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St Valentines Day Massacre — Part 2
Page 20
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vs
oe
AWE TT
NILLLIT VALU
HH BUND
-DFFOES
Lieut. Otto r “silaneon, veteran!
head of the police homicide equad,
declared today he believes Byron
Bolton’s sensational story of the
1929 St. Valentine's Day septuple
gang massacre “is true in every
line” ag printed exclusively in The |
Chicago American.
Zdeut, Erlanson went te work on
the amazing case within a matter
of minutes after the seven adhéer-
ents of George (“Bugs”) Moran |
were found slaughtered b; machine |
gun fire in the gang garage head: |
marters at 2122 N. Clark st. |
‘CONSTANTLY MENTIONED.”
Today he had finished examinin
huge box of massacre records and
eclared:
“I believe The Chicago Amer-
ican’s ste:y is correct in every
line from my investigation, which :
started right after the murders.
“When Bolton was arrested Jan-
uary & in the raid when Russell
Gibson was killed by federal men,
i recalled at once that he was con-
stantiy mentioned in our investi-
gation.”
It was while in federal custody
after the January 8 raid on an
apartment hide-out at 3020 Pine
Grove av., that Bolton told to gov-
eTnment agents the full story of the
massacre, admitting that he was
one of the four machine gun killers,
U. S. GUARDS STATEMENT.
The government ita carefully
guarding Bolton's formal statement,
but friends of the gangster, to
whom he previously had told the
story, revealed it exclusively to The
Chicago American.
In that story, Bolton described
tJe four machine gunners as hav-
lilg been himself, Claude Maddox,
s Winkler and Murray Humph-
réys. Fred ("Killer") Burke d
Fred Goetz, he added. -perel ns
Policeman in full uniforiirte—sat
the stage for the carnage. \
*PLAUSIBLE:” SULLIVAN. '
Chief of Detectives Sullivan dis-
played intense interest in Bolton's
story and said:
“T¢ sounds plausible and has all
the earmarka of being true.”
He planned to confer today with
Commissioner of Polica Allman to
make plans for bringing Bolton
back to Chicago should he escape
conviction in the $200,000 Edward
G. Bremer kidnaping in St. Paul,
for which he faces almost certain
indictment, “oO”
Chief Sullivan gaid the govern-
metn ‘refused police permission to
take Bolton to the detective bu-
reau for questioning before he was
taken to St. Paul, although an of-
fer was made for police ta quiz
him in the Bankers’ Building offices
of the division of investigation, De-
pariment of Justice,
REGALLS RENTED ROOM.
Lftut. Erlanson recalled that
woman living across the street fro
the Moran garage rented to a my®-
terious stranger a room fronting on
Clark st, with an unobstructed
view of the garage front.
Theat room, it was evan used |
soon after the massacre, Was used
as a watching poat.
Bolton, in his story, described |
himself az its tenant.
Lieut, Erlanson declared today}
the landlady at the time described ;
her roomer in a manner which tal-
Hed with Bolton's description, Also,
a letter addressed to Bolton from
his old home town of Thayer, I.,
was found in tha room, definitely
linking him with the case.
FIND WRECKED AUTO.
Bolton’s explanation of the “po-!
cémen” roles played by Burke agd |
oetz, who were unknown to the|
oran gang, to gain entry withqpt
Bispicion to the garage also jis
b@rne out by his information, qe
| Police officer said, |
a rE er
ed
we
'
} Lieut, Erlangon recalled that the |
nighiwatier the massacre
Caditlan touring ear, identical with
WEEISS COG Cal, I2Sniige: Wills
those used by detective bureau
Squads at that time, was found
practically destroyed in a Cicero
prairie.
The automobile had been drench-
ed with gasoline, set afire and.
Mornbed. Only the chassis ramained. §
Serial” pumberg had ‘been filed
‘away, Lieut. Erlarison saif, but sci-
ence managed to reproduca them so
that the car waa d through the
hands of Sevefal dealers and own-
ers—including Maddox, who then
heeded es Lt. |
GREG cae murderous wou
Gang” of the Northwest Side,
SLIPS OUT OF “SPOT.”
Lieut. Erlanson said Maddox was
questioned, having at once failen
under suspicion, but glibly ex-
plained away the automobile angie.
Burke haa always intrigued his,
Interest, the officer sald, but he!
has never been able definitely to.
hook the notorious ae to the!
crime. He declared today:
It Burke would talk the whole
se whkuld be slearsd on.” f
a a whey
Ping is serving a life sentence; |
{
af} hard labor in the Michiga
PHison at Marquette for murderin
a St. Joseph Mich., policeman,
When arrested at St. Joseph, Mo.,
for the policeman'sa murder, some |
months later, Burke’s young wife, |
the innocent daughter of a small |
farmer, declared Burke and Bol-|
ton were close friends and fre-|
quently took tripa together to Great
Falls, Minn., and elsewhere,
SOUGHT TO KILL BOLTON.
The Chictgo American alao
learned that Bolton barely beat the
‘guns of gangland when he revealed
the details of Chicago’s most seus
-tacular crime. 1
To real his lipg Bolton’ 2 sete
rrworld contr erates had pean
waiting with weapons primed a
cocked until the time was ripe.
Bolton, they argued, was a sick
Man, always loquacious, and a man
who has wanted to taik for some
time.
i Instead, they either dallied too
fong or were unable to locate their
' target and the record of that gory |
a has been put down in black
Pasawkiethrough the aloryapitte ed
"trom Bolton's own lps.
. oo ft" cers C i rn ra ne
é
* . 2
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