Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 6, 1928, Winnipeg, Manitoba Tub inquest took place in o Keefe Raymer s under taking Parlours. Deputy Cor. Oner Maehs was in charge pud there were four coppers from the Patterson Street police station. Tipiere should have been four Bilozon but even then it. Is doubtful if the proceedings would have perceptibly improved. How can you expect an honest presentation of evidence Evhen the chief witness before Tak ing the stand is sitting Between two gangsters who have already told him what will happen it he testifies thus and so or wherewith a just verdict when each Ami every Mem Ber of the Coroner s jury has been intimidated before the Deputy swore him in the newspaper men. Usually at their use in routine matters like Liis were noticeably worried. They kept together in a compact Little group at one end of the reporters and three nor did any of the latter attempt to take a picture Good reason Lou himself his right hip Bulg ing had met them at the door and informed them what would happen if any pictures whatsoever were taken. Well smash your camera and throw you out on your each was advised. And Chris it others the Only eyewitness to the lulling arrived in obedience to a subpoena Anndell Anil a gunman known As the Sheik immediately stepped up to receive him. He came in the com Pany of an assistant states attorney who had been detailed to prepare i he Case Tor subsequent presentation 10 the grand jury. But Maudell and the Sheik were not discomfited. They ignored the Young assistant state s attorