Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-18
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO, June 1S CN.A.NA).-The
"untouchables" have accomplished their
mission.
Now, after writing a number of the
voluminous reports that are always so
necessary In Government business, six
prohibition enforcement men, headed
by Assistant Chief Special Agent Eliot
Ness, will go back to routine tasks
unless their superiors at Washington
give them more special jobs" on the
basis Of their original Chicago success.
Go out and actually prove that AL
Capone is at the head of this liquor
conspiracy" this special group of Fed
bers, most of them carrying on other
regular duties. proceeded quietly to re-
move the aura of immunity that had
been placed upon the dark brow of
"Scarface Al" Capone by his gangland
followers.
Presence Made Known.
It wasn't long before Chicago's hood
lum world became aware of the per-
sistently annoying activity of the seven
men. They began to be known among
the gangsters by extremely undignihed
and unprintable names.
But Agent Ness. now % years old
six years removed from his commence
ment day at the University Of Chicago
had studied history during his college
days. He also Is possessed of a sense
appellations employed to describe his
group had been used in the chaste his
tory of India to describe the "untouch-
ableS."
So "untouchables" it was. And now
that word has come to designate the
kind Of modern Government agent,
grown UP out of prohibition enforce
ment, who cannot be touched" by the
brides Of gangsters and liquor syndi-
Gates.
This little group Of men. headed by
with the ultimate purpose of showing
conclusively how a one-time Brooklynite
had conSpired ito commit offenSeS
against the peace and dignity Of the
United States"
Had Previous Experience.
All OF them comparatively youthful.
two or three of the "untouchable seven
already had had experience in the
Government service-some having hung
I'D enviable records in the intelligence
department of the Army, some in the
Internal Revenue Bureau, and some
having been with the prohibition forces
almost since the ratification Of the
eighteenth amendment.
But 1t was in the sweeping raid two
and a half years ago on the suburb
of Chicago Heights, haven for scores of
Capone "alky cookers" that Ness and
his men got their first taste Of practical
investigative work as a unit.
Before that time the chief OF the
group had capped a years post-college
experience as an insurance investigator
by entrance into the prohibition serv-
ice. He was assigned to the stan OF
2. c. Yellowley, then administrator for
the Chicago district.
Then came George Hard-boiled)
Golding to Chicago, and Ness was as
signed to his squad. Fortunately Ness
never took part in any of the high
handed forays that made Golding un-
popular. Golding was succeeded by Alex
Jamie, wartime intelligence operative,
who had gone into prohibition work,
and Ness became one Of JAMES most
trusted subordinates.
Finally came the transfer of the en-
forcement of prohibition from the
Treasury Department to the Depart
ment of Justice and w. E. Bennett be-
came chief Of the special agents. Ness
was made his assistant and in q few
months the special Capone assignment
was added to his duties.
The famous raid on the Chicago
Heights sector, strangely enough, also
was the opening wedge into the income
tax investigations that have been
pushed by United States District Attor-
ney George E. @. johnson.
The Government for the first time
found records in ''the Heights"
that showed the connection Of one Oil
yer Ellis with the, slot machine syndi-
cate in the suburb. Ellis was soon in
dicted for violation of the income tax
laws. It was also learned that in Chi
Cago Heights 100000 gallons Of alleged