Evening star., 1933-10-24
SAYS j. s. ALONE
CANEND KIDNAPPING.
John J. Factor, Recent VIC
tim, Testifies at Senate
Crime Hearing.
Nv the Associated Press.

JOQdy lIldL Ollly IIlC CdCA al NV
eminent could halt kidnapping
Blinking into Kleig lights and motion
picture cameras, Factor spoke from ex-
perience. He was kidnap victim sew
eral months ago, and his l8-year-old
son was kidnapped only few weeks be-
fore that.
Unafraid of City Police.
THE kidnapers aren't afraid OF the
city police" Factor said. because
they've gotten away with too much be-
fore ..
when certain negotiations were un-
der way for my release" he said, i
asked the kidnapers to write letter to
my wife.
Fear Federal Authorities.
"They refused point blank to have
ANYTHING to do with the mail. They
know the Federal Government never
lets up"
Factor, who became an international
financier after starting as a chicago
barber. repeatedly paid more than
100000 for release OF his son and
himself.
Factor furnished dramatic account
of his captivity. He said the kidnapers
proved upon his fear and on occasions
treated him brutally.
"One night they brought out blow
torch and threatened to burn my 1eet,
he continued. Sometimes they would
hit me when they thought I was not
telling the truth in answer to their
questions"
Factor said one of the kidnapers, i
always call him my friend" had inter-
ceded for him when the others were
brutal. He gazed solemnly into the
cameras and said, Among six or seven
bad men you always find one with some
good in his heart"
Senator Louis Murphy of Iowa agreed
with Factor that the Federal Govern
ment was the best agency to fight kid
napers but added that its resources
were too limited to work on every case.
"Oh. sure" Factor replied. but they
ought to cooperate to the fullest extent.
That's the only way to beat them"
Tells of Intimidation.
George E. @. johnson, the former
Federal prosecutor who sent AL Capone
to prison, told the inquiry intimidation
of witnesses has been an almost insur-
mountable obstacle in prosecuting gang
sters.
Fear of witnesses causes most of
the failures to convict gangsters and
major felons," johnson said 1T was
about impossible to get any one to
testify against Capone.
There we're TOO murders in Chicago
from 1921 to 1882, mostly atrocious
killings by gangsters of victims who
never had chance. Some OF them
were prospective witnesses in criminal
cases.
That's the answer to fear Of wit
nesses"
Mayor Edward J. Kelly told the
hearing organized crime in Chicago
had been largely ended by united ac-
ton Of Federal and local authorities
I'VE have no more hoodlums walk
ing the streets with seven or eight
bodyguards or riding in armored au
tomobiles," Kelly said He believed
everybody should be f1ngerprinted.
johnson said he believed verdict
of 10 to 2, instead Of unanimous, should
be sufficient to convict in criminal
cases.
He said racketeering was largely To-
cal organized so as to preclude any
crossing of State lines to avoid Fed
eral prosecution.
scores Parole system.
A declaration that "the parole sys-
TEN doesn't seem to work" came today
from Senator Royal S. Copeland Of
New York, chairman Of the subcom-
mittee.
Senator Copeland made the observa-
tion after visiting "Show-up" OF pris-
oners at police headquarters. Col
Franklin s.. Hutchinson, chief investi-
gator for the committee, and others
interested in the hearing accompanied
Copeland.
Il noted with interest" Copeland
said after watching the prisoners walk
across platform and be questioned by
police, that the greater part Of the
men were either on parole or on pro-
baton
Witnesses have told our hearings
he Is always bad. I hate to think so,
but it seems true
Lieut. Charles Grattan told the New
York Senator that the majority of the
prisoners in the lineup were regular
customers who come back week after
week"
A majority of the police officials
and other crime fighters who have tes-
titled before the hearing declared them
selves opposed to probation or parole
except for first offenders with good
records.
Capone's Name Mentioned.
AL Capone, Chicago's original public
enemy" No. !. now serving q Federal
income tax evasion sentence at At
lanta, has indirectly entered the Sem
ate subcommittee local crime hearing.
but the question his name suggested
remained unanswered today.
The question, asked by Joseph B.
keenan,, Assistant Attorney General,
who recently concluded a successful
of the Oklahoma gang,
was: why was Capone allowed to
operate here with free hand for more
than a decade, until the Federal Gov
ernment convicted him for failure to
share his ill-gotten gain with Uncle
Sam?"
While no one vouchsafed a direct
answer to yesterdays hearing presided
over by Senator Copeland, 1t was sug.
gested by some of the witnesses that
crime be divorced from politics.
At today's final session the committee
expected to get some first-hand infor-
nation on the subject at hand from
Edward (Spike) O'Donnell, reputed
South Side gangster.
II won't give them any bunk" O'Don-
nell said.
Senator Copeland said he had no OBJ
jections.
Bomb Wrecks Beauty Shop.
A black powder bomb exploded and
partially wrecked a new beauty shop
its owner had planned to open today
several miles from where the sub
committee is conducting hearings on
how to curb crime and racketeernig.
Solomon NatiS, owner OF the shop
said a man, representing himself as an
agent of a plumbers union, visited him
Yesterday and ordered him to replace a
plumber who was installing fixtures In
the place. Natis told police he refused
on the ground that the plumber already
on the job was a union man.
The blast tore the door to the place
from its hinges, shattering the glass
panel and breaking windows.