Evening star., 1933-06-17
LAcKEY A G. w. GRADUATE.
Attained Prominence in Virginia Me-
Pherson Inquiry.

Attained Prominence in Virginia Me-
Pherson Inquiry.
With a license number as the chief
clue, the United States Bureau of In
vestigation today modified all available
agents in search for the murderers OF
Special Agent Raymond J. Caffrey of
the bureau and two city detectives, al
though there is no Federal law against
killing Federal officer
The astounding fact that the Kansas
City killers committed no Federal
offense when they moved down two
Government Investigators with machine
guns today recalled futile efforts OF
the Department of Justice in the past
to obtain legislation to correct this con-
dition. Government officials said it Is
4 Federal crime to assault a Govern
ment officer, but not to kill him.
Laekey Well Known Here.
Francis J. Lackey special agent
of the bureau, who was shot three
times in the back, is we'll known here
He is a graduate Of George Washing
ton University and married Miss Caro-
line West Of Alexandria, Va, formerly
employed at the Department Of JUS
tice. Lackey attained prominence In
the investigation of the death of Vir-
ginia Mcpherson at the Park Lane
Apartments several years ago.
Bureau of Investigation officials were
preparing 4 press statement describing
the capture of Frank Nash yesterday
at Hot Springs, Ark. when word came
of the shooting at Kansas City Nash
was described as lone OF the most no.
torious fugitives from justice" a con-
federate of the Capone gangsters,
Thomas Holden and Francis L. keat-
ing who were sought widely as possible
suspects in the Lindbergh kidnapping
Holden and Heating were captured
by Federal agents last July on golf
course at Kansas City and returned
to Leayenworth penitentiary. from
which they had escaped This pair,
with Nash, were said by the Depart
ment of Justice to have been the out
side conspirators in the famous prison
break at Leavenworth in December,
1881, when Warden Tom White was
kidnapped and later released, seriously
wounded The trio were accused Of
shipping guns into the prison in a
barrel of shoe grease.
According to an official report made
to j. Edgar Hoover, director of the
United States Bureau of Investiga-
tion, Nash was arrested by two Fed
eral agents In resort at Hot Springs
At the time Nash. who Is bald, was
wearing q heavy wig and had had his
nose made over by plastic surgery
mo Re tnl1 1aI Il IL
head IN making the arrest.
Secret Arrest Sought.
Knowing him to be a dangerous
criminal, with powerful gang connec-
tions, the Federal officer sought to keep
his arrest secret until after he had
been lodged safely behind the bars at
Leavenworth. They feared just the
sort Of attack as occurred today, and
had made careful arrangements to
Illustrate any attempt to effect release
OF the prisoner at Kansas City or en-
route, justice officials said
The underworld grapevine" tele-
graph appears to have functioned per-
fectly, however, with the fatal develop
ments at the railroad station. The
Government officers had obtained the
assistance OF city police in covering"
the arrival of Nash and his captors, but
the Gordon of officers was helpless
against the barrage of machine gun
bullets. Justice authorities we're advised.
Most of the departments official in
formation came by telephone shortly
after the shooting from Reed E. Vet
terl, agent in charge Of the Kansas
City field ofice Of the Bureau of In
vestigation. Vetterli miraculously es-
capped being hit by the rain of bullets.
Frank Smith. another Federal agent
who had accompanied Nash from Hot
Springs. also escaped injury.
U. 8. Law to Be Demanded.
The murder OF Caffrey one OF the
bureaus crack investigators, is expected
to revive agitation for a Federal law
against killing Of Government law Of
ficers. There were demands for such a
law after the murder Of Special Agent
Shanahan in st. Louis by Martin Dur
kin. notorious 'sheik" bandit and killer.
who is now paying for his crime in At
lsnta Penitentiary. Durkin was con-
victed under a State law, however.
Nash had been playing hide and seek
from the law for many years He had
extraordinary success in evading pun
ishment or In receiving leniency, the
records show
Convicted Of murder in 1918, Nash
was paroled few months after incar-
ceration. In 1920 he served but a short
part Of 25year sentence in the Okla
homa State Penitentiary for burglary.
In 1924 he was received at Leavenworth
to serve a 25-year term for assaulting
mail custodian in a train robbery
Nash escaped from Leavenworth Oc-
tober 10, 1880, and had been hunted
widely since. He was identified as one
Of a gang that robbed a Menomonie.
Wis bank Of sl50,000 in 1881 after
killing the president of the bank.