The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-03-25
THE CRIME TRUST: FOURTH OF SERIES BY ALEXANDER JAMIE
Murder Wave Launched Secret Six
City Awakes
To Menace
Of Gangs
Nv ALExANDER JAMIE

BY ALEXANDER Jamie
Director OF the "Secret Six" of the
Chicago Association OF Commerce
Written Especially for NEA Ser.
vice and The Democracy
Americas big cities must curb
racketeering.
II we don't stop this weedy
growth that is now fiourishing a.
round the roots of our CONNER
cial system, business in general
will some day be in the hands Of
organized hoodlums just as certain
lines of business are already in
their hands at the present time.
Rocketeering--by which honest
merchants are intimated into pay
ing bounty to criminal organiza-
lions by threats Of bombing and
the like--is growing.
True, some Of the little rackets
are fading out Of the picture as
the result Of the depression, but
the real honest big
shot rackets are still thriving.
I hesitate to estimate the toll
they are collecting, because It
would be only a guess. But I am
sure that Il runs into box car fig-
ures.
There are many ways by which
criminals force honest merchants
to "join" their fake associations"
and pay the protection money
that goes with this. Bombing Of
a business Establishment is only
one way. Fires are started, acid
and dyes are thrown on valuable
stocks, machinery Is damaged,
strikes are engineered and sabo-
tage practiced In many other
ways.
AUTOS RUINED.
In Chicago, truck owners who
did not pay tribute to the gang
have found their radiators gashed
with an AK. Others have had
their motors ruined by someone
secretly putting shellac, instead Of
oil. In the engine.
the labor unions. believe that
certain Of the labor unions that
are now suffering most from this
evil will eventually be destroyed IT,
the honest members of these
unions do not take steps to pro-
tect themselves, and their organi-
zation, by kicking out the crooks
now In control.
My opinion Is that the average
union labor man does not want
that kind Of leadership. and yet
in many cases these racketeer In.
bor leaders have fastened them
selves In positions of power where
they cling like leeches. Such mea
are the gravest menace to the sue
Gees and growth OF union labor In
America.
Of course, all union have not
suffered from this racket. Most
Of them have been able to keep
their organization clean Of hood
lum domination. These labor
unions should protect what they
now have; the others should clean
house.
but the newest IL In the interstate
trucking business. II was demand
ed that truck shipments be deliv-
cred TO q terminal in Chicago, and
not delivered direct to the con-
Hgnee, The success OF such a
move would cost shippers and
merchants millions of dollars
yearly--and needlessly.
SECRET SIX FORMED.
The Secret Six was formed by
inc SnlCdkO abooSiasiVu va
meYce to aid the authorities In
combating organised crime of all
kinds, and many racketeering
cases have been Investigated by
our organization. Such matters
are handled by trained men In one
of our several departments and
their work has been of great benc-
AZ in combating this form of ex-
tortion.
Going back a little into the his
tory of the Secret Six, ! should
explain that the idea for the Or
ganization really had Its birth In
the machine gun massacre OF sew.
en- anti-Capone gangsters on st
Valentines Day, 1929. That crime
shocked the city and emphasized
to business leaders that something
must be done for the improve
ment Of law and order In Chicago.
Law abiding Chicago citizens
had become accustomed to seeing
organized criminals thrive and
. eyince unprecedented prosperity,
had watched them collide with
dishonest officials and mock hon
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