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St Valentines Day Massacre — Part 2

38 pages · May 11, 2026 · Broad topic: Organized Crime · Topic: St Valentines Day Massacre · 38 pages OCR'd
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vs oe AWE TT NILLLIT VALU HH BUND -DFFOES Lieut. Otto r “silaneon, veteran! head of the police homicide equad, declared today he believes Byron Bolton’s sensational story of the 1929 St. Valentine's Day septuple gang massacre “is true in every line” ag printed exclusively in The | Chicago American. Zdeut, Erlanson went te work on the amazing case within a matter of minutes after the seven adhéer- ents of George (“Bugs”) Moran | were found slaughtered b; machine | gun fire in the gang garage head: | marters at 2122 N. Clark st. | ‘CONSTANTLY MENTIONED.” Today he had finished examinin huge box of massacre records and eclared: “I believe The Chicago Amer- ican’s ste:y is correct in every line from my investigation, which : started right after the murders. “When Bolton was arrested Jan- uary & in the raid when Russell Gibson was killed by federal men, i recalled at once that he was con- stantiy mentioned in our investi- gation.” It was while in federal custody after the January 8 raid on an apartment hide-out at 3020 Pine Grove av., that Bolton told to gov- eTnment agents the full story of the massacre, admitting that he was one of the four machine gun killers, U. S. GUARDS STATEMENT. The government ita carefully guarding Bolton's formal statement, but friends of the gangster, to whom he previously had told the story, revealed it exclusively to The Chicago American. In that story, Bolton described tJe four machine gunners as hav- lilg been himself, Claude Maddox, s Winkler and Murray Humph- réys. Fred ("Killer") Burke d Fred Goetz, he added. -perel ns Policeman in full uniforiirte—sat the stage for the carnage. \ *PLAUSIBLE:” SULLIVAN. ' Chief of Detectives Sullivan dis- played intense interest in Bolton's story and said: “T¢ sounds plausible and has all the earmarka of being true.” He planned to confer today with Commissioner of Polica Allman to make plans for bringing Bolton back to Chicago should he escape conviction in the $200,000 Edward G. Bremer kidnaping in St. Paul, for which he faces almost certain indictment, “oO” Chief Sullivan gaid the govern- metn ‘refused police permission to take Bolton to the detective bu- reau for questioning before he was taken to St. Paul, although an of- fer was made for police ta quiz him in the Bankers’ Building offices of the division of investigation, De- pariment of Justice, REGALLS RENTED ROOM. Lftut. Erlanson recalled that woman living across the street fro the Moran garage rented to a my®- terious stranger a room fronting on Clark st, with an unobstructed view of the garage front. Theat room, it was evan used | soon after the massacre, Was used as a watching poat. Bolton, in his story, described | himself az its tenant. Lieut, Erlanson declared today} the landlady at the time described ; her roomer in a manner which tal- Hed with Bolton's description, Also, a letter addressed to Bolton from his old home town of Thayer, I., was found in tha room, definitely linking him with the case. FIND WRECKED AUTO. Bolton’s explanation of the “po-! cémen” roles played by Burke agd | oetz, who were unknown to the| oran gang, to gain entry withqpt Bispicion to the garage also jis b@rne out by his information, qe | Police officer said, | a rE er ed we ' } Lieut, Erlangon recalled that the | nighiwatier the massacre Caditlan touring ear, identical with WEEISS COG Cal, I2Sniige: Wills those used by detective bureau Squads at that time, was found practically destroyed in a Cicero prairie. The automobile had been drench- ed with gasoline, set afire and. Mornbed. Only the chassis ramained. § Serial” pumberg had ‘been filed ‘away, Lieut. Erlarison saif, but sci- ence managed to reproduca them so that the car waa d through the hands of Sevefal dealers and own- ers—including Maddox, who then heeded es Lt. | GREG cae murderous wou Gang” of the Northwest Side, SLIPS OUT OF “SPOT.” Lieut. Erlanson said Maddox was questioned, having at once failen under suspicion, but glibly ex- plained away the automobile angie. Burke haa always intrigued his, Interest, the officer sald, but he! has never been able definitely to. hook the notorious ae to the! crime. He declared today: It Burke would talk the whole se whkuld be slearsd on.” f a a whey Ping is serving a life sentence; | { af} hard labor in the Michiga PHison at Marquette for murderin a St. Joseph Mich., policeman, When arrested at St. Joseph, Mo., for the policeman'sa murder, some | months later, Burke’s young wife, | the innocent daughter of a small | farmer, declared Burke and Bol-| ton were close friends and fre-| quently took tripa together to Great Falls, Minn., and elsewhere, SOUGHT TO KILL BOLTON. The Chictgo American alao learned that Bolton barely beat the ‘guns of gangland when he revealed the details of Chicago’s most seus -tacular crime. 1 To real his lipg Bolton’ 2 sete rrworld contr erates had pean waiting with weapons primed a cocked until the time was ripe. Bolton, they argued, was a sick Man, always loquacious, and a man who has wanted to taik for some time. i Instead, they either dallied too fong or were unable to locate their ' target and the record of that gory | a has been put down in black Pasawkiethrough the aloryapitte ed "trom Bolton's own lps. . oo ft" cers C i rn ra ne é * . 2
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