The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-07-11
Mothers of Do0ned Trio Plead
in Vain With WidOw of Victim
Gunner Will Hang July rs
Unless Woman HeedS
Mercy Pleas.

Oh La GtTbiCb
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, July IL
Three men will go to their deaths
on the gallows in a triple hanging
here July Is because the woman
who was made a widow and whose
four children were orphaned by
their bullets refuses to say the
word that might ave them.
With the wholesale execution,
Kansas City will have settled its
account with the bandits who COM
mitted a particularly sensational
bank robbery and old-blooded muir
der while The Republican national
convention was ir session here in
1928.
And the death of Policeman J..
H. CHappy) Smith, n of Kan
sas City's most popular traffic OH
GERS, will have been avenged.
Widow Is Adamant
The woman whose silence, despite
fearful pleas of relatives, has sealed
their doom is Happy Smiths
widow. If she should ask ti9at their
lives be spared they might have a
chance. If she does not, they have
no chance. She insists that she will
not move to save them.
AS the day of execution nears, po-
lice have placed a guard at Mrs.
Smiths home, for friends and rela-
tives of the bandits have put severe
pressure on her in a futile effort to
win communication of the death SEN
fences.
Meanwhile, the three condemned
men-Carl Nasello, Tony M~angiara-
Gina and John Messino-are under
heavy guard at the county jail where
machine guns have been mounted to
thwart any possible attempt to res
cue them.
Mothers Plead for Lives
Several times the mothers of the
condemned men have gone to Mrs.
Smiths home with other women
who identified themselves as mission
workers. On each occasion, after
pleading with Mrs. Smith, the Wis
itors would fall on their knees.
One of the mission workers would
say, Let us pray" and the visitors
would offer a prayer asking that
God move the widows heart so that
she would intercede for the muir
derers.
Mrs. Smith and her orphaned
1lsJJ.o.. xr-@,,HI c4o I'D u-Sfh hOyrrnd
heads while the visitors prayed; and
each time, when the prayer was
finished, Mrs. Smith would say:
IT am sorry for you. 1t is ter
rible for any mother to know her
son is to be hanged. But I could
not interfere even though I wished
to-"
Home Is Guarded
Now, the city is guarding the
widows home and the bandits rel
atives and friends are not permitted
to enter.
Another object of attention on
the part of the slayers' relatives
has been the home of Smiths IA
ther and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Ro-
ney Smith, who live on a farm 100
miles from Kansas City. Several
times the mothers and friends have
made trips there.
Guards are protecting the police
mans parents, like his widow, from
further visits.
The murder of Patrolman Smith
stirred Kansas City as few other
crimes have. A motor car full OF
gunner drove up to the Home Trust
Company, near Convention hall. Two
gunner, with Shotguns, stationed
themselves at the entrance; three
others went inside with drawn re-
volvers and forced clerks to give
them $4,000 in cash.
Officer Shot Down
The gang then jumped into a
a and sped away, exchanging
shots with policemen and severely
wounding a 13-year-old girl.
Half a block away stood Pa
trolman Smith, on traffic duty.
Hearing the shots, he waited for
the bandit car and ordered it to
stop.
They shot him dead and sped on,
their car knocking his semaphore
over.