Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1896 — TERRORS IN THE TOILS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TERRORS IN THE TOILS.

The Whole Gang of Chicago Robbera „ Now Under Arrest. ■ After five months of terror, caused by a series of the most daring robberies ever perpetrated in any city, Chicago now rests easily, for the perpetrators are in Custody. For some time the police have had out their drag net anti have arrested every suspicious character they have

found-in the city limits.'More than a hundred' have been hauled into the cell!*, but it is now almost certain tha£“ only ten men have Men implicated in the robberies. These ten are Red Sullivan and John Orme, the leaders of the gang who have become famous Sis “the long and the

short men,” Thomas McGowain Michael Monahan, James Dempsey. Barney Hunt, Alfred alias “Sleepy” Burke, Joseph Gordon, Jesse Thames and John McLane.- The police are still looking sor 1 Jesse Thames. The others are under arrest. All of the prisoners are under 22 years of age,* but are old in Some of them were waifs and bootblacks who never knew n home: others are the vicious children of respected parents. It watt

while confined in the Pontiac reformatory Jast year that a criminal organization was formed among them, at the instigation of Orme, who is 21 years old. An oath bound ieaeh member of the society to the other by a pledge of death. Any one who betrayed another member of. the society was to be put to death. If arrested and put <m the witness stand and he told the jirtith there, be was to be shot in the court room. If he was put-in a police sweat box and betrayed his comrades a bullet was to end his existence at the first onnortunity. On the Other hilind,~if~one"of them was captured and "remained loyal? every effort was to be made for his release. Money was to be used and this failing, it was arranged that the others were to go into whatever court room their associate might be in with their pistols, stand off the bailiffs, shoot down the police who might resist them, and fly with the rescued one. In the event rescue in a court room was*not favorable, they had another scheme for rescue. That was to follow the train on which their convjcted associate would be, hold it up when it was in the counti-y and take him off. That is the kind of young fellows the police department has been fighting against all spring and summer. Chief Badenoch says that ill his lifetime and with the knowledge which lie has of once famous Chicago crimiiials, he has" never met with a more bloodthirsty or better organized band of thieves than the one which Orme put together. In February the gang who had finished their terms at the reformatory began their depredations. Citizens were held up oil their way home at night. In almost every instance assault folowed the robbery and the victims in some cases werefound unconscious in the streets. The thugs transferred their operations to the large stores and the depredations there have been alarming. More than a score of business places have been robbed and one murder has been committed. That more lives have not been sacrificed is due to the fact that the robbers have not met

with resistance, for they were prepared at all times to shoot down whoever opposed them. Their method almost invariably was to enter a store, draw revolvers, get the drop ou all present and then grab the money box and escape before the frightened proprietors, employes or customers could regain their senses sufficiently to act. Sometimes two men did the robbing, sometimes three, lour or five, but in nearly every case a tall roan and a short roan took a leading part, and fully half the robberies were committed by these two without assistance. The tall man was very thin. The short mnti had a red face covered with blotches and pimples. For weeks the police seemed dumfounded. Almost in their sight the robbers operated as boldly as it 110 police officer existed. The activity displayed by the gang was something surprising and the detectives never knew where they were going to Operate next. One night they would do a job in the center of the city and a few hours later they would complete another ten miles away. This they kept up for weeks. Finally about two weeks ago Red Sullivan was captured while drunk and from him was obtained information which led to the arrest of the others. Orme, Dempsey nnd Monahan were the last to lie arrested. They were captured in Detroit. where they had laid plans for similar work. Ornth. the leader, is a good dresser and would be taken for a student. There 1* nothing about him to suggest a criminal and on this account he succeeded so well. Orme generally walked into the? stores first and the soft smile on his face would disatm suspicion until he got close to the person he intended tp cover, when he would pull out the big revolver and shove It at the man, saying in a low voice: •'Now lie quiet or I will blow daylight "through you.” . Serious "floods have" occurred In the Berler. Alps, the Jura mountains and the canton of Vaud and the lower vallais of Switzerland. Bridges have been carried away, roads destroyed and railway travel Interrupted. Much damage has l»een done to crops. No fathlitics are reported. , Another blue book on Woezuela baa been issued by the English foreign office

“RED” SULLIVAN.

CHIEF OF POLICE BADENOCH.

MONAHAN. ORME. DEMPSEY.