Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-22
Chicago Crime Laboratory
Has Big Case as Task
BY OLIVER SHERWOOD.

CHICAGO, December 2l.-For its
first task the Chicago Crime Labora-
tory, aff1liated with Northwestern Uni
versity, has put itself on the trail OF
the most desperate and murderous
gang of criminals now operating in the
country
The laboratory, just starting to func-
ton, is seeking to establish whether
machine guns found in the st. Joseph
Mich, home of the notorious Fred
Burke are the same guns that perfo-
rated the bodies of the seven Moran
gangSterS, slain in Chicagos Valentine
day massacre. Preliminary examina-
tons indicate that they are. Now the
laboratory's department of ballistics
will decide definitely.
Chicago has had its suspicious about
responsibility for that affair ever since
it happened, but up to the present
1t has no evidence OF consequence.
Only recently Jack McGurn. chief ma
chine gunner for the Capone gang dur
ing its time of power was freed from
charges growing out of that wholesale
killing. The town still Is interested,
and would not be surprised to learn
that Burke and his gang of deSperadoeS
extraordinary had committed the crime.
4 II
This killer came back into the lime
light this week when he was alleged
to have killed in cold blood a police
man in st. Joseph. Mich, who sought
to question him about a minor traffic
accident. AS result Of this killing
police found $4,000 In stolen bonds
in Burke'S home in addition to q reg
ular arsenal of weapons.
1t then came to light that this man
was directing an outfit that made the
- (s,,N Ny1.
days look almost like pikerS.
Detroit wants him for killing two
men in machine-gun encounter dur
ing 1927. That city also claims that
Burke and his confederateS were re-
sponSible for four kidnapingS that net
ted them 5000, 900 in ransom.
There Is a 100000 mail robbery in
Toledo charged up to him, in addition
to a 100000 bank robbery in Cadillac,
Mich, and q $4,000 bank robbery in
Peru. Ind. Much OF the recovered
loot was taken from the bank at Jeffer-
son, Wis, during q recent hold-up.
The Valentine day massacre in Chi
cago would have climaxed the activ-
tiles OF this group, which numbers
among its members some Of the most
desperate of the former Egan's rats
Of st. Louis, and some Of Chicago's
toughest.
Rewards totaling over $4,000 for
Burke. dead or alive, are squirting de-
tectives to an intense hunt for him.
Once he is cornered, a battle without
quarter is expected.
The record Of this man and his gang
is so notorious that the Chicago crime
laboratory is particularly interested in
tracing the history of the guns they
have used in their depredations. The
Valentine day massacre was featured
by the use of machine guns, pistols and
sawed-off shotguns.
Maj. Calvin Goddard. who Is working
on the problem, says that the labora-
tory just being set into motion will be
one of the finest in America, and will
be comparable to the crime laboratories
in Germany.
"I will be in charge Of and person.
ally supervise the ballistics," Maj. God
dard said. There will be q general
chemist who will also be assistant direc-
tor of the laboratory. He will handle
the examination Of blood spots, inks in
the matter Of forgery, poison. etc, There
also will be an assistant chemist, an
expert photographer and the regular
laboratories clerical force.
There will be an outside stan Of ex-
perts who can be called in on occasion
to handle such matters as handwriting,
pathology, toxicology, microphotog-
raphy and anatomy We viii be able
to handle and help identify such vary
ing traces as tireprints, flngerprints,
footprints. in fact, the least trace left
by the criminal"
This work will dovetail with that be-
ing carried on at the University Of Chi
cago by Chief August Vollmer, former
head of the police department at Berk-
eley. Calf. and famed for his scientific
police cork.
GCopyEisht. 1oaoA