Evening star., 1926-08-17
CANTON is SHAMED INTO ACTION
MONTH AFTER MELLETT MURDER

the Canton underworld before he MAJ
open his establishment.
\ city detective, still on the force
was the butt of jokes recently from
his comrades in arms on the force.
The joke was that he peddled cologne
and perfume among the ladies of easy
virtue in Cantons underworld: that
! he peddled his perfume while making
his rounds rs policeman and that
the ladies of the evening bought his
wares by request.
Situated on fine roads between
Cleveland and Pittsburgh, trucks are
said to thunder into Canton filled with
liquor, or it is brought down from the
lakes, not many miles away. Ugly
stories are heard that city detectives
and policemen have piloted the trucks
safely through the town. Arrests are
made. seizures reported. but they are
done apparently to appease content
ed but ignorant public.
Picked Police as Pivot.
Such was the situation faced by
Mellett. a crusading newspaper man
With a definite object. His object was
TO get rid of the police officials whom
he believed were responsible for the
condition. Last January he greeted
hearty and well wishing slap on the
back. and he pledged them the help
of his newspaper. But law enforce
ment, he said in an editorial, was an
outstanding problem before the city.
THE laws have not been enforced,
he wrote. That is the liquor laws.
the gambling laws and the house of
prostitution laws. Spasmodic enorts
have been made. but only the surface
scratched. Who is to blame? Pri'
marily the chief of police and the men
under him who are being paid to pro-
tect the city against the vices Whlch
now are damning Canton.
A few days later, in the same month";
he charged openly that vice was
rampant in Canton, and he demanded
that the chief of police get out. Samuel
A. Swarts. the mayor. ana Eafl a.
Hexamer. director of safety. were with
Mellett. Responding to his edltorla |
attacks they removed S. A. Lengel.
chief of police. Lengel appealed his
case to the city Civil Service Commits
sion however. and after hearing
the civil Service Commission rein
stated him.
Appeal Denied by Courts.
An appeal by the mayor from this
reinstatement was denied by the
courts and the State attorney genera. l.
Mellets editorials became more vltrl-
olic. They called men by names. But
the town took the campaign as a CIR
culation game. He's just a not
headed newspaper man, sdlu 'h0
town.
Commenting on a declaration or the
chief of poIice that he would not al
low gambling at a certain race track.
Mellett declared the News Is not
and never has been interested greatly
in what has gone on openly In the
wav of betting. The public can see
and deal with that. Rather the News
has been interested in the granting or
protection or what amounts to protec-
tion to those forces active IN operat-
ing under cover in violation OF law.
Two days before his death Mellett
wrote an editorial commenting on
the suspension of Sergt. Jiggs Wise
bv the chief of police for alleged
drunkenness. The editorial pointed
out that Wise had been active In his
enforcement Of the law, and intimated
that this was the real reason for his
suspension. Today Wise is referred
to by newspaper reporters as one OF
two honest policemen on the force.
Received Anonymous Warning.
Mellett had received warning by
ANONYMOUS letter and by telephone
that he was going to be bumped off. "
and a little after midnight Of July
Is he was shot from ambush as he
was putting his car in the garage of
his home.
The significant thing about his cam
paign was that while it hit the under
world through the police: while the
campaign deplored the underworld, it
deplored still more its alleged con-
nection with the police department.
The campaign may have been waged
against the underworld without the re-
sulting tragedy, had it left unsaid the
charge against the police. Without
police protection the underworld
could not thrive. If protection was re-
moved, the underworld would be
killed Best kill Mellett. 1t was
done.