The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-03-05

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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.
L MBOLDENED by their success,
- 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 now 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
$150,000 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 a 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
to-do 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 at least
half 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
job on Long Island
In Chicago, during the last two
years, it is believed that at least
400 kidnapings have taken place.
Some 800 have taken place in and
around New York.
In the country as whole, 1t is
believed that fully 1000 kidnapingS
have been committed by organized
gangs since the beginning of 1890.
New York, oddly enough, has not
been aneffectively 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 q crew that Specializes
in kidnapping the children Of east
side Italians and extracting pay
ment from the parents on the in
stallment plan.
DUT the New York gangSters are
ID 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 Schultz's 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.
1t 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
a federal offenSe punishable by
death or life Imprisonment.
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"
Congressman Summers believes
the death penalty should be pro-
vided for kidnapping. Senator George
w. Norris of Nebraska, chairman
of the senate judiciary committee
which is considering the Patterson
bill, is not so sure.
1T is probable" he says, that
certainty of the death penalty
would cause some kidnaperS to kill
their victims in order to destroy
the witness.
But criminals must be adequately
punished as protection to society,
and some crimes are so inhuman
that proper punishment is hard TO
conceive"
Next-How the kidnap ring
forks in Detroit and Chicago.