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| E & OR & November . i] Gepone Wait in Vath,- Scribes Hold ‘Inquest’ Nov. Incensed pt d. ureau of s use ofthe sechecy wi which they surrounded the release of Al Capone, the press—represented by a score of metropolitan and small- town reporters and news photogs— conducted a mock inquest in the hangar at Municipal Airport her Nev. 16, and returned with a verdict holding the Federal Government gui’'~ of negligence in its duty to the read- ing my Just Federi Penitentiary with not a word of comment from an official source concerning the liberation of the once fabulous gang overlord of Chicago, these men who ferret out the news of the day were smarting from the cold shoulder they received *j nfair_an: ~ ligent in dissemination of news _ingi- dent_io the release of Al Capone.” and recommended that steps be taken to establish a better relationship as a means of preventing a recurrence of these misunderstandings Reporters Farious No punches were pulled in the fury that engulfed these men who had failed in their assignment For 24 hours before the story “broke,” the Sunbury Daily Item's news room had scouted reports that Capone was either at Tawishurg, or on his way. Nevertheless the advance guard of newsmen from news services and Metropolitan papers, traveling by ait plane and automobile, went to Lewis- burg, unsuccessfully attempted to verify Capone’s presence there, and then formed a watch at the main gate of the penitentiary. Even then Capone was speeding east from St. Louis on a fast ¢rain, reportedly disguised to shield his iden- tity. The “grape vine" passed word that he would be taken from a train arriving at Harrisburg, Pa, at 354 am. and the tip came in time for news services to have men at the sta- tion. They scanned every person who | stepped from the train, and reported back to their offices that it was a “bad steer.” It was later reported that he left the train at the station and was taken to a waiting automobile which sped 60 miles to the prison. The boys were doing, “lobster” duty when, Federal ' officials say, Capone entered the peni- ! tentiafy shortly after 5 am. Hdw he got imis a mystery, for it was as diffi- cult ir anybody to get past the! cor- don of newspapermen as the guards at the prison gates. back from nearby Lewishurg { C PUBLISHER 25, 1939 Tt was mid-morning Nov..16 when ires brought formal ment from Washington of Capone's release at Lewisburg. The statement came from James V. Bennett, direc- tor of Federal Prisons. UnoMcial Dealat Warden Hill's office said Hill was “out of town.” Informed of Bennett's announcement from Weshington, his sectelary replied: “It's all news to me. We haven't seen Capone around here, but whatever Mr, Bennett an- nounces is authoritative.” Newsmen at the gates were tipped and renewed their demand for a state- ment. It was @ useless gesture, for Warden Hill couldn't be contacted and there was not a spokesman to take his place. Certain that Capone was gone, the staff men pulled stakes and returned ‘to Sunbury. They transformed the airport hangar into a den of smoke, conducted a post mortem and tien} busied themselves at the pleasant task of holding an inquest. r, described as! the “dean” of the news photographers, ! | said: “T've been on the New York! | Daily News staff since 1921, and_Lte)) ” you the public is getting tired of 2 i minals AgRspaper comlach. You would think they were na- tional celebrities, and thet much pro- tection was needed for the public wel- fare. Capone was the nation’s most notorious gang leader during prohi- bition days, accused of every crime in the calendar. There is no reason why he shotld have been given this pro- tection.? A Wathington photog said the aple result of his trip was a “smi ; camera.” He declared it was struck by 42 federal officer at the penitentiary. It was 3 pm. more than two hours after the metropolitan staff men left the airport, that the final threads of the story were pieced together by the Daily Item in the first official an- nounsement from Warden Hill. He explained that Capone was re- ceived at the penitentiary about 5 am., and that he was treated like J any of the other 1,600 prisoners dur- ing his two-hour stay. At 7 o'clock Hill said he ordered Capone brought to his office. Handed the official pa- pers of release, Hill said Capone “smiled a yard wide” and offered a polite “Thank you.” ‘At that very moment the newsmen werg at the front gate, but Hill safd tha? was where they made their mi- Fe—for Capone was released throush rear gate at the other end of fhe reservation, jumped into a “big, black automobile” and disappeared. . , Tolson. , Nathan. ir, Guana T Mr. Tracy Mans Gundy Tour Room