1939-04-22 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 22, 1939.

Chemical Proves

Proves Guilt Of "Last Racketeer"

New York, April 11.

Scarface Al Capone breathed more easily to- day. John Torrio, the man whom he and every other gangster in America feared, was a menace

no more.

To the judge trying him for evasion of income tax, Torrio to-day changed his plea, and by admit- ting his guilt left himself open to a long term of imprisonment in Alcatraz, the "Devil's Isle" of U.S.A.

Torrio, meek, dapper, and mild in When Torria was first arrested, appearance, has kept alive in a pro- in 1936, his wife brought £20,000 fession where life insurance is not in notes to the court to bail him obtainable by knowing when to com-out. He began life in the Brooklyn promise. He knew his game was up slums, then became a billiards hall, on Saturday, when the ledgers of a proprietor, and early in the days whisky concern were produced in of Prohibition went to Chicago as court. It was contended that Torrio lieutenant to Big Jim Colosimo, first was chief stockholder in that or-"Czar" of Chicago's underworld.

the that he received ganisation,

Jargest share of the profits, that he had wilfully neglected to pay in- come tax on those profits.

But

Torrio denied everything. bottle of foul-smelling ammonium the prosecution's lawyers produced a sulphide, and while women jurora held their noses they dabbed the chemical over the ledgers.

Carefully erased pencil marks appeared on the pages. They all read Johnny T.

kingpin

So Torrio, last of the racketeers of an era that is past, will go to Alcatraz before his hen- chman Capone, shivering from a fear his boss would have him kill- ed, becomes a free man again,

CAPONE ‘SQUEALED’ With Torrio were charged his brother-in-law, William Slockbower, a former henchman of Al Capone; Louis La Cava, John d'Agostino and James La Penna. They were ac- cused of conspiring with William H. Boyd, a former Assistant Attor- ney-General, to defraud the Govern- ment.

Boyd, when accused of accepting £5,000 in bribes from Torria, hang- ed himself.

Al Capone, in his prison cell in Alcatraz, broke the code of the un- derworld by "squealing" on Torrio,

Earlier this month, too, a convict dying while serving a life sentence in Sing Sing prison appeared in court to give evidence against the "big shot."

Yeash

This man. Katzenberg, was once a member of Torrio's gang.

He declared Torrio had made a .fabulous fortune by shipping liquor

all over the country.

NEW PUPPETRY AT HANKOW

Shanghai, Yesterday.

That the puppet governments in Nanking and Peiping are to be reinforced by a third is indicated in reports of the creation of a Japanese Municipality in the Wuhan cities.

The Japanese press reports the formation of a Committee for Organising a new government in Central China, whose, authority would extend over Hupeh, Hunan and Kiangsi.

The new government will ap- pear when the administration of the Wuhan cities is handed over by the Japanese military authori ties.

A man named Ho Pei-jung, al- leged to be an adherent of Wu Pei-fu, has been selected as chair- man. Trans-Ocean.

N.Z. TO BUILD

'PLANES

Production of Tiger Moth aero- planes and Moth Minors at the new factory at Wellington, N.Z., will begin in about nine months' time Major Murray Jones, man- aging director of the De Havil- land Aircraft Company of Aus- tralia, revealed there says Reu- ter.

His firm, he said, would import "key" men from Great Britain and train others in New Zealand.

FRENCH LINER DISASTER

AS

PARIS, YESTERDAY. THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT IS RESERVING DECISION TO WHETHER THE LINER "PARIS" IS TO BE REPLACED: M. Daladier received yesterday the French Mercantile Marine Minister, M. de Chappedelaine, who made a. detailed report on the "Paris" disaster.

The results of police investiga- tions so far seem to indicate that the fire was due to arson.

crime on an organised; basis, and

The French Government owns for a time after Big Jim's assassina- tion he was the racket ruler of more than 75 per cent, of the At- shares. Trans- Chicago, Torrio is, now fifty-six lantic Company

Ocean.

He helped Colosimo to place 'years old.

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