Encyclopedia Titanica

FIND HEADQUARTERS OF CHICAGO GUNMEN

New York Times

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Police Locate Saloon Where They Got Arms and Waited, It is Said, for Murphy's Orders
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RAID JOHN MILLER'S HOME
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Seize Quantity of Dynamite There---Paper Giving List Used Last Tuesday Is Found
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Special to The New York Times
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CHICAGO, May 15---Discovery of the recruiting headquarters of terrorists, where paid sluggers, bombers and gunmen got their bombs and revolvers and then, it is alleged, went to "Big Tim" Murphy's office for instructions, was the most startling of a number of developments today in the drive being made by the authorities to curb the alleged criminal activities of labor leaders.

Evidence that the saloon of Jerry Horan, at Wood and Van Buren Streets, was the headquarters of the sluggers and bombers and evidence connecting John Miller, owner of the car from which the two policemen were shot to death, with labor assaults dating back several years, is now in the possession of the police.

It was learned that the trail of the police led them to Horan's saloon, where Miller worked as a bartender, and near the spot where a few hours after the murder of Policeman Clark and Acting Police Lieutenant Lyons the Miller auto was found filled with bullet holes and bespattered with blood.

Two confessions, one said to be from one of the actual slayers and the second from a man thought to be the driver of the death car, are in the hands of the police. The name of the killer is being withheld, but the second is believed to be John Miller, 3,430 Emerald Avenue. The police are now said to have complete knowledge of the identity of the men in the car as well as of the men "higher up."

Announcement of the two confessions was made tonight just before a conference of State's Attorney Crowe, Chief of Police Fitzmorris, Chief of Detectives Hughes and Henry Barrett Chamberlin, managing director of the Chicago Crime Commission.

The identity of the one man is being kept secret for fear that an attempt might be made to obtain his release on a writ of habeas corpus. He is said to have expressed a fear that he will be killed by comrades if released.

Waited in Saloon for Orders

The Horan saloon, it developed, was the recruiting headquarters for the bombers, gunmen and sluggers. Here they waited, it is said, the call of the "Big Three," and when the call came revolvers, bombs or blackjacks, as the nature of the call required, were distributed.

Equipped for their crime the sluggers climbed into an automobile and were driven to 114 West Washington Street, the heaquarters [sic] of "Big Tim" Murphy's union, the Gas House Workers and the Street Sweepers, and received a list of the places they were to bomb or the men they were to attack.

Last Tuesday night, the night of the murder, the sluggers received a list containing the names of six places to bomb, and that list is now in the possession of the police, and is regarded as one of the most damaging pieces of evidence against the "Big Three."

It was learned that of the six names three were the Pitsburgh [sic] Plate Glass Company, Tyler & Hippach's and Sharp and Partridge. The bombers had touched off their bombs at Tyler & Hippach's, 623 Orleans Street, and were preparing to bomb the establishment of Sharp and Partridge, at Twenty-second and Lumber Streets, where Clark was on guard, when the fight which resulted in the death of Clark started.

The possession of the sluggers' list used the night of the murder and the raiding of Miller's home at 3,430 Emerald Avenue today, where a large quantity of dynamite, percussion caps and a long length of fuse were obtained, is believed to indicate that Miller, who for a week has refused to make any statement, has at last confessed. This, too, is borne out by Fitzmorris's statement that "Miller is talking a little."

Miller was arrested after the car used by the slayers had been identified as belonging to him. This afternoon after he had been subjected to a lengthy inquisition, a number of detectives under command of Chief Hughes raided his home, and in the basement, in a barrel apparently holding nothing but refuse, they found the explosives.

It developed also that Miller will probably be charged with the murder of John Kikulski, stock yards labor official, who was shot to death in a labor war in 1920. Despite his denials that he had any connection with labor unions the police have further established, it is said, that he was interested in the Window CleanersÂ’ Union, and they now hope to connect him with the Kikulski murder, as his description tallies exactly with that of the assailant.

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Encyclopedia Titanica (2004) FIND HEADQUARTERS OF CHICAGO GUNMEN (New York Times, Tuesday 16th May 1922, ref: #3317, published 30 July 2004, generated 1st December 2024 11:11:28 PM); URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/find-headquarters-chicago-gunmen.html