The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1933-07-14
BY 9. q. NICOLET
1Q12 NV United


Kansas City, 1.-THE Heart Of Amer
ica," has become a national crime
ca pitaI, refuge of gunner who ma
other communities inhospitable,.
The rackets they help enforce
levy q total Of $36,000,000 to $40,-
10000 q year--an amazing total In
a community OF half q million.
Their spectacular depredations In
recent months have made an as
founding record Of crime of type
OF foolhardy daring only practiced
by experienced thugs when they
are sure of their ground.
The three outstanding examples
were the kidnapping Of Mary NC
Elroy, daughter of the city mana
ger OF Kansas City, the union sta
ton plaza massacre, In which ma
chine gunners, in open daylight be-
fore crowds, assassinated q Grim
inal and four officers; and the
memorial day prison break at
Lansing, Kans., when the warden
was kidnapped and later other ofii-
cials and citizens were used as
hostages and shields to protect
gunner from shots as they hed
by tourist routes to hideaways.
City Manager McElroy, who ne
gotiated directly with his daugh-
ter's adbuctors and succeeded In
winning her freedom. sees little
hope OF speedy improvement.
"A lot of men have been making
money--big money--out OF beer
and whiskey," he explains. Beer
is out Of the racket category--it
Is as common as milk. Whiskey is
making It's comeback. These men
will seek other pursuits. Some may
| have enough money to go into
busin ess--but / don't know what
business they would go into. Some
may be able to find Jobs. l don't
know where they will find them,
or how long they will work for
customary wages.
"The public will continue to sup
port these people, as 1t has In the
past; and IL they turn to crime we
must be prepared to meet them"
| Kansas City presents, perhaps. a
picture of what may happen else
where as the fading liquor business
| loses its profits for the under
world; as the field of ordinary
minor rackets becomes overcrowd-
ed, falling to pay enough to sup
port all the underworldlings left on
the loose. The liquor men and the
racketeers slip easily into whole-
sale competition, but II the over
crowding becomes bad enough to
make that ineffective. banditry and
kidnapping await them. In Kansas
city this situation has become acute
earlier than elsewhere because Of
the influx Of outside mobsters.
| Gunner from Chicago and De-
troit, st Louis and Cleveland, have
Il fs..fv -. L. s-n~g II
Dental districts, playing golf at the
better clubs. mixing comfortably
with the "best people,"
| EUR" sammon, notorious old
time racketeer wanted for payroll
robbery az far east as Baltimore
and credited with a long list of
crimes In the Chicago region. was
arrested few days ago In a COM
Portable stucco house at ~ e. Seth
street, in the uppermiddie class
country club district. Furniture In
this home, II was found. came from
| q residence belonging to Verne
| Miller, identified as one OF the mob
that staged-fhe Union Station mas
sacre. Miller, who has not been
captured, had built up a comfort
able social acquaintance and under
the name Of White was posted for
membership at the Miiburn Coun-
try club. His name has been link
ed to many kidnapings and other
violent crimes.
THESE cases are typical. Even
Pretty BOY" Floyd, the road-burn-
ling Oklahoma outlaw who spreads
intermittent terror by sensational
bank robberies and more sensa-
1 fionnl flights. once built up pleas
l ant company OF goIfine friends
among respectable citizsns Of Tho