San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-20
ARMED WITH SAWED-OFF
SHOTGUNS, COPS HUNT FOR
BEER MURDER SUSPECTS
Trade War to the Death Between Two Rival Liquor
Running Gangs Plunges Chicago Into "Saturnalia
of Law Violation'-Three Men Murdered.
Black Belt Gambling Dives Reopen.

papers have printed lists of such
places with addresses and names Of
owners. But even with these aids.
the police profess themselves too busy
for anything but the beer war;"
Shotgun Sawed Off.
Every police flivver at the depart
ment's command toured the city to-
day with at least two policemen armed
with sawed off shotguns in addition
| to their regulation automatics. They
were under orders TO "shoot first and
then investigate" if they came across
more than one member of either of
the beer gangs, the O'Donnels and the
| Torrios.
Fifteen members OF the two gangs
| already are under arrest as material
witnesses to the three murders which
| have been committed. One of them
is a notorious gangster whose name
was linked with the "croaking' of
Herman Rosenthal. the New York
gambler, for whose murder Police
Lieutenant Becker and five gunner
paid the extreme penalty.
Among those to be arrested on sight
is Walter Stevens. "the immune out
| INV, W hO Is VI utlnp one VI
the Torrio lieutenants. Stevens is
wanted in several cities besides Chi
cago. He is alleged to have commit
ted murder in Miami. Fla, where he
] formerly ran roadhouse, and also
is accused of having slain an Aurora,
ILL.,. policeman. He also figured in the
alleged jury fixing at the trial of Gov
ernor Small.
Looming large among the alleged
gunner is Daniel McFall, former
deputy sheriff, who stands accused of
completely in all three of the MUIR
ders. Mysterious influence got him
released in nominal bail after the STAY
ing of Jeffry O'Connor. the O'Don-
nell gangster, whose death marked the
beginning of the blood feud. He was
re-arrested, however. when George
Meeghan and Sport Butcher were shot
to death in their automobile.
Police Search Popped Up"
At first the police tried to minimize
the affair. O'Connor, they said, was
a "bad man" whose passing would
make nobody sorry. But the second
and third killings brought them TO
realization of the fact that they
had a desperate situation to cope
with.
Chief Collins vows he will quickly
clear the situation up and restore law
and order. He has suspended Police
Captain Wolfe of the precinct in
which the murders were committed.
placing Lieutenant Shoemaker, a
"hard-bolied' member of the force, in
charge.
But denizens of the "coffee shops"
and the beer saloons which dot tho
Loop and the rest of the city, are
more skeptical of police success. They
think the feud will be settled by agree
ment of the battlers and that the il
licit beer trade will once more flour
ish unhampered.
"Hell, why all the rowdedow?" was
the typical comment CLEANED in one sa-
loon. "The trouble will be all fixed
up and the territory of the two gangs
divided. The dicks will never get
anything on either crowd"
Maybe they are right. Certainly
the police have had little success so
far in getting any information out of
their prisoners. And meanwhile the
beer and "hard stuff" flows on at
standard Drices-a quarter a throw
for beer, IS cents for whiskey and a
quarter n glass for three or four
choices of wine.