‘i
‘.-1'1r.
am
is» “ it. «all.
By WILLIAM J. BURNS
Director. Bureau 0‘ investigation, U. 3. Dept. of Justice
*
47 Wmt gruesome discovery by the police of Paris that
T , ..{ typhus germs were being sold at retail to those
desired an efi’ective means of removing an enemy
A'mcting inconvenient suspicion, adds one more to the
Uf murder tools and naturally turns the minds of
3;, L115 and criminologists to a recollection of the many
1 ”h 1 weapons used by crooks in their nefarious business.
v the assertion of the
l ".r Association that so
" llm homicides in this
. l ummiiicd with a pill-
r other means of
nre employed fre-
vl.:h to cause remark
hrltion of possible
.,-:~ing the murder im-
‘-~r of fact. while the
.~ most convenient
my and, when 11 d-
l\;"‘l'f, is the sure in
th0 average crook
.r almost any other
, .pun, The revolver. it
mhcred. is noisy and
its ambition to coh-
‘5' business he has in
’Il'Tllli‘l‘ calculated to
(ltir‘ attention as pos-
'w-nys carries a gun
1' use it if he has to,
llilllrillly hates to
'.‘lv.’tn(‘(‘.
l. he will, whenever
any of the so-called
"hills". which range
lll'lll u blackjack to
llmlm'hnld hammer.
. outraged in a little Job
, .1 whiff or two of
:mpvrly npplhd. will
1 ' l'pnqt' admirably. It
l.l.:lv~rstnnd that the
ltlnk robber or the
H lllwl-l not start out
, 'vv’lun of committing
llv- '.\l.l kill if he has to,
1‘ it in certain arrest.
.fs- ii. if possible on ac-
llnplr'nsant results
"iv follow if he ll
I x will.
15 Mix! 1' hand. the mat-
; -"l .1 one. involving
1, . (".ln circle of s ciety.
' , i may seem desirable
v H»- crook will use a
i‘ . rl- is no time to seek
sum-hr mllnnS. In cas-
- 1M» .‘llTL'i'lt‘Yf‘d party has
"2' (or planning. a brick
: MW :1 rmlsonable degree
v from n roof. or a
npll‘il ti with force to
m u .1 \wlm's skull. have
' wnir . ""2- mtlsfactory re-
,mg the spotlight
.11,
blackjacks of leather
containing lead fiweight
in the end,‘
handle flexible.
of suspicion to be turned on the
operator.
There have been occasions when
men have been struck on the head
with a folded newspaper and fatal
results have followed owing to the
fact that a length of lead pipe was
concealed in the folds of the
paper.
Razors have figured in hund-
reds of homicides. This weapon
is commonly associated with the
negro. but its use is by no means
confined to that race. There was
a time when many of the genus
hobo used the razor not only for
its legitimate purpose. but as a
means of offense and defense.
Held in the crotch of the hand.
between the thumb and index fin-
ger. with the blade folded back
against the handle. and with a
coat held over the left forearm to
guard against the opponent's
strokes. the razor is a formidable
weapon.
A carpenter's chisel is employed
infrequently. T is is more of a
spur-of—the-mom, t wespon——one
that is caught up in a moment of
Homemade filletto;
blade made from file,
guard and handle from
I?
passion and used with frightful re-
sults as an ambulance surgeon
who has treated victims of chisel-
wounds will testify. This is not
only a stabbing tool. but. if it is
heavy enough. can inflict terrible-
snc cut." head wounds.
1. .. same category of spur-ob
the-nicm‘mt weapons are the but-
cher’s cleaver. the carving knife,
the household hatchet. axe. saw.
chair. stool. milk-bottle and even
the kitchen fork. all of which
have been used frequently enough
to be listed as murder tools.
There was even a recent case in
Europe where a bride hit her new
husband on the head with a brass-
bound bible and killed him.
The hat pin has been employed
with fatal results on several oc-
casions. The first case of this
character to attract public atten-
tion puszled the police for quite a
while. and it was not until the
autopsy revealed a puncture of the
heart and a small black spot on
the flesh over the organ that the
authorities were able to determine
the cause of death.
metal work.
v- ‘ Double edged curved
bladed knife. Used by
seafaring men in China
and Far East ports.
.s»
.. I
p- L
:—
ed ornamental
*—
Of course,
knuckles are common. A short
length of rubber hose. filled with
buckshot and stepped at the ends,
and even a stocking filled with
moist sand are used on occasion.
These instruments are ordinarily
employed to put the. victim "out".
that is to render him unconscious
for the time being. but the results
of blows with these weapons are
frequently fatal.
Knives. dirks, dangers and stil-
ettos are used principally by al-
iens from Southern Europe and
the Far East. An emigrant from
one of the Mediterranean coun-
tries will come over here. He has
carried a weapon, probably. all
his life. but he knows he cannot
bring it into this country with him.
So he lands unarmed and one of
his first acts is to remedy what to
him is a fatal defect.
