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< te eae wae nt Frank Hitchcock, the Burnham bootiegger who tried to operate “on Lis own" was found slain in the rear of the home of Johnny Patton, the “boy mayor” of Burnham, and a close friend of Capone. three “rats” (as he called them) as he lay in bed, one foot propped high in the air in a cast. Frankie chased them off with a couple of .45’s he had man- aged to conceal from the authorities. How did Frankie get his foot all shot up, and how did he get in a hospital for treatment without the shoot- ing getting inte the papers. True enough the hos- pital authorities reported that they had a patient suffering from an accidental shooting. But, when the police came to look over the patient, they didn’t recognize Mr. Frankie MacEarlane. “Who tried to kill you?” asked the police after the shooting. Frankie looked at his questioners in great disgust. Instead of answering directly he began a volley of oaths, half to himself. “Can you imagine the rats trying to get me—me, Frank MacEarlane!” And then, looking toward the police, he added: ‘You'll find ’em in a ditch some of these days.” The assailants of MacEar- lane had climbed a fire-escape to get into his room. While Frankie was in the Bridewell hospi- William Dickman, once a member of the Saltis gang was regaried as » traitor because he deserted to the Sheldon mob. tal, where the police took him on a charge of disorderly conduct, the Gangdom and _ political circles were startled to read in the morning papers of the passing from this life of Johnny “Dingbat”’ Oberta, on March 6, just ten days after the at- tempt to kill MacEarlane. Oberta was not found in a ditch, however, although his body guard, Malage was removed from a water-filled ditch. Willie Niemoth, a member of Saltis mob, at that time sought for complicity in a bank robbery in Maryland, was reported to have done the job for MacEarlane. Another suspect, “Big Earl’ Her- bert, also a Saltis mobster disgruntled over the authority of the “sneaking nasty-nice Dingbat” was suspected of having done Frankie a good turn. During his questioning Herbert deplored the fact that “Dingbat” insisted on going about in a limou- sine. “He should have got himself a roadster,” said Big Kar]. “Why so?” asked Commissioner Stege. “Oh, so that his friends couldn’t ride behind him,” replied Herbert. a ae ce Saeed Here's how they punished him. : - es nem a nr epee or a ee ya ene serail an ae meme ot rng