The Washington times., 1927-12-01

Lhlet or Ponce sMlCnaek Hughe1,s
following the attempted assassina.
tion Of his chief OF detectives IN the
latter's office, issued the most
drastic order ever given Chicago DO.
Iicemen:
'shoot to XIII ana argue after.
ward"
Within II hours police guns
barked and Frank Herbert, gangster
lieutenant Of "PoIack joe Salts.
paid with his life.
aGambling ana vice are ike oil
and water-they don't mix, was the
Information conveyed by the in.
former. Chief Hughes has been
fighting vice for rs years, When he
became chief his first orders were to
clean up the dives. But in the new
political regime there were gamblers,
b0otleggers and even vice promoters
who gained foothold in their indi-
viduaI districts.
GangIand History
The history of Chicago gangland
dates back to the days when Dion
OsBannion was killed because he
split with Johnny Torrio, car OF the
old South Side vice ring. ''Scarface
AL" Capone was operating the -Four
Deuces' near Twenty-second Street,
combining a saloon with a disorderly
house.
''Well, O'Bannion's men vowed
vengeance against the Torrio gang.
TWenty.six men were killed in the
1eud which followed. Al truce was
then declared.
1T was agreed that Madison
Street (nain artery dividing the
North and South sides Of Chicago)
would mark off the territory of the
two factions.
Capone and his. ring were to be
supreme south Of Madison Street
from the lake to the city limits.
North Of Madison the old O'Bannion
gang and their allies were to operate.
Barney Bertsche,. for many years
q ruler in Chicago underworld af-
fairs. but out of the picture for
the last four years. came back in
control. He was to be director of
things on the north side. With
him was Billy Skidmore, repre-.
genting the West Side and the loop.
and Bugs Moran, Frank and Vinny
Greenberg and couple of others.
The North Side group scrupul-
Ously avoided any combination that
permitted operation of dens Of vice.
Not so with the old Capone group.
Vice in the days of Torrio and Jim
Colosimo, had been their biggest
money bet and they refused to
eliminate it.
Things came to a head last June.
There was one meeting in a loop
hotel where there might have been.
bloodshed and the opening of the
war had not cooler counsel pre-
vailed.
''Capone and his gang had two
dog tracks operating on the West
Side ana Barney Bertsche and his
mob had one on the North Side.
The old gangland system of
crosses and double-crosses began.
Capone men began to tip off the
police to North Side joints. The
North Side men retailiated by dis
closing Capone places. Then the
bombings started followed by shoot
ings.
Half dozen attempts to get
the faction together to patch up
the difficulties failed.
Then they tried to ambush and
kin Tony Lombardo the otner day.
He's head OF the Unione Siciliano
end a friend of Ay Capone. They
found out the plot in time. however.
and then the fireworks started.
Police Work Hard
'The police are doing their best
but what the hell can they do in a
private business like thar?
THE day Capone and Chief of
Detectives O'Connor sat together in
the chiefs office and faced Angelo
Ia Mantia was a quite a little meet
ing. La Mantia had boasted it was
he who had placed the ambushed