THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 6, 1989
Life In "Wickedest City" Unmasked As G-men Score Their Biggest Victory
Capone's Squeal Used In Evidence
G-men secured the greatest victory in their history when an indictment of Income Tax evasion was obtained in Kansas City against Thomas Joseph Prendergast, the most powerful political boss in America to-day. Bail has been allowed in £2,000.
Prendergast is a millionaire several times over, and lives in an aristocratic ward, Parkway, in a house which he said cost him £60,000.
J
Prendergast has been No. 1 poli- tical boss. Already No. I crime boss
For 28 years he has ruled over six-year fight, against crooked poli- Kansas City, known as the "wicke- tics by the G-mẹn. dest city" in America, much of whose hospitality extended to murderers, gangsters and anyone else who might come in useful at election time, when murders and kidnap- pings become the order of the day.
Kansas City has 300 churches- and twice as many gambling houses, of which advertise in the
many
newspapers.
POLICE GAMBLERS
Every known gambling game is played in wide open gambling halls -in most cases controlled by ex- election judges, ex-ward captains and ex-convicts-by relatives police officers, municipal inspectors, ex-assistant prosecuting attorneys and others.
of
For years, G-men have known of the state of affairs, but could not do anything against the Prender- gast gunmen until recently.
Months ago, the United States Government commenced to fight the stranglehold Prendergast held over decent citizens. Republicans and Democrats alike took sides with the G-men in the toughtest battle wag- ed in' America against a boss-ruled city.
G-men carried out investigations and Federal District Attorney Maurice Milligan acted as prosecu- tor. The Federal judges were Al- bert L. Reeves and Merril E. Otis. All were threatened with death during the trial.
In the greatest wholesale pro- secution for vote frauds in history, these three have sent men and wo- men, regardless of party, to prison.
For the first time in 25 years, the Prendergast machine has been pow- erless to save these crooked election workers from gaol.
There have been no acquittals.
CAPONES TESTIMONY
One by one, conspiracy cases in- volving 260 different defendants have been disposed of. One by one, men and women involved received sentences ranging from probation to five years in the Penitentiary, fines varying from £5 to $550, and totalling more than £29,000.
The arrest of the Kansas City boss has created one of the political sensations in America for years, and is the conclusion:
600 MILES IN
22 HOURS
Major Alexander de Seversky, the American aircraft designer, landed at Copenhagen aerodrome.. at 6.45, having flown from Lon-.. don, 600 miles, in 21⁄2 hours, a speed of 240 miles an hour. This is claimed to be a record.
-Johnnie Torrio
NAZIS' ATTACK ON
PRIMATE
Nazi church leaders have "severed all relations with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Lang, accusing his of "anti-Nazi, agitation and Bolshevik tendencies.”
This step is announced in a state- ment published in the official Church Gazette.
is on trial in
The statement declares: "The New York.
Archbishop of Canterbury has, ac- During coming proceedings both cording to newspaper reports, de-. will hear testimony given by Capone clared himself in favour. of CO- to G-men when he "squealed" a 50-operation between Britain and the page deposition four weeks ago, in Soviet Union, and has tried to form his cell in the Federal hospital in a united front of all Christian chur- California.
ches, under the leadership of the And the eyes of all America will Pope, against the so-called German be focused on the trial.
'menace.'
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