Evening star., 1934-03-25
By REX COLLIER.

attention of law enforcement oficials
anew on proposals for tightening re-
strictions governing probation, parole
and pardon-in the interest Of pub
lie safety.
A survey of some recent crimes of
major importance has disclosed that
paroled convicts have had q promi-
nent hand in kidnapings. murders
and other grave offenses against
society.
1t was a pardoned murderer-Frank
Nash-who cost the lives Of four
peace officers in the Kansas City
Union Station massacre last June.
Arthur C"Doc") Barker. paroled
murderer, and Alvin Karpis, paroled
safe-blower. are being sought by the
Department of Justice for kidnapping
Edward G. Bremen at st. Paul in
January.
Basil Banghart, recently sentenced
to SO years for the kidnapping of John
Factor, escaped an earlier prison
term through probation.
John Dillinger, now listed as Pub
lie Enemy No. l." was on parole
last year when he began his reign
of terror in the Midwest.
Connors Aided Touhy.
Ludwig Schmidt, mail robber and
Touhy gangster, who was paroled
last July after conviction Of burglary
almost Immediately joined in the
Factor kidnapping plot, Justice agents
assert.
Charles C"Ice Wagon") Connors
murdered by rival gangsters not lone
ago. was on parole under a robbery
sentence of 5 to 40 years when he
aided the Touhy gang in the Factor
abduction.
Files of the Department Of Justice
contain a long list Of additional in
stances of gross abuse Of paroles ano
pardons by habitual criminals. The
records also indicate. in some cases
an apparently fragrant miscarriage Of
clemency in some States due to loose
administration, failure to follow
through with supervision of paroleo
prisoners. or other causes.
The case of Frank Nash Is noto-
rious example of parole miscarriage
Nash, comrade in crime of Harvey
Bailey Machine Gun" Kelley. Pretty
Boy Floyd and other Southwestern
desperadoes, received communication OF
a life sentence for murder, followed bJ
a full pardon on the murder convlc-
ton, and four years later received an
other communication under bank rob-
berry sentence, followed by complete
freedom the next day. Less than eight
months later he committed mail rob-
berry, for which he was convicted anc
sentenced to 25 years in Leavenwortf
Penitentiary. Appointed trusty ir
the deputy warden's home. he escapeo
and resumed his career in crime. lr
another bank robbery he was charged
with numbering a bank officer, but ht
eluded capture.
Nash Taken Last June.
A few months after the fatal bank
robbery Nash aided in smuggling fire
arms into Leavenworth Penitentiary II
a successful plot for prison break en-
Lgineered for his friends. Seven pris'
oners kidnapped the warden, assaulted
him and left him. seriously wounded
in the road while they fed.
Nash remained at large until las'
June, when he was captured by specla
agents of the Division of Investigation
of the Department of Justice at Ho
Springs, Ark, following long searcf
that cost the Government thou
sands of dollars. Friends OF Nasf
telephoned his comrades Of ganglanc
and when the Federal officers and po'
licemen arrived with Nash at thu
Kansas City union station they were
met with a burst Of machine gun hre
A Federal agent and three police Of
f1cers we're killed and two agent:
wounded. Nash, caught in the cross
fire, also was killed.
Many persons have asked why wa!
Nash given so many breaks by Law
enforcement oficers?"
A study of his record shows that tht
first murder charge to Nash occurred
in 1918. when he and a companion
shot and killed a man who had in
eliminated the pair in a burglary, fol
which they subsequently were &C
quilted. Prior to the trial Nash hae
remarked that If he got out Of thai
scrape he would bump Wartmar
(the witness) off when he least ex-
poets it." Nash was convicted Of
Wartman's murder and sentenced tt
life in the Oklahoma State Peniten.
tiary at McAlester, Okla. After serv.
ing less than five years his sentence
was commuted to 10 years and a few
months later he was given full par
don by the Governor of Oklahoma.
Twice COMMITTED.
The communication order apparent,
was based on the plea that the murder
victim was a man of questionable
character whose dying accusation
against Nash could not be proved
The granting of a full pardon wa,
based on this plea and the additiona
claim of Nash that he wished to re.
enlist in the Army. He didn't re.
enlist, it seems, for year later he wa:
robbing banks Sentenced to IS year.
on bank robbery charge, he applied
for clemency after serving three years
at McAlester. The Governor of Okla.
homa again commuted Nash's sen.
tence. this time to five years, and the
next day Nash was given complete
liberty
Doc" Barker, characterized a.
ringleader of the Bremen kidnapping
also had no trouble getting his free.
dom from Oklahoma. Despite q
criminal record embracing larceny
jail breaking, bank burglary and
finally, murder, he was paroled after
serving but 10 years of life sentence
Failing to keep faith with the law
Barker returned to criminal pursuits
and teamed up with Karpis in or
ganizing and directing the so-called
Karpis-Barker gang of Southwestern
oltlaws-specializing in bank rob.
berries and kidnapping. Barker and
Karpis, like Nash, were paroled from
McAlester Penitentiary.
Reforms in the parole and pardon
system have been sought for years
but the changes have come slowly.
The Wickersham Commission Sc.
verely assailed the parole system ir
the Sta.es It said:
Those who believe in the use Of
parole assume that boards of parole