Evening star., 1924-10-23
BANDITS FACE END
WITH SEALED LIPS
Only Commandment Recog-
nized Among Youngsters Is
"Thou Shalt Not Squeal."
BY Consolidated Press.

BY Consolidated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, October 22.-The
commandment Thou shalt not steal
has no place in the ethical code
of Americas modern-day bandlttl, but
the tenet which has supplanted it
Thou shalt not squeal"-Sometimes
prevails inf1exible and unbroken TO
the end, even in the face OF death
itself
In the process of scotching out the
California "daylighters,' as desper-
ate band of men as ever harasSed
law and order in the far West, the
police here have just found on three
startling occasions in almost as many
days that there still is honor OF
kind among thieves.
One of the notorious dayliShter
gang is dead, another is dying anu
still third is just going away 10
do life Jolt" at San Quentin prison
for his participation in the dayllsh'
crimeS-a third of a million dollafS
worth of bank and jewelry store hold
ups in less than u year-but deaG'
diving or buried alive, each member
of the band has kept his lips sealed
tight to the end
Band Composed of Five.
The original band of daylighters,
according to police information' is
made up of five members. Two went
out with boots on and one is gong
the same WAY The kingpin chief
tain of them all is Big BilT' Connor.
former Nevada miner, prospector ana
typical frontier sunman with no such
word as fear in the lexicon OF ms
makeup. 1t is COnnor VINO after
fighting it out with the police IN a
desperate gun duel is going away TO
San Quentin for life rather than un-
III
instance. afforded the police the t1rSt
example of the underWorlds s stringent
code, know nothing and tell
nothing" about ones pals in crlme.
For weeks the authorities have
been Offering Connor ighteneo
sentence and possible probation after
Il few years if he would tell. lie
would not, so the Stiffest sentence
that the law allowed-life-was
meted out TO him.
a few days ago an as yet unidenti-
fed bandit was shot and mortally
wounded as he essayed an unusually
daring downtown store hold-up. In
the county Jail. Big Bill Connor
through underground pipe line in
formation, knew of the attempteo
robbery and outcome even before
the newspapers. He was much con
eerned. His chief inquiry was
whether the slain bandit talked
before he died The slain man
didn't. As he lay gasping his life
away in the police patrol rushing
him to the hospital his only answer
TO persistent police inquiries of his
past career in crime was. GO tc
hell" He checked out with those
words on his lips. but the police
subsequently satisfied themselves
that he was one of Connor's des-
perate "daylighter' band.
Almost simultaneously with the
Staying of the unidentified bandit
here one James Hawthorne, alias
Jimmy Ryan. still another uhca p
tured member of Connor's gang. had
four bullets pumped into his back
by another underworld confrere in
a waterfront saloon. With no chance
whatever conceded for his recovery
Hawthorne calmly awaits death al
a, hospital here. He neither Will tell
Who shot him nor anything regard
ing his criminal past with the Cali
fornia daylighters. To all inquiries
be only smiles weakly and tells the
officers, "Aw, quit your kidding"
:. Some friends pistol will avenge
his death. he declares. and then, to
ehrow the authorities off his trail
he asserts that he shot himself-fou1
times in the back. Regal ding his
pals of the daylishter band he sim
ply isn't talkin."
1t is Big Bill Connor himself who
quotes the underworld substitute for
the commandment, Thou shalt not
steal" he packs his meager be-
longings prepa ratory to a life behind
prison walls. Our code is Thou
shalt not squeal," he says, aud then
adds. land none of my boys is go
ing to-