The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-03-05
KIDNAP RACKET
/ is COLD MINE
| FOR GANCSTERS
Huge Profits Are Made With
Little Risk by Cars of
4 Organized Crime.
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@ASbAS blOdpo VI lldA OODcu OF
more took to preyinP on the
shadowy and wealthy big shots of
gangland
A big-time gambler would be
taken captive and held until he
could get his family or his associ-
ates to cough up anywhere from
$4,000 to $4,000
A head Of a vice syndicate would
be the victim in one city; in an
other, a race track luminary; in
another, a liquor distributor.
From city to city the racket
spread. 1t worked like a charm.
Almost without exception the kid
napers collected with a minimum
Of trouble. In most cases the po-
lice never even found out what was
happening.
Then began the development
which ought to relieve the ordinary
citizen forever of his comfortable
belief that gang wars don't really
matter because the gangsters only
shoot one another.
Il MBOLDENED by their success,
II the kidnapping rings started to
reach out for law-abiding citizens
men of money and position and of
absolute integrity.
In New York last summer Charles
M. Rosenthal, wealthy broker, was
} kidnapped and held prisoner for
eighteen days until $4,000 had
been paid for his release.
AS it happened, the police got the
four men who had seized him, and
all four row are in Sing Sing prison
serving siXty-year sentences.
Max Price, rich real estate man
in New Haven, Conn, was kidnapped
last spring and held until $4,000
ransom had been paid. His cap
tors could not be found.
In the west even more cases of
this kind are on record.
Mrs. Nell Donnelly, wealthy Kan
sas City woman, was kidnapped few
months ago and held for $4,000
ransom. She later was returned to
her home, and it has not been made
public whether the money was paid.
DR.. Isaac D. Kelly Of st. Louis
was kidnapped last year and held for
S150,000 ransom. He, too, was re-
leased after an undisclosed sum had
been paid.
Michael H. KatZ, wealthy Kansas
City business man, was another of
the kidnapers' victims year ago.
His freedom cost him 100000.
THOSE are just few citations
Il from the record of the last
year or two. They could be dupli-
Gated and reduplicated.
From New York to Denver, we'll
TODD people of the highest stand
ing have been seized by gang kid
napers in this newest and most
dangerous of all the underworld's
activities.
There are today highly organ
lied kidnapping gangs in a, least
half a dozen large American cities.
These gangs have working agree
ments with one another.
A man kidnapped in Detroit, for
example, can be sent to st. Louis
and kept in custody by gangsters
there; a New York gang can have
men come on from Chicago to pull
a job on Long Island.
In Chicago, during the last two
years, it is believed that at least
400 kidnapings have taken place.
Some 300 have taken place in and
around New York.
In the country as a whole, 1t is
believed that fully 1000 kidnapings
have been committed by organized
gangs since the beginning of 1880.
New York, oddly enough, has not
been as effectively organized by the
kidnapers as many middle-Western
cities have been. The racket there
is still largely in the hands of small
fry, the police say; one of its most
profitable subdivisions, for example,
is said to be a crew that specializes
in kidnapping the children of east
side Italians and extracting pay
ment from the parents on the in
stallment plan.
Tut the New York gangsters are
d learning. Shortly before he was
machine gunned, the notorious Vim
cent Coll was reported to have tried
to kidnap one of the lieutenants OF
Ownie Madden, generally credited
with being head of New York's big
gest liquor ring. 1t is rumored that
it was this exploit which led to
Coils murder.
Coll also is believed to have been
responsible for the kidnapping Of
Big French De Mango, one of
Dutch Schultzs beer-running mob.
De Manages release cost his gang
$4,000.
Legs Diamond, a small-time rack
eteer who got big-time publicity be-
fore he was shot down, also is said
to have taken part in kidnapping
ventures now and then.
It is because the modern kidnap-
ing racket stems directly out of the
whole highly organized underworld
framework that public officials
everywhere are growing so alarmed
over it.
In washington, bills have been
introduced by Senator Patterson
and Congressman Cochran of Mis-
souri,, to make interstate kidnapping
federal offenSe punishable by
death or life Imprisonment.
t.
CONGRESSMAN HATTON w.
~ SUMMERS of Texas, chairman
of the house judiciary committee
which is considering the Cochran
bill, makes the following point in
connection with kidnapping cases:
Passage of any federal law
should not divert public attention
from the fact that if communities
are going to let gangsterS and
criminals live in their midst those
criminals are going to commit
crimes in order to live"