The Washington times., 1936-09-14

magic to the enforcement OF law
in these United States. No influ-
ence or bribery can stay their
hands. Politicians are to let them
alone. The Shifty brains of crooked
lawyers are paralyzed when the
Omen come to court with their
prisoners.
In three years, John Edgar Hoo.
vers 600 Federal agents have
cleared up 81 kidnapings, broken
up 10 gangs of national bank rob
bers and faced more murderous
desperadoes than Scotland Yard
has dealt with in so years.
AMAZING HUNT
Their most brilliant and spec
tacular achievement, I think, was
the running down and eXtemina-
ton of the Barker-KarpiS gang Of
killers. kidnaperS and bank rob-
bers. And that amazing hunt began
in June, 1888, when the gang
Snatched William Hamm, wealthy
brewer of st. Paul. After Hamm
was released, having paid his ran.
som, Mr.. Hoover began to acquire
important information about the
personnel and methods of this
gang Of outlaws.
At the head of it was that ter.
rible old woman, Ma Barker.
Shotgun Ziegler was the schemer,
And there was Fred Barker,
scrawny little killer, and Alvin
Karpis, who was to become Public
Enemy No. l. Backing these were
Harry Campbell and Bill Weaver,
who were regarded as the most ex-
pert tWo-gun men in the outlaw
world.
1t was on January II, 1884,
when Edward George Bremen,
president of the Commercial
Bank of st. Paul, drove his daugh.
ter to her school. AS they stopped
before the building, he kissed her,
saying:
There's plenty of time, sweet
heart, it's just a quarter of g."
AT that moment the door Of his
car was yanked open, a man
stepped in and Bremen was
dubbed down with a gun. His
eyes were tapped shut. He was
taken to hideout at Bensonville.
Ill, and there he was held for
three weeks and released after
paying 100000 ransom.
Shotgun George Ziegler boosted:
THAT Bremen case was only
the beginning. Well make
more money than Henry Ford"
They were certainly on their
way. 1t looked easy to raid a
bank and snatch a rich man or
the child of rich man and get
the hot money into circulation
through crooked go-betweens, Lo-
cal police departments were hvIp-
less.
In one year of active operation.
the Barker-KarpiS mob took in
half million dollars in cash. But
Zlegler was boaSting and talking
too much. Old Ma Barker, as
savage as a she-wolf, gave him
cold warning:
Keep your mouth shut,
George" she snapped.
You're right, Ma" he
grOwled. "Never talk"
But the nerves of shotgun
George were going to pieces. He
was one of those curious person.
alities who are capable of fine
things and yet of brutalities that
would Sicken an Apache. The
inner conflict became too much
for him. His tongue began to
wag.
QUICK WORK
Indirectly, the Omen were get.
ting information. And one day,
as Shotgun George was saying
"good-by" to friend, there
was burst of machine gun fire
from car, and that was the end
Of Shotgun ziegler.
The Omen never doubted that
Ma Barker gave the order for
the killing. But all she said
when the news came to her was
that Shotgun had been rubbed
out, because:
Talking never did no one
no good"
Little by little, HooverS brisk
boys began to get the evidence
they needed against this deSper-
ate and formidable crowd of out.
laws.
And while they were trailing
those killers, they found time and
energy to round up the notorious
Pretty Boy Floyd and his lieuten-
ants, Adam Richetti and Killer
Bill Miller. The end came near
East Liverpool, Ohio, after Miller
had been shot to death and
Pretty Boy Floyd and Richetu
were driving a motor car at break
neck speed, closely pursued by
Omen.
Pretty Boy, on the verge of a
nervous collapse. smashed his car
against a telephone pole. Rich
ETH was caught, but Floyd got
away for the moment.
The FederalS tracked him to a
farm near East Liverpool. He
ran like a rabbit, bent low to the
ground. The agents drilled him
through and through, and that
was the end of the Oklahoma
bank robber.