If he cannot buy or otherwise
acquire a knife such as he. used to
carry at home, he buys a simple
three-cornered file and a. wooden
handle at a" hardwarawreflogafi‘
Fulcflf“ [N c ‘ ‘
such things as the
blackjack. thcf‘slungshot and brass
WM. 1. BURNS
Director Bureau of investigation
.8. Department of Justice
few cents. He grinds the point
and edges of the file and thus
makes as fine a stiletto as his heart
could desire. It is not much al-
tered in appearance. but it is a
terribly effective weapon and your
Southern European knows how to
use it. He may weight it with a
little melted lead and make a
throwing as well as s. stabbing
weapon out of it. Some of these
aliens can throw a properly bal-
anced stiletto more than 15 feet
with marvellous accuracy.
All of the .foregoing. however,
are crude and strictly utilitarian
means of dealing death. There
are others of a more artistic nat-
ure. as it were.
Take. for instance. the typhus
germs which the Paris police dis—
covered Could anything be bet-
ter or more fiendishly calculated
to accomplish the purpose? Yet.
we have had parallel cases in this
country where typhoid and pneu-
monia. germs and even tuberculos-
is bacilli have been administered
to‘victims in their daily food.
There have been poiSon cases
without number. Famous among
these was that of the New York
dentist who poisoned his wife's
mother and father. one after the
other. by administering arsenic in
increasing doses in their food. and
who. at the tuner-{t of his father-
ln-law. announced that he feared
his wife, who inherited is. consid-
erable estate through the death of
her parents. would “never bear up
under the shock". Fortunately.
his crime was discovered before
his wife succumbed to the malady.
Powered glass in food has also
been used with fatal results. Elec-
tricity has played its part. And
gas. There was the case of the
denizen of New York's Chinatown
who was found dead in his bed,
with a tube leading from the gas
jet in the hall to the keyhole of
his locked bedroom door.
So. in spite of the Bar Associa-
tion's findings, it is not always
firearms that are responsible for
homicides and the way to stop
murder is not by prohibiting the
manufacture and sale of weapons
~a'thing which cannot possibly
be effectively done—but by putting
a strong curb on the murder im~
pulse.
It would be perfectly commend-
able to pass a. law regulating the
sale of pistols and revolvers in
such manner that they could be
obtained by reputable citizens, but
would be diflicult for crooks to
obtain and personally dangerous
for them to carry. The Capper
Dill now before the United States
Senate. contains many admirable
provisions along these lines. but
to be effective. it will have to be
made uniform in all of the States.
In any legislation. however. care
should be taken to avoid the mis-
takes of New York State’s notor-
ious Sullivan law. This measure.
according to Assemblyman Louis
A. Cuvillier of the New York Log
islature. “has caused more mur-
ders in New York City b reason
of the fact that a highwa man or
burglar well knows when he goes
into a dwelling or a store. or en-
gages in a hold-up or stick—up.
that his victim is unarmed."
Much can be done by the courts
and the criminal
There is too much delay in hand.
ling criminal cases. There is too
much leniency shown by some of
the courts. There is too much
coddllng of criminals when. and if,
they finally do reach prison.
In nine cases out of ten. under
the misguided system now in vo.
gue in many of the states. the
criminal lives far better in prison
than he does outside and this is
especially true of murderers.
whether they finally ‘go to the
chair or not.
All of this should be stopped.
When a murderer is arrested. he
should be brought to trial with
the least delay consistent with ab-
solute Justice. Under the English
mtem. ones a murdererisbrought
to trial. and that is as promptly
as possible, no technicalities are
permitted to interfere with the
rapid procedure of the trial and
the execution of the sentence.
Prompt and, drastic administrac
tion of justice will reduce murders
to a minimum. Nothing will ab-
solutely prevent them and certain-
ly additional laws prohibiting this
or that‘ weapon will have no ef-
fect whatever. A murderer is one
to whom law means nothing. De-
prive him of one means and he
will use another. Make his pun-
ishment swift and hard and the
next in line will think twice be-
fore he yields to the homicidal im.
pulse. In nine cases out of ten.
that second thought will prevent
him from becoming a murderer! '
authorities. .
TREMENDOUS
DEMAND
The Ford Factory will build
1C: n mt 124,000 cars in February.
Dealers have already ordered
m w 148,000 Fords'for February.
HIGHER MOTOR PRICES
I
[ Read the Following Comments From the Boston News Bureau:
PREDICTIONS OF HIGHER AUTO PRICES.
Chicago—“Price increases will be general .thruout the automobile induso
try within 90 days,"
says Pres. Rickenbacker of Rickenbacker Automobile Co.
”The automobile market has hit the bottom,” Rickenbacker said.
‘ ‘ The re-
action is under way. Cost of spring cars to the consumegwill be higher.”
“There are many indications which would justify the belief that higher
prices for cars are in ‘sight, ” William Thompson, Stutz official, says.
Detroit .—“Everything points to the conclusion that automobile prices
:have reached rock bottom and that the next movement will be upward,” 81138
Pres. W. R. Wilson of Maxwell Motor Co.
WE ASK; YO
——Sixty days from now—to remember that on February 13 we advised you to
FREIGHT
EMBARGO
In spite of the courtesy and efficiency of
the New York, New Haven and Hartford
Railroad—~freight conditions continue very
had.
We are obliged to get permits for every
car shipped m from the West.
_ This, together with the weather, 15 mak-
ing it doubly hard for us to get Ford cars.
«mks.-. -. _
Norwalk Chronicler