Evening star., 1933-08-13
LABOR RACKETEERS'
CONVICTION HAILED
IN CHICAGO AREA
Business Men See Promise
of New Freedom Under
Present Prosecutor.
BY RUTHWELL DUNCAN.
ecial Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO, August 12-For the first
time in the Criminal Court annals Of
Cook County-and that means Chicago
two labor union racketeers have been
convicted of murder and sentenced to
life terms in the State Prison. The
city as whole, and its business men
in particular, hail that achievement as
the promise of new freedom. Rack
eteer terrorism has been turning buSl-
ness heads gray, making sleepless nights
for industrial and mercantile execu-
tives, and absorbing such profits as
were possible on the business that de-
preston had left.
In the racketeers' armory were to be
found the machine gun, the sawed
off shotgun, the revolver, the explosive
bomb, the tear bomb, the stencil bomb.
the vial of acid and the brickbat-
windows, ruined goods, stampeded Gus
toners we're ordira consequences OF
refusal to pay the price OF Immunity.
Defiance carried too far brought the
more deadly weapons into play, as In
the immediate instance, where spe-
cial guard, protecting a department
store, was shot to death.
New Prosecutor Acts.
SlLlLclL Wclc Oil W CCA tlICA4
stories. Gang vengeance was threat
ened if they sought police aid. More
over, until the present States attorney.
Thomas j. Courtney, took office about
a year ago, many citizens were dubious
as to the entire freedom Of that office
from underworld alliances. There was
a widespread suspicion that gangdom
had subterranean access to it. Mr..
Courtney, after months Of effort, has
allayed that anxiety ard distrust. His
outspoken declaration that he was
against the racketeers, and that buSi-
ness men must either ally themselves
with him or be counted as connlvlng
with the malevolent conspiracy against
the law ard legitimate enterprise. was
backed up by vigorous measures which
stamped it with sincerity.
A certain merchant, who with others
directed a chain of five department
stores paid tribute for two years to the
treasurer of the Circular Distributors
Union. For that payment he secured
the right to hire his own distributors
at So day. instead of 1925, the union
scale, and was guaranteed immunity.
He became restive under the extortion
as the union official displayed greed
for more, and finally broke with him.
He was consulting with detectives In
his Office subsequent to the break when
three shots we're fired through his
window. At other times stencil bombs
were thrown in his stores, merchandise
was destroyed, the sock-wrapped brick
bat was hurled through his plate glass
and finally watchman was foully slain
but he stuck He gave names and
dates and related specific conversa-
tions to the States attorney. A strong
case was built up.
Merchant Gives Evidence.
Then John Rooney, treasurer Of tn
union, and Henry Berry, business agent,
were arrested. The merchant went on
the stand and told his story to the
Jury-breaking all precedents In such
cases. The jury found both men guilty
of murder in the case Of the slain
watchman, and the judge promptly SEN
fenced them for Hfe-shattering more
precedentS.
1t is impossible to exagerate the i'm
portance of this achievement It mean.
a new morale In Chicago business life,
It means that the silence of terrorism
has been broken effectively, and that
the terrorists have had the fear Of
God thrown into them as never before.