Evening star., 1926-04-29
Staying Of THREE
LAID TO BEER WAR
McSwiggin Death Held Incl
dental to Gangsters' Plan
to Get Doherty.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, April 29.-The beer
racket, today had supplanted all other
theories as supplying the motive be-
hind the latest triple Staying by ma
chine gun gangsters, with the death of
william II. McSwiggin, hanging
prosecutor" of the States attorney
staff, regarded as incidental to the
slcohol war.
~ut the death Of the youthful
prosecuting 'ace," who with James J..
Doherty and Thomas Duffy fell before
a nurderous fusillade of bullets in
Cicero Tuesday night, brought one OF
the most energetic campaigns against
gangsters ever waged in Cook County.
Almost every scrap Of information
In the hands of the police pointed
to the fact that the killing Of Doherty
was long planned by rival "alky" and
beer purveyors from whom Doherty
was wrestling control Of business in
Cicero and that McSwiggin and Duffy
were killed merely because they hap
pened to be in Doherty's company
when the machine gunners pumped
100 bullets into Doherty's automobile.
Gun Sale Will Be Traced.
The machine gun, a type designed
for police use, and capable of firing
1900 bullets q. minute, offered one OF
the best available clews to the slay-
ers, as police raided hundreds OF
places In Cook County in search for
Dohertys rivals. 1t was believed that
the sale of the weapon could be traced,
after authorities had questioned a
salesman for a hardware store VINO
recently had disposed OF a similar
gun.
seeking evidence for the triai OF MAI
tin Durkiu was abandoned, likewise
that he was slain in revenge for his
activity as prosecutor; he was
friendly with Doherty and Duffy. ana
their presence together was merely
social.
campaign against gangsters and
their resorts was In progress all
night. There was a great scurrylng
of the beer bosses and the Alky
chiefs and the gamblers.
One Weapon Traced.
One such weapon was traced to the
store of Alex v. Korecek. He SAID
he had bought It on an order from
TWO men whom he didn't know. An
all-night grilling failed to wrest any
different Information from him..
His place Of business Is In the nears
of the valley" where at least ~
murders due to beer runners rivalry
have heen committed. He was unable
To nick out the pictures of his Gus
TONER'S from portraits at the Bureau
Of Indentification.
All law enforcement agencies or tne
city and county have been enlisted
in the search, but after hours OF m
vestigation not single clue to the
identity of the actual slayers had been
found. Numerous raids resulted in
ono arrests and the seizure OF many
arms and much ammunition.
Gang Leaders Sought.
In line with the beer war theory,
the police particularly are seeking al
Brown. alias "Scarface" Caponi, and
Johnny Torrio. leaders OF one known
Cicero bootleg band.
The underlying causes of the triple
Staying will be investigated today by
a coroner's jury of six prominent
business men and civic workers, en-
listed by Harry Eugene Kelly, presi-
dent of the Union League Club. Mr..
Kelly, in a statement, urged a. special
grand jury, with a special States at
torney, to :clean up the CITY," He
asserted States Attorney Robert =.
Groves hands ''are tied by politics, ;"
and declared citizens cannot expect
Mr.. Grove to prosecute the kind OF an
Investigation this city requires"
Coroner Gets Support.
Coroner Oscar Wolff is backed in
his investigation by the Union League
Club. the Association of Commerce
and the Chicago Crime Commission.
The coroner announced, I'VE are
going to the bottom of this situation,
and we shall not care who is hit by
what we find"
Mr.. Wolff, long at odds with Mr..
Grove, has retained former States
Attorney John j. Healy as his per-
sonal adviser.
Detectives yesterday were offered
the assistance OF Col. M. HI. Thomp-
SON, New York, manufacturer Of the
Thompson machine gun, who was in
Chicago. The names of all recent
Middle East purchasers of his guns
were furnished officers in the hope
that the one used to kill McSwiggin
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