Evening star., 1931-06-17
Success Against Capone
Spurs Hope of Victory in
Other Communities.
JUSTICE AND TREASURY
AGENTS TO LEAD PROBES
Additional Cities Expected Later
to Be Visited After Gotham
Investigations End.
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press.
Federal officials, spurred by a victory
over Alphone (Scarface AID Capone, in
dicated definitely today they looked to-
ward New York as the next major OBJ
jective in their drive against the high
er-ups of gangster crime.
From the Justice Department came
word that Federal agents, under orders
from Washington, already are engaged
In quiet investigation there.
simultaneously indication was given
at the Treasury that an augmented
force from the intelligence division Of
the Internal Revenue Bureau-armed
with the power to peer into bank ac-
counts-will lend its strength in this
section.
Although officials steadfastly refused
| to BE- quoted, it was not denied that
some of the scores Of agents who spent
months in weaving piece by piece the
fabric of charges to which Capone
pleaded guilty in Chicago yesterday
would transfer their activities to New
York.
Other Cities Selected.
Prohibition Director Woodcock al
ready has directed his force in the New
| York area to concentrate on the brains
behind the prohibition law violations.
He declared also for cooperation be-
tween the various Government enforce
ment branches.
Along with the Eastern metropolis,
authoritative indication has been given
that gangSter activities in Detroit,
will come in for some share Of Federal
attention. Whether any one of these
cities will see the elaborate, co-ordi-
mated set-up Of forces that featured
the drive against Capone could not be
learned.
In the general congratulatory air that
prevailed in the Justice and Treasury
Departments over the surrender of the
Chicago gang czar on charges of In
oficials were willing to talk privately.
| however. Of some Of the details OF the
case against him.
johnson. Wins Praise.
Much of the praise went to United
States District Attorney George e. @.
johnson, Whose office was the local
brain center Of the carefully mapped
campaign. There were congratulations
q.
sistant to the Attorney General, who
was sent from the Capital to act as
"co-ordinatcr" for the various Federal
forces, and for Eliot Ness, 28-year-old
University of Chicago graduate, who
was designated to lead the small force
Of special prohibition agents assigned
exclusively to investigate Capone.
One official attributed the success Of
the Governments case 70 a masterpiece
Of fitting together apparently insignih-
cant details.
Instance after instance was un-
covered, many of them apparently un-
related, in which the evidence would
not have been strong enough to secure
conviction" he said. "It was the
linking up and fitting together of these
small points that wove q net Capone
could not escape"
In accomplishing this end, It was
said, every point uncovered by the in
ternal revenue force was turned into a
common source and made available for
the prohibition agents, while they, to-
gether with the narcotic and the i'm
migration agents at work, turned over
all the data they obtained.
Large Force Used.
Between five and fifteen special
prohibition agents spent almost a year
in building up their case, while at times
force Of so internal revenue agents
was In the city.
In addition. one high official here
kept almost constantly in touch with
developments in Chicago and helped
direct, from his desk in the Justice
Department, the final closing Of the
case.
The methods followed in uncovering
Capone's widespread activities, officials
said, included every known means" {"
from investigating the bank accounts
of those suspected to tapping telephone
ances, and trailing individuals and
beer trucks.