Evening star., 1934-12-02

Inc ounQdy cldr py ot0Ckton MuIIolu'
arrests have been made and in the
other case-the Bremen kidnaping-the
law enforcement authorities say they
know the identity of the four kid
naperS.
The Stoll kidnaper is still at large
and the Robles case has not been
cleared up, although one arrest has
been made, while the verdict in the
Lindbergh case will soon rest with
New Jersey jury. However in most
of the big kidnapping cases of the last
two years, the Division Of 1nvestlga-
ton, in cooperation with local author
tiles. has made a clean sweep OF both
principals and accomplices. The record
now stands: 70 persons convicted;
sentences aggregating l,l86 years II
months and 2 days; Is life sentences:
death sentences; 2 persons lynched;
3 suicides, murdered; % now IN
custody. Facts such as these are
stern warnings to criminals to avoid
crimes which will bring them. up
against the Federal Government.
Hoover's Opinion.
While unwilling to leap to conclu-
sions that he cannot prove, j. Edgar
Hoover. chief of the Division of In
vestigation thinks that the Federal
Government is a powerful deterrent to
crime. When the question was put to
him, Mr.. Hoover agreed that there
were plausible reasons for expecting
an outburst of crime after repeal.
One hesitates to say what has be-
come of the prohibition bootleggers
because there are no figures to back
up any statement" he said. But 1t
was natural to suppose that many OF
them would resort to other illegal
methods Of obtaining an income. The
average professional criminal is at his
peak between the ages of 20 and 30.
After 80 he will probably be killed or
in Jail or will have retired on his
gains. Take away the livelihood OF
large number of these men under 80,
and most of them find other means
of obtaining an income. They are not
likely to go back to factories or farms.
To use a homely phrase. they don't
want to go back to sweat.
It think that the chief fields that
they would be likely to turn to are
kidnapping. eXtortion. robbery-espe-
cially bank robbery-and gambling.
A certain number of kidnapings fol-
lowed the Lindbergh kidnapping of
1882. These were performed by two
types of kidnaper; the gang criminal,
and the individual criminal. Some OF
the gangs that We caught as kidnapers
had been in the bootlegging racket.
But we can't say that bootleggers
have turned to kidnapping, because
there have not been enough kidnap-
ings to justify such a generalization.
However, I think that our campaign
on kidnapers has served as deter
rent. 1t has made the average GRIM
inal STOP look and listen before ne
engages in kidnapping.
To Make 1t Hazardous.
"It would be much too optimistic to
suppose that we have wiped out kid
naping. kidnapping is referred to in
the Bible. 1t existed in the Middle
Ages. We have not reached the Utopia
in which there will be no more kid
napings. But our aim is to make it
as hazardous as possible.
Il think the smashing of several
notorious gangs has given crime
definite setback during the last year.
The Touhy gang, the Sankey gang,
the Barrows gang, the Pretty Boy
Floyd gang, the Dillinger gang and
others have been broken up. 1t is
altogether natural that this would
result in reducing the number of kid
napings and bank robberies. The
average gang kidnaper also has been
bank robber.
There has been marked falling
off in the number of bank robberies
in recent months. Last May Congress
passed the national bank robbery act,
making it a Federal offense to rob
national bank or any bank contain
ing Federal funds. Since last May
bank robberies have averaged IL a
month, whereas the average during
The bank robberies also have declined
in size. We have information con-
cerning cases in which criminals in
the underworld, planning bank rob-
berry, discussed whether the bank was
a national bank or a State bank and
whether, If it was State bank, 1t
contained any Federal funds.
THE largest number of bank rob-
berries occurs in California. That Is
because of their branch banking sys-
tenn, with so many branches in stores
and other places without proper pro-
lection. There are also good many
bank robberies, Of course, in the
crime corridor that runs from Texas
to Minnesota There are not so many
bank robberies in the East and the
South.
THAT leaves us to consider two
other phases extortion and gambling.
We have no definite means Of know
ing whether racketeering and gam
bling have increased since repeal, or
whether former bootleggers have gone
into gambling"
AS old gangs were smashed, new
ones undoubtedly grew up, but Mr..
| Hoover said that one objective of the
| Federal Government was to break up
underworld solidity by isolating the