Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-18
.DETRO|T'S PURPLE
GANG IS CLEARED Of.
|. SEPTUPLE Staying
Discouraging Lack of Definite
Progress Reported at
Chicago.
EDUCATION BOARD HEAD
GIVES NEW INFORMATION
Further Testimony Heard That
Two of Killers Were
Dressed as Policemen.

By the Associated Press
CHICAGO, February l8.-The pur-
pie fades from the gang massacre pic
ture and the blue of police uniforms
again tints the canvas.
The States attorney Office expressed
itself today as satisfied that the purple
gang of Detroit had no important part
in last Thursdays septuple Staying. At
the same time investigators were given
further testimony that two of the slay-
ers were dressed as police officers.
There was a discouraging lack of
definite progress reported both by police
and by the States attorney. In the
four days since the seven members of
the George (Bugs) Moran gang were
lined against brick wall and slain
there has been no arrest of single
suspect, it was pointsd out by David
Stansbury, in charge of the investiga-
ton for the States attorney
H. Bruce Caldwell, president of the
Board of Education, volunteered new
information last night which acceler-
ated the investigation. Caldwell told Of
seeing an automobile which he thought
at the time was police squad car.
The machine ran through red light
few blocks north of the garage in
which the murders were committed.
Two Wore Uniforms.
Caldwell fixed the time of the Incl
dent as a few minutes before the slay-
ings took place. Two men in the car,
he said, wore police uniforms, and there
were three others in civilian clothes
also in the machine.
One of the men had tooth out in
front, he said.
The car had a slight collision with
a truck shortly after it passed him,
Caldwell related, corroborating the ac-
count of truck driver who earlier had
reported that his truck was grazed by
the machine
1t had been an accepted theory with
investigators that the GueSenbergs,
Frank and Phil, who we're among those
killed, would never have lined up with
their faces to the wall unless they had
believed the men who invaded the
garage were not dangerous If the Gus
enbergs and their companions had rec
ognized the invaders as policemen, or
had reason to believe them policemen,
they would have been willing to turn
their backs to the guns, as they did,
and stand a search" detectives said.
Dan McGurn, who learned about ma
chine guns in the war, is being sought
for questioning McGurn, himself the
&oYo nf nrrQCfnnS
is a leader in the AL Capone crowd
which police point to as the leading
rival of the Bugs Moran gang for con-
troll of Chicago's liquor and beer busi-
ness.
Divergent Statements.
There were divergent statements con-
corning the early effect of the police
crusade to dry up Chicago. Many
saloons were reported operating as us
ual over the week end, despite extra
police efforts In response to the demand
of States Attorney John A. Swanson
that the lid be clamped tight and kept
tight.
About 400 arrests were made in over
Sunday raids, but no big guns" of the
gang register were among those taken
The Herald and Examiner published
an account of a long distance telephone
interview with AL Capone. who is al
Miami Beach, Fla. The newspaper
quoted Capone as saying:
'"That fellow Moran isn't called Bugs
for nothing. He's crazy If he thinks
had anything to do with that killing.
II don't know anything about that
shooting, and ! don't care. Every time
anything happens in that town I did
it. But I've got good alibi this time
I was lying on the beach when 1t hap
pened, getting sunburned."
Six of the massacred men were to be
buried today, but there were to be nc
such gaudy funerals as have been held
for other gangsters. The funerals were
to be held separately, except in the
case of the Gusenberg brothers.
There was speculation as to whether
Moran, who has kept out of sight since
the slayings, would attend one or more
of the funerals.
In contrast with the $4,000 and $10,-
600 coffins which have been provided
for some of the gang leaders of other
years, police learned that one of the
massacre victims, DR.. r. H. Schwimmer
was to be buried in $75 casket, and
that the funeral services for the others
had been modestly arranged