tection given newspaper thugs by
those higher-up.
A Day Book reporter today
talked to one of the policemen,
now detailed under Lavin for the
capture of Webb. For obvious
reasons this policeman's name
cannot be used.
"What's the use of our risking
our lives?" this policeman asked.
"What's the use of our risking
getting what poor Hart got when
the odds are that if we capture
Webb the case aaginst him will
be quietly dropped?
"It seems almost impossible
that such a thing would be done,
doesn't it?
"But have you ever heard of
the murderers of Frank Witt or
George Hehr going to trial?
"Of course you haven't, and if
they are not put on trial soon the
"statute of limitations will have
run its course, and it will be im
possible to bring them to trial.
"I tell you now that I and the
other policemen on this job don't
care to risk our lives to capture
a man who probably would be
protected after capture a man
whom we know would as soon
kill a cop as not."
The story of Webb's life was
told today by Mrs. W. H. Lon
dergon, wife of the saloonkeeper
at Princeton avenue and Forty
second place, who went on
Webb's parole when he was re
leased from Pontiac reformatory.
"Webb used to be a good boy,"
said Mrs. Londergon. "My hus
band was not always a saloon
keeper. He used to manufacture
blackboard erasers in a little shop
and he supplied all the public
schools in Chicago. Webb used
to work for him then.
"Webb was a good boy then.
He used to work steadily, and he
stayed home at nights. We never
heard anything bad about him
then.
"But the furniture trust came
in, and put my husband out of
business. They gave the schools
blackboard erasers free in order
to do it.
"Webb lost his job with us
then, and soon went from bad to
worse.
"I think the first time he scab
bed was in the freight handlers'
strike. He was a checker at the
Polk street -depot for the Rock
Island. He carried two guns.
"I think carrying the guns,
sort of went to the boy's head.
He was never the same after that.
"Then he met this girl who
lives just across the way Mabel
Conliss. She's a supervisor in
the Hyde Park telephone ex
change. "He got worse then. I think
he spent a lot of money on her,
and when the newspaper strike
came along, he went to work for
the Examiner.
"He was supplied with two
more guns. He had kept his old
ones and used to go about carry
ing all four, like a regular arsenal.
Everybody around here was
afraid of him.
"He drove an auto truck for
the Examiner all through the
strike until the men who were
walking the streets were almost
beaten, and the newspapers cut