecker. Elwell, known
| from coast to coast as a whist ex-
pert and horseman, was shot to
death in his handsomely furnished
West 10th street home: Miss Hoxie,
q l7-year- old girl, was found mutt
lated in her fathers house; Eckert.
Il former government agent and all
legged whiskey runner, was found
shot to death in an automobile in
Staten Island.
In the robberies, organized bands
of gunner have seemed to predomi-
nate. Thefts of valuable goods from
railroad freight cars, bulking big in
packing cases, have been consider
able. Stolen automobiles have been
reported constantly. But holdups of
the old time type. by day as we'll
as by night, on the street. in the
home, in hotels, where masked and
unmasked men have taken what
they wanted at the point of pistols.
nave called forth the hue and crv