◆ SpookStack

a me a ee ay . —— veg All the Arts of the Spy, Says Randolph, Are Used i in n the Effort t to. Chicago i atl working te stamp out ite underworld gange. Recently George KE. Q. Johnaon, Untied States District Attorney, told a Senate subcommitice of the | difficulties encountered in con. | victing Al Capene and soma of the other leaders, In the follow ing article the founder and head of the famous “Secret Bix’ ex plains how that organisation of citizens operates in aiding the authorities. ‘By ROBERT is. EANBDOLPH. ! CHicaco. ' HE “Secret Bix” sounds like s romantic fiction, but It is the newspaper pseudonym for the Citizens’ Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of Crime, “& special committee of the Chicago ‘Asscciation of Commerce, organized in Februasy, 1630, during my first term az president of that body. I ‘appointed the committee with the authority of the executive commit- tee of the association, and because I refused to tell the newspaper men the names of the members of the committee one fournaliatio eenius dubbed !t “the Secret Bix." } He served us better than he koow, ‘because, quite unconsciously, he had given us the weapon of the psychol- oxy of fear and the rate of the un- derworld began to acurry because they didn’t know where this mys terious ferret waa going to strike. The fear persists today, and because some of the biggest and the fattest rats have been trapped in the last two years the fear had grown and many of the rate have squealed and betrayed their brothers. It ali came about in thls way: Under the corrosive influence of the most corrupt and degenerate municipal administration that ever cursed @ city @ poliiico-criminal a)- Hance had been formed between civil administration and the gun-governed underworld for the exploitation of the citizen, and the “syndicate” con- trol was spread @ cover all of Cook County. The “syndicate” had brains and gype. The civil administration lacked prains and courage. Bo the syndicate’ became -the Invisible government and levied its toll on Hie and property, on all business, and wl] classes of society, 9 o> +} > ia: Nine el ae i ee eg Trap and Convict the Criminals of the City’s Un ee eS “a Activities ot the *MBymloate.”] i | The law of the land was the law of the gun, and the was no appesi from its edicts. “syndicate” control waa so complete that speak- easies, were not policited for business, but had their assessment of beer and booze delivered to them whether they wanted ft or not, and even kad ‘ta [take “syndicate” pretsels and potato- chips and use the “syndicate”: linen service. “Syndicate strong-srm men took over labor unions, particu- larly in the service industries, and the citizen paid the “syndicate” pricé for much that he ate and drank and even for the crease in his trou ers. The citizen was wot much con- cerned when riya) bectleggers killed each other, even when they were shot down in batches of seven, as they were on 8t. Valentine's Day in 2o0 The citizen did nat oaften gat caught in the cross-fire, and i ‘was no affair of his. He liked Ais booze with a kick in it and he didn't care whether it came from Bermuda or Canada or a bath tub in Maxwell Street az long as {t looked, tasted and acted like booze. We are a complacent people and ; this condition might have continued | Without much protest if the invisible ' government had not become com- | plecent iteelf. Success made it eon- ' temptuous and organised crime made the mistake of attacking organized business. A contractor's superinten- ‘dent was shot. The contractor be ‘Jonged to the Association of Com- imerce. He wanted to know what he Ppald dues for and what we were ! going to do about Ht. The answer. iwas a conference between the exec-. jutlve committee of the asacciation Jand the State's Attorney. The ques i tion was what might be done to stop crimes of violence in Chicago. . -The State’s Attorney had a oon- | structive suggestion. ‘TI have a staff , \ef Investigators,” he said, ‘whose | duty it is to dig up evidence for bo, ee en ee ar a te nT 8 Underworld # 2 el i ee ro % ey a, _ Oo a m a v. i a 32 ” 154 “l-F XK : i,