Chicago Tribune
TAXI CHAUFFEURS MUST AID
U.S. IN WAR ON VICE
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2 Concerns Tell Drivers They Must Uphold the Federal Statute.
Taxicab drivers have been enlisted by their employers to aid in the drive of city, state and federal authorities against crime and vice in Chicago. Drivers of the Shaw and Yellow cab companies must help to maintain law and order, according to notices posted about their working quarters and published in their trade journals, or subject themselves to discharge.
"Under a new federal ruling," reads one of the notices printed by the cab companies on trade paper, "the United States government is going to punish all persons who shall direct, transport, or aid any person to find an immoral house within this city. The punishment will be a fine of $1,000 or twelve months’ imprisonment or both. This company will not assist in the defense of anybody violating the above law."
The drivers also are warned to be careful of their own conduct, and are threatened with immediate dismissal if caught gambling or lounging about where liquors are sold or where the atmosphere is not altogether "healthy."
Crime Drive Still On.
At 7 o’clock yesterday morning 220 persons under suspicion as habitual criminal had been reported arrested throughout the city. Before noon fifty-three more were being held at the detective bureau. The latter had been taken on the north and west sides in connection with several recent holdups. Detectives Crot,. Welling and Smith made the arrests of the latter.
A number of the fifty-three were reported late in the day to have made statements to the police. "We believe we are about to clear up some holdups robberies, and burglaries on the north and west sides," said Chief Mooney and he added that the robbery of $1,000 from the Heafeld and Fisher company, at Milwaukee and Belmont avenues, by four bandits recently, and that of the Best Brewing company, at 1317 Fletcher street, had been mentioned by some of the suspects.
Youthful offenders are being shown less consideration by the courts. Lester Peterson, 18 years old and William Barry, 19, yesterday pleaded for leniency after they admitted committing highway robbery, when arraigned before Judge John P. McGoorty in the Criminal court. Judge McGoorty refused their plea and sentenced them to terms of from one to twenty years in the state reformatory.
Stead’s Bond Forfeited
Judge McGoorty then forfeited the bonds of $10,000 against Harry Stead, notorious safeblower, who was charged with obtaining $2,400 in the robbery of the National Tea company last December. Stead is well known to the police and has a penitentiary record extending back to 1896.
Harry Emerson, confessed member of the gang which killed Dennis Tierney, collector for the Illinois Central railroad, in the Randolph street station holdup, was arraigned on the original charge of vagrancy on which he was arrested in the South Clark street court yesterday. Representatives of the state’s attorney’s office asked a thirty day continuance.
Jury Hard to Get.
Thirty veniremen were examined by the state and the defense yesterday for a jury to try the alleged members of the gang which robbed the Stockmen’s Trust and Saving bank of $10,000 on Dec. 5. Not one of them was accepted.
