The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-07-15
BANDITS, AFTER QUIET
SPELL, ARE AGAIN BUSY
GOVERNMENT MAY USE MA
RINES TO STOP ROBBERY
UNITED STATES MAILS.
CRIME WAVE is SPREADING

Authorities Believe That Inside In
formation Helps the Thugs, So a
House Cleaning in Postofice De-
partment Also Is Planned.
WASHINGTON, D. c. Uncle
Sam may have to clean house in the
postoffice department and press his
quick shooting marines into service to-
put an end to the wave of mail rob-
berries that threatens to make 1924 the
banner year for mail bandits With the
year only half gone and several SEN
! satonal robberies already on record,
officials OF the postal service are
alarmed. During two years, since 1921
| when the bandits stole 100000 from
the mails, it has been comparatively
| quiet but now fresh outbreak seems
to threaten.
! Robberies Show Collision.
Investigations of mail robberies.
| postal officials declare, shows that
employees of the postofice department
work III collision with the bandits, in
forming them when big shipments of
money or securities will go through.
The purpose of the shake-up, there
fore. would be to weed out these EN-
ployes.
During 1922 and 1928 when mail
robbers did little, Postmaster General
Hayes had heavily armed marines on
mail trains and at postoffices. Drivers
OF mail trucks and mail clerks were
heavily armed, with instructions to
shoot when necessary. Also a $4,000
reward was offered for the capture of
mail bandit
Now the postal authorities wonder
if the situation in 1924 will become
serious enough to warrant use of the
marines again.
Bandits Are Clever.
In early days mail bandits relied
upon a show of arms and luck in
making their hauls. Often they held
up trains and obtained virtually no
loot But a new order has come to
pass The bandits are clever, working
in a scientific method They are sure
when they rob train that they will
find spoils, that they are sufficient in
number to take the entire train, that
none of their plans will go aniss.
The automobile, and even the air
plane, has been added to the bandits
kit of tools. Speed-that is the ave-
nue. of escape that the bandit has
ready for him. He relies upon it to
take him out of the reach of the law
and enable him. to dispose of his loot
before news of his banditry is made
known
Although there have been num-
Der of robberies this year the biggest
of them all occurred at Roundout,
near Chicago when ten men robbed
mail train, using gas bombs to COM
pei mail guards to surrender and open
the locked doors of the cars. The loot
obtained in that robbery was worth
nearly $3,000000.
Ten men have been indicted for the
robbery-1but not half of the loot has
been recovered That is the expensive
part of mail robberies-the bandits
may be captured, but only luck leads
to the finding of the biggest part of
the loot. The bandit will not tell
where it is hidden, for he hopes to
use it when he wins his freedom, eth
er in court or after serving a prison
term
Two Bandits Free.
Another thing is worrying postal
authorities not a little Gerald Chap
man and Dutch Anderson, who en-
gineered the $l,500000 mail robbery
in New York city in October, 1921,
are free. Sent to prison for long
terms, the two bandits escaped and
have not been captured.
When these two men will return to.
their old habits and perhaps lead a
gang of desperate bandits in new SEN
sational holdupS no one knows.
This year already has long list of
mail robberies. In March bandits stole
registered mail valued at $l50,000
from a postoffice messenger at Chi
cago In May seven bandits stole mail
: valued at $4,000 at Indiana Harbor,
Ind In June ten men stole jewels
worth 100000 from mail truck at
New York city, Two days later the
II $3,000000 Chicago mail robbery oc-
Cured
The 100000 robbery at New York
city occurred within rs feet of traffic
policeman. but the bandits used two
Ihigh-powered cars worked swiftly and
with drawn pistols, and fled down the
street in their machines as the alarm
was being sounded. In the big Chica-
go robbery the bandits fled from the
scene in four automobiles.
Must Guard the Mails.
Guarding the mail entrusted to it is
one of the duties of the United States
government; duty which is becom-
ing more difficult each year Uncle
Sam must fight battle of wits, for
the uneducated, ignorant bandit has
almost faded out of sight. In his place
stands cunning, well educated GRIM
ina1 who goes about his unlawful bus
mess in a cold, calculating manner.
Like checker player, he anticipates
the moves of his foes-the authorities
and plans tricks to keep a jump
ahead of them.
The same bandit who with gun
in his hand will rob a mail car with
out help is not so bold. experience
has demonstrated. when he knows
that his defiance will meet a courage
that is backed by the law He will not
Ilbe so eager to rob the mails if ne
knows that men with shoot if neces-