New Britain herald., 1926-08-13

hospital gate of the penitentiary. He was hanged within a few yards of the spot where the guard was struck down.
 Death isn't such a hard proposi- tion after all. It's harder on my wife than on me-" Whittemore told Chaplain Charels s. Biggs when the latter visited him in his cell during the day before the execution.
 Mrs. Whittemore bore up bravely while in her husbands presence, but begged to be allowed to enter his cell for a last embrace He request could not be granted. She and Whit temore's father entered and left the penitentiary on a last visit through the same gate from which Whitte- more escaped eighteen months ago after fatally wounding the guard.
 The execution ended last hope less fight, instituted by G. L. Pendle- ton, Negro attorney, to save the gangster's life. Pendleton having failed Wednesday in an endeavor to have Judge Robert F. Stanton in city court sign writ of habeas corpus or writ of error, journeyed to Beverly Farms, Mass, to lay the case before United States Supreme court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes at his summer home. Justice Holmes, after an hours hearing, re- fused to sign the writ which would have halted execution pending an appeal to the supreme court. Gov ernor Ritchie already had denied reprieve or communication.
 When word was received that last hope had failed, Whittemore did not appear surprised. Its just what expected" he said. T tried to keep up show of courage about getting out of this, mostly for my wife's sake, but I knew all along that was booked for that rope. Well, I'm not afraid. It's in the game I guess
 Always A Bad Boy
 Although at outs with the law from the age of short trousers, Rich ard Reese Whittemore's criminal career left him cast in a petty role until, at the age of 25 and with moose dangling above his head, he crowded into the space of few months most of the highlights of fiction bandits life.
 He was comparatively little known gunman, with prison repu- tation for being hard" when, serv- ing term for burglary, he walked out of Maryland penitentiary on February 20, 1925, with the keys of a mortally wounded guard. Thirteen months later, when a New York po- lice nigh, patrol picked him up as a suspicious character after chase at guns points from the door of 8 night club, he was the active head of one of the casts most successful criminal organizations of recent years.
 Whittemore went to the gallows for staying the guard-Robert H. H Holtman--the first important act for his brief, spectacular career. Holt man, his skull crushed by an iron JdT, ujGu ISo SlihtI W AiiNNt- escaped. Whether Whittemore &C., tually was guilty of other murders laid by police at his door or that of his gang, may never be known.
 "Worked' Many Cities.
 Baltimore, New York, Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo were includ- ed in the Whittemore gangs scope of operations. Many lucrative hauls were made from New York jewelry The million dollar crime trust" so dubbed later by police because of the fabulous goal set, and reported nearly reached when the crime organization was shattered. revealed itself as an al- most entirely self-supporting crime init when police dug into its secrets. It had its own private "fences' for stolen goods and maintain sd its own channels of disposal, realizing a much higher profit on it's loot than is usually the case. The profits were apportioned among he gang members, the apportion- nent being made by Whittemore, who personally superintended it's operations. So successful had the gang's system been. that police at irst declined 10 make public the de- ails of a confession of Anthony Pal ,dfno, one of Whittemore's hench- nen. on the grounds that it set a example.
 Gangs Breakup Rapid
 The gangs breakup was rapid ! liter Whittemore and two com ,anions visited the Chantee night Tub In thes early morning of March | 2. last. He was trailed from the | ioor by a rowing patrol, forced from lis automobile several blocks away md taken to headquarters, where lis identity was established. The emainder of the gang were round- d up one by one, largely through police watch on Mrs. Margaret the bandit chiefs wife, vho was living with him in a down. own hotel.
 Paladino tipped off the system n his confession and ineriminated besides Whittemore. Leon and Jacob <raemer, brothers, Milton 'shuf- les" Goldberg and "Baltimore Will ie" Unkelbach as the chief mem ,ers of the gang Unkelbach, the ast to be arrested, was in Balti- nore while search for him was be- ng made in Cleveland, and might rave escaped had he nota adriSen in is automobile from Baltimore to Jew York to retrieve personal be-