The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-09-10
CRUSADER out
TO SMASH ALL
VICE IN 'PHILLY'
District Attorney Defies
Police and Gang Ring
to Clean Up City.
BY KENNETH WATSON
Times staff Correspondent

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 10. -
Philadelphia today entered the
fourth week of a spectacular crime
investigation with the feeling that
a fearless district attorney will sue
coed in a task which Brigadier Gen
eral Smedley Butler tried hard to
accomplish two years ago.
Failure of police to cooperate pre-
vented Butler from achieving his
aims, but it will not block the pres
ent vice crusader, District Attorney
John Monaghan, for, although
Monaghan openly is charging police
with laxity, he has the experience
of eleven years service as Common
Pleas judge to help him overcome
legal obstacles and the satisfaction
of being able to direct the prosecut-
ing machinery of huge county as
he chooses.
In addition, Monaghan has the
loyal cooperation of Federal Prohi-
bition Administrator Samuel G.
Wynne, former special county in
vestigator under Monaghan for
years. With such assistance, Mona
CHAN feels certain of success, even
though the police department fails
to turn over a single tip.
Detective Captain Out
Although no indictments have
been returned, Monaghan has
forced Mayor Harry Mackey to
suspend Detective Captain Charles
Beckman. The grand jury on Satur-
day reported that officer mot fit to
hold any Office under the municipal
Government"
1.-THE naming of Capt. Beckman
merely is the start" Monaghan said
today. 1--WE have been at this three
weeks and we ar only commencing
there will be those higher than
Beckman.
GAS far as I am concerned, if the
investigation requires, I am going
to call before the grand jury every
one of Philadelphia's 5000 police
men, from the safety director down
to the patro1men, to get to the bot
tom Of crime conditions"
Reports, which Monaghan Is seek
ing evidence to confirm, directly
link up a former high city official,
numerous influential politicians and
scores Of policemen with bootleg
liquor gangs, who have been flood
ing Philadelphia with whisky and
beer for years.
The former city official, now said
to be on the verge Of collapse, is re-
ported to have received 100000 as
a bride for protecting gangsters
from arrest.
Machine Guns Sold
Heads of the various bootleg rings
are all said to be Philadelphians,
but they are accused Of hiring out
of-town gunner to guard trucks
engaged in transporting liquor with
orders to shoot down" any one
who attempted to stop them.
So far Philadelphia has been i'm
mune from any of the machine gun
murders which have terrorized Chi
cago, but many such weapons
have been sold here, according to
information gathered by Monaghan
Edward S. Goldberg, proprietor
Of the Military Sales Co., has con-
fessed to the grand jury that he
sold scores of machine guns and
bullet-proof vests. He named BOO
Boo" Hoff, reputed millionaire
bootlegger, as the purchaser of three
of the machine guns and seven of
the vests.
Hoff, who until the current in
quiry was known to the public only
as a fight promoter, has been called
before the grand jury nine times,
but Monaghan refused to divulge
the nature Of his testimony.