Evening star., 1934-02-06
Arizona Police Win Applause
Of Country by Gang Capture

Unprecedented enthusiasm is shown
in all parts Of the country in the VOL
ume of praise given to the police force
of Tucson, AriZ., for its capture of
John Dillinger and several associates.
The men were wanted in several
States and had been successful in
eluding police in large cities only to
fall victims of what they called small
town police"
The large number of gangsters
taken in the last two months indi-
Gates that the country is awake to the
gangster danger comments the Mad
ison Wisconsin State Journal, while
the Cleveland News declares, "They
surrendered peaceably enough when
confronted by two-gun officers of the
law out in Arizona. One or two OF
them made futile passes at concealed
weapons: bravado demanded it. But
they subsidized quickly enough. When
the other fellow had the drop, it was
a different matter Citizen co-opera-
ton has again resulted in the tip
which brought widely sought bad men
to justice. Tucson firemen, recogniz-
ing two Of the Dillinger gang from
pictures they had seen in detective
magazine. were responsible for the ar
rest That is the spirit which will
end kidnapping. murder and bank rob-
berry. The next thing is to get citizen
cooperation in convicting the guilty
ones when reasonable evidence Is pre-
Sented"
THE Dillinger mob" according to
the Altoona Mirror, has reputation
for cruelty. 1t never showed mercy
to any one who stood between it and
freedom" The Miami Daily News re-
calls that the prisoners "boasted that
no Jail can hold them; that they
had made good on the boast by shoot
ing their way out" but that now they
are trying legal technicalities to the
same end" The Escanaba Daily Press
remarks that 'Dillinger was probably
the most sought -after criminal in the
United States"
Proper outcome of this case. in the
opinion of the Fort Wayne Journal
Gazette, will 60 long way toward
restoring the confidence of the public
in the agencies of the law" The
Huntington Herald Dispatch COM
ments that they thought they were
pretty good, but discovered that the
Tucson police were better" OF the
achievement represented by the cap
ture, the Lowell Evening Leader makes
the estimate that it is in the group
"in which, throughout the history of
the country. the small-town boy made
good" The South Bend Tribune says
"the trap was we'll laid and the Off
GERS acted courageously when the test
came"
THE one flaw in the plans of the
captured men," according to the Sa-
vannah Morning News. was that they
had failed to appraise at actual high
values the intelligence, courage and
resourcefulness of the small-town po-
lice force which. without outside as
sistance. captured the quartet which
had terrified many towns, held up a
number of banks. killed ruthlessly and
eluded posses of pursuers. Having
equal opportunities. it is probable that
the police of many cities would have
done as well as the brave officers of
Tucson, but theirs are the orchids If
public appreciation this time"
"The men had boasted of crime"
states the Oakland Tribune. "An
underworld following. with confusion
of bravado with romance. had at
tached to it legends and myth. The
bad gang met some American police
men and were walked of to Jail. Busi
ness-like action of the 'hick' cops
smashed that false romance. and to-
day the bandits of whom so many
stories have been told are just so
many sullen-faced men who have the
knowledge they will either be hanged