The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-01-12
NEW YORK NOW
RIVALS OLD WEST
Hcld"Ups and Murder Creating
More Sensation Than Nickel
Novels =

N"Y York Jan. New York has
thrown away its nickel novel Of 1920,
to Begin reading the 1921 thriller of
Dead Mans Gulrh moved into Broad
way and the Black Hills set down
ON Fifth Avenue somewhere between
the Waldorf Astoria and 42nd street.
WIKI some,hing like 400 robberies
ana "Stickups on the newspaper lists
OF crimes for the past year, and more
than 100 murders and killings set
down by news offices as unsolved T. =
New Year has had set for ii a pen
np-dreadful record it will take two
gun men from COyette Canyon a life
times cndeavor to beat.
ride from the Grand Central i'm
a taXicab now is conceded by lead
ing papers Of the city to have nothing
on trip, in til, Deadwood Stage
coach and the big hotels and restau-
rants loom up as the Santa Fe Sa-
loon in the Wild West days Of the
siN-Sun tOter and the Bad Bow band
its Old Bloody Hollow. Twenty police
rliiemen patrol the streets at night
| in automobiles. The curfew rings at
midnight when Central Park is closed
TO vehicular and pedestrian traffic,
and ali persons abroad must give ac-
count OF themselves when asked
n the past month judges on the
criminal courts bench have ured in
formation of citizens committees on
a par with the vigilantes Of the from
tier before it was accused of going
! back east TO metropolitan centers.
The Mayor has warned ali persons
/ os.in
procure permits TO arm themselves
against highweymcn and the police
have tried TO get back something like
first principles in life and property
protection.
Crimes have been chronicled as
though they were robbery and muir
der cyclones, and the subway news
paper reader has felt all the thrill
Of riding the Overland Limited in
the days when Jesse James and gang
held no prarie railroad immune from
their ravages
Estimates have placed about $4,-
100000 as the total value Of loot OBJ
tainCd by burglars, thieves nd yegg-
mon in New York during 1920 Day
ligh h0ldups, attacks in leading
Great Way Hotels and automobile
banditry have yielded much of the
valuable stolen. AS many as 40 rob-
berries and thefts have been featured
for months acts of violence of note,
land six such attempts in Il day have
bo on recorded
OF the more TIM 100 "unsolved'
murders listed Ey some papers,
number now are nationally, if not in
ltcrnationa;E known. Beginning with
IA killing las. New Years Day. l92O's
record started strong. Conspicuous
IN the l. months list were the mur-
ders of Joseph L. Elwell, Miss Renie
Constance HoXie and Frederick G.
EckC". E.wcl', known from coast TO
coast as Il whist export and horseman
was shot 20 death in his handsome
ly furnished West 10th street home;
Miss Ho&ie, a 17-year- r-old girl, was
found mut!la;cd in her fathers house;
EcHert, former government agent
and alleged whiskew runner, was
found shot dead in an automobile in
Staten Island.
In the robbcries. organized bands
Of gunmen have seemed to predomi-
nate. Thefts OF valuable goods from
railroad freight cars. bulking big in
lpacking cases, have been consider
able. stolen automobiles have been
reported constantly. But holdups of
the old time type, by day as we'll as
night, on the street, in the home, in
hotels whore masked and unmasked
men have taken what they wanted at
the point Of pistols, have called forth
tho hue and cry against alleged "in-
adequate police protection
Automobile bandits have made off
with number of factory payrolls and
banks have seen cunmen walk in and
demand money from the safe under
penalty of instant death.
AT this time the police department
has been under fire. Police Commits
sioncr EnriSht, right bower of the
ICity administration, has been attack
ed continually in the newspapers be-
cause OF the prevalence Of the gum
men.
The commissioner has retorted by
asserting that this condition exists
elsewhere. To combat il he has
heightened the hours OF police duty,
called for 500 additional policemen
and sent out automobile squads arm
cd With rifles to patrol the shopping
and business districts.