The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-03-07
Abducting Syndicates in Differ
emit Cities Have Recipro-
city Agreements

city Agreements
This is the second of series of
four articles dealing with the kid
mapping crime in the United
States.
BY BRUCE CATION
Organized crime in America today
has turned kidnapping into one Of the
underworlds most profitable rackets.
Thereby, it has added frightening
new element to the progressive break
down Of law enforcement agencies
throughout the country.
The shock that Jared the entire
nation when the Lindbergh baby was
KIDNAPPED has served to focus atten-
ton on the fact that there are kid
mapping rings today, and that the law
abiding citizen has very little defense
against them.
| The modern kidnaper is just as
| much a specialist in his line as are
| the underworld booze runners, chop
pers," gambling kings and so on. And
the kidnaper has now arrived at the
point where he no longer hesitates
about going outside of the underworld
for his victi.ls.
Originally, kidnapping was strictly
a Acknowledgements racket-eX-
cept, of course, for sporadic cases in
which one or two men operated alone.
Gambling, booze and vice rackets
in the big cities grouped together large
numbers of paid gunmen-professlon
al hard guys" who were seldom both
cred by the police and who were con-
stantly ready for absolutely any crime
on the calendar.
1t occurred to these men, here and
there, after a time, that the very UNI
derworld figures who were hiring
them were shining targets for kid
napers.
These men could be trusted never
to squawk to the police. Besides,
most of them are arrant towards, and
it seemed a safe bet that if they were
abducted they would pay we'll for
their freedom.
CHOPPERS
So the chopper" professional
murderers-began to give 1t a trial.
In one city after another, little groups
of half dozen or more took to prey
ing 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 associates to cough
up anywhere from $4,000 to $4,000
A head of a vice syndicate would be
the victim in one city; In another, a
race track luminary; in another, a
! liquor distributor.
From city to city the racket spread
It worked like charm. Almost with
out exception the kidnapers collected
with minimum of trouble. In most
cases the police never even found out
what was happening.
Then began the development which
ought to relieve the ordinary either
forever of his comfortable belief tina;
gang wars don't really matter because
the gangsters only shoot each other
EXPANSION
Emboldened by their success, the
kidnapping rings started to reach GU
for law-abiding citizenS-men o.
money and position and Of absolute
Integrity. .=-....
In New York last summer Charles
I'M. Rosenthal, wealthy broker, wa
kidnapped and held prisoner for II
days, until $4,000 had been paid fol
his release. AS it happened, the po
lice got the four men who had selzet
him, and all four are now in Sing
Sing prison serving 6O-year sentences
Max Price. rich real estate mar
in New Haven, Conn, was KIDNAPPED
last spring and held until s25.00'
ransom had been paid. His captor'
could not be found.
In the west even more cases o
this kind are on record.
Mrs. Nell Donnelly, wealthy Kan
sas City woman, was kidnapped few
months ago and held for $4,000 ran
som. She later was returned to he
home, and it has not been made pub
lie whether or not the money wa.
paid.
4 DR.. Isaac D. Kelly of st. Louis wa
kidnapped last year. and held for Sl5o,
900 ransom. He, too, was released
after an undisclosed sum had beer
paid.
Michael H. Katz. wealthy Kansa
City business man. was another OF tn
kidnapers' victims year ago. HI
freedom cost him 100000.
Those are Just a few citations from
the record of the last year or two
They could be duplicated and redu
plicated. From New York to Denver
we'll o-do people Of the highes
standing have been seized by gam
kidnapers in this newest and mos
dangerous of all the underworld's &C
tivities.
TRADES
There are today highly organize
kidnapping gangs in at least half
dozen large American cities. Thes
gangs have working agreements wit
one another. A man kidnapped in De
, troit. for example. can be sent to S
) Louis and kept in custody by gang
. Sters there; a New York gang ca
, have men come on from Chicago
: pull job on Long Island.
5 In Chicago. during the last tw
years, it is believed that fully 400 kid
napings have taken place. Some &c
$ have taken place in and around Ne
e York. In the country as whole.
r is believed that fully 1000 kidnapping
/: have been committed by organize
: gangs since the beginning Of 1880.
e New York, oddly enough. has NJ
/: been as effectively organized by tt
!: kidnapers as many middle wester
e cites have been. The racket here
: still largely in the hands Of small fr
the police say; one Of its most profit
n able subdivisions. for example, Is sa
), to be a crew that specializes in XII
/; mapping the children of East Sit
e Italians and extracting payment fro
Il the parents on the installment pla
NEW YORK
d But the New York gangsters a
e learning. Shortly before he was M
n chine gunned, the notorious Vince
Coll was reported to have tried
kidnap one Of the lieutenants I
70 OWnie Madden. generally credit