The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-19
GRIM DRAMA
TRAILS GANG
FIRING SQUAD
Pen of a Maurine Watkins
Needed to Relate FoniCaI
Beer Massacre SequeIS.
'PoLACK JOE GOES FREE
And Aldermen Welcome
Back City Dad Convicted
as Booze Baron.
BY EARL J. JOHNSON.

By EARL j. JOHNSON.
United Press staff Correspondent
CHICAGO, Feb. 19.-Chicago to-
day was staging one of the most in
tense of its ironical dramas, COM
mon here since the profits of beer
touched off the bloodiest gang war
in the history of any American city.
New material for a Maurine Wat
Eins or a Bartlett Cormaca. authors
of plays dealing with the laws fall
ure to cope with the Chicago under
world, was being produced with
amazing rapidity.
Probably the most ironical of the
developments was the police depart
;nent's search within its own ranks
for the firing squad which moved
down seven members Of the Bug
Moran beer running gang with ma
chine guns last week against the
brisk wall of a north side garage.
Failing to find the mass murder
ers in any of the thousands of
speak -easies and beer flats which
have been closed since the mas
sacre, William Russell, police COM
missioner, called for all detectives
and their squad cars to question
the former and examine the latter
on the theory that policemen them
selves may have taken part in the
crime.
The Case of Joe Saltes
One report of the massacre said
two of the killers were in police
uniform and that they rode in a de-
tective bureau squad car equipped
with gong.
Russell also sent to Florida for
John Siege, his deputy commissioner
in charge of detectives, who was
Vacationing not far from the Palm
island estate Of Scarface Al Capone,
when the gang massacre occurred
here. He ordered Siege to take the
first train back to Chicago to as
sumo charge of the gang inquiry
The scene shifts now to the
Bridewell where ''Polack Joe" Salts,
cock of the south side beer walk
and to whom some of the city's most
brutal gang murders are attributed,
Is Just completing a sixty-day SEN
tence for carrying a concealed
weapon.
At 7:30 a. m. two squad cars drove
up in front of the prison. Joe, oc-
cupying front cell in an upper
story window spies the car. He
throws open the window and calls
out:
Hey, you! What the hell do you
want me for noW?"
I'VE don't want you, Joe. We're
here to protect you" calls back the
driver of the first car.
Welcome Home. Alderman
A few minutes later "Polack Joe"
walks out the door, blinking joyially
at the booming of photographers
flashlights. He is met by two of
his henchmen, surrounded by po-
licemen and escorted to his home.
ME for Florida" Joe tells the
newspaper men who push their way
through the ring of blue coats. "The
beer business amt worth while any,
more. I'm going down south and
get some sunshine
Thus, the man known as the most
dangerous character in the beer
war, has paid his penalty for the
only charge the law ever has pressed
against him successfully and he
goes on his way smiling broadly.
The next scene is the chamber OF
the city council. The aldermen are
meeting to consider a suggestion by
John A. Swanson, states attorney
that they offer reward of $25, 900
for the capture of the latest gang
killers, Several of the aldermen
walk over and shake hands with a
dark-eyed. carefully dressed alder
man sitting in center row.
Welcome back" says one.
Glad to see you,' says another.
The dark-eyed alderman is Titus
Haffa, froh the Forty-third ward.
He was convicted in federal court
recently as the head of $4,000, 600
liquor ring, sentenced to two years
in Leavenworth and fined $1,000.
And More Machine Guns
He has decided not to resign from
the council and not to have his
name taken off the ballot for re-
election until the appeals court has
decided whether his conviction was
valid.
His brother aldermen turn down
the states attorneys request for
funds out take no action to unseat
Haffa.
While those scenes are passing
across the Chicago stage, an under
manned police force spares two
squads and sends them to the west
side to hunt for two men in blue
sedan who pointed a machine gun
at a trifiic policeman.
The excitement attending the
gang massacre seems not TO have
discouraged the class of citizens who
roam the city streets armed with
machine guns,
Returns for Dinner Pail; Killed
Jr.fg.T