Evening star., 1926-10-12
DEADLY GANG WAR
|. FLARES IN CHICAGO
Machine Gun Staying of Two
Means Fatal Reprisals, Po-
lice Apprehend.


CHICAGO. October 12.-Chicago's 8
deadliest gang battle-a war to ex-
termtnation-has opened between
two opulent bands of booze racketeers
for control Of the city liquor traffic.
That fearful sengine Of war, the
death-spewing finstchins gym, was, the
Sinister weapon employed by gang
sters, who moved down five men in
the shadow of Chicago's great Cath
Ole Cathedral of the Holy Name, on
North State street, late yesterday.
The murderous attack, more daring
than the assassination of Assistant
States Attorney McSwiggin. was ex-
pected to bring reprisal and counter
reprisal-the eternal vicious cycle
that all "alky" feuds go through
ut is another gang killing. No
one knows anything. No one wants
TO know anything. They aae afraid"
was the comment of an attache of the
States attorneys office. who ques-
toned witnesses at the scene Of the
slayings.
Two Gangsters Killed.
The victims in the newest and most
deadly of gangland's own method of
eliminating it's enemies We're Earl
"Hymie" Weiss, notorious gangster
and gunman, who at % had risen to
overlordship of a powerful city-wide
combine of booze runners, and Paddy
Murray, a lieutenant.
Both were killed almost instantly,
their bodies riddled by slugs, as ma
chine guns. splitting their deadly mes
sengers Of death from a rooming
house window, and an automobile
raked them with a whitening cross
fire Of lead.
The wounded were William w.
O'Brien, former assistant States at
torney, prominent criminal lawyer
and counsel for big Joe' Salts, ally
of Weiss, now on trial for murder;
Ben Jacobs, an investigator for
O'Brien, and Sam Peller, henchman
and bodyguard of Weiss.
The men went down under the muir
derouS stream apparently a moment
after they had left the modest florist
shop of William Schofield, across
State street from the Cathedral, and
believed by police to be the head
quarters of the Salts defense forces.
1t was in this shop, two years ago,
that Dean O'Banion, ace Of Chicago
alcohol purveyors, was slain by three
gunmen amidst his roses and chrysan-
themums.
O'Brien Hit Seven Times.
Attorney O'Rrien had just come
from the Criminal Courts Buildings, a
few blocks away, where a jury had
been completed to try Salts. O'Brien,
struck by seven bullets, but declared
out of danger, denied that the florist
shop was rendezvous Of Salts work
ers. but police found q list Of all men
called for jury service in Weiss
pockets, while a safe in Schofleld's
office yielded a list Of State witnesses
who are to testify against Salts AL
though the usual silence Of gangland
prevailed after the shooting, the police
versed in the lore of the underworld,
say the attack was the apogee of a
long guerrilla warfare between two
cliques OF gunmen and beer runners.
They believed the shooting was the
direct result of the failure Of a re-
cent peace parley" between hench-
men of "Scarface Az Capone, king
pin of Cicero vicelands, and Weiss.
information in the hands Of authori-
ties. when Weiss demanded that Ca
pone offer for assassination the two
men who had tried to kill his partner,
Vincent "Schemer" Drucci, on Michi-
gan avenue, several weeks ago. The
demand was rejected, and the war
was on.
Cropping back into the past, the au-
thorities saw the O'Banion Staying
as the genesis of a series Of reprisals
and counter-reprisals, eliminating in
the latest assault. Weiss was a faith
full lieutenant of the florist gangster.
The Capone-Johnny Torrio band was
blamed for the shooting. Later Tor
rio was shot down, but not killed. and
this was called reprisal by O'Ban-
ions followers.
Then two months ago came the at
tempt to kill Drucci, partner Of Weiss
In the leadership Of the O'Banion
gang-blamed on the Capone faction.
A counter-blow by the Weiss-DrucM