Evening star., 1936-05-27
SERVICE MARTYRS
CITED BY HOOVER
Probation Association Crit
les Given List of Men
Gangsters Killed.
BY REX COLLIER.

By kEA COLLlEn.
A bronze plaque inscribed with the
names of a number of his special
agents who have been slain by paroled
outlaws is ]. Edgar Hoover's answer
to the National Probation Associations
criticism of his denunciation of parole
administration.
The association yesterday called on
Attorney General Cummings and
President Roosevelt to bride Hoover's
tongue with respect to his attacks on
maladministration of the parole sys-
TEN in the States, holding that Hoo
yer is bringing the whole parole sys-
TEN into disrepute.
In reply the director of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation would have
representatives of the association scan
this list of trusted agents shot down
by desperadoes freed by official leni-
ency in the States:
Agent Raymond J. Caffrey, who,
with three police officers, was am
bushed and slain without chance of
self-defense in the Kansas City Union
Station massacre, by a notorious
recipient of parole, Charles C'Pretty
Boy'D Floyd and two companions.
Inspector Samuel P. Cowley,
Hoover's close friend and personal
representative In charge Of the round
up of the Floyd and Dillinger gangs,
who was shot fatally in gun battle
with George C"Baby Face'0 Nelson,
Dillinger gangster and parolee.
Agent Herman E. Hollis, member
of Cowley's special squad, also killed
by Nelson.
Agent w. Carter Baum, ruthleSsly
slain by Nelson near the Little Bo-
heinia Inn shortly after the raid
there on the Dillinger gang. Baum
was murdered as he unsuspectingly
approached a parked car in which
Nelson was hidingD
John Dillinger himself was a bene-
ficiary of parole, as were several other
members of his gang.
Moreover, a study OF the criminal
records of members of the Karpis-
Barker gang of kidnapers and muir
derers shows that this gang could not
have existed but for misapplied mercy
Of courts and parole boards.
Alvin Karpis, lately public enemy
No. l" and now awaiting trial in St
Paul for the kidnapings there of Ed
ward G. Bremen and William Hamm
jr., was under parole on a burglary
sentence when he organized his gang
and perpetrated the Minnesota kid
napings and other crimes. That pa
role was granted by Oklahoma authori-
ties despite the fact that Karpis had
been convicted previously of burglary
and had escaped from prison, only to
commit another robbery.
Co-Leader Gains Parole.
Arthur CDoc'O Barker, co-leader
Of the gang, had the unusual distinc-
tion of securing a parole from life
sentence for murder in 1882 after
serving 10 years.
Hoover recently disclosed that of
$1,000 of the most notorious mur-
derers, kidnapers and bandits whose
records are in the F. B. 1. Single
flngerprint" file of outstanding fugi-
tives, 3,70o of them have received Off
cial leniency in the form of parole
probation, pardon or other clemency
Il am not an opponent, but an
advocate of the wise, intelligent ad-
ministration of the highly laudable
theory of parole" Hoover says.
However, do object most strenu-
ously to the administration of that
system in some of the States. Prac-
tically every special agent of the F. B.
7. who has died on the field Of battle
against criminals has been sent to his
death by gun in the hands of a
paroled convict"