Evening star., 1928-12-13

sary to the proper ''racketeering" Of
an industry
Fifteen thousand employers and en-
ployes have been banded into a gigantic
racket. The result has been that the
prices of cleaning and pressing have
advanced 100 per cent.
Like their fellow racketeers in the
vice, booze and gambling world, these
racketeers have Quarrels among them
selves growing out of greed for money
and power Murder has been done to
preserve the spoils of racket. Chief
among the killings was that OF Big
Tim" Murphy, most colorful OF Chi
cagos hoodlumS.
Murphy had served as page in
Congress. had been a member of the
State Legislature, had been labor or
ganizer and a powerful union chief, had
been accused more than once of mur-
der and had finally gone to Leaven-
worth Penitentiary when he was found
guilty of being the guiding spirit in
S425 900 mail robbery at Dearborn Sta
ton, Chicago.
Murphy Decides to Enter.
After his release from prison, Muir
phy had tried one scheme after an
other. but with little success. Seeing
the huge sums the racketeers in the
cleaning and dyeing industry possessed,
| convict, decided to muscle in.'
They corralled the leaders OF the
cleaning and dyeing racket in West
Side meeting place, showed guns at
them and announced that Murphy and
! Schaffner would henceforth issue the
orders in the racket In the face OF
! the guns, the racketeerS agreed ana the
meeting broke up.
Several days after, they sought to
make peace with Murphy, to buy him
off Murphy insolently refused.
Two weeks passed. One night Muir
ply was sitting in his bungalow when
| the doorbell rang, He went to the
door. No one was there. Puzzled, he
walked down to the sidewalk and stood
peering into the darkness.
An automobile zoomed into the curb
with a squeal of brakes. From 1t came
| the fash and crack of four pistols.
! Murphy Sagged to the sidewalk, bull
| let through his heart.
Never Found Slaycrs.
The police began desultory hunt for
/ Murphy's killers. Walker and his aids
/ gave them the information they had
| gathered about Murphy's attempt to
lIluSGle III W bAlC SACoAAlAlE uiAO 0JChAo
racket, but the police haven't yet found
! the men who killed Murphy.
Since the Murphy killing and the
entrance Of "Scarface al" Capone into
/ the cleaning and dyeing business. these
| racketeers, have been quiet, but the
high prices continue. AS result, many
! Chicagoans are sending their garments
| out OF the city, being able to get their
work done far cheaper, even with the
cost of parcel post added. This is an
example of the sums lost to Chicago
business men because OF the racket
| eerS.
Walkers plan for a cleanup is, a
concerted attack by States Attorney
Swanson and United States District
| Attorney Johnson on both booze gang
sters and business racketeers. holding
that the business racketeers cannot be
put out of business as long as recruits
may be drawn from the ranks of the
beer hoodlun1.
Plans for this concerted attack are
now being discussed. Chicago seems in
a fair way to continue its house-clean-
ing program. 1t has started by ousting
its crooked politicians. The underworld
is now due for attention, and all indi-
cations are it will get it and that Chi
/ cago will 'once more gain reputation
for law and order.
(Copyright, 1923. by North American News
- ~ paper Alliance. y 49,. .~, 49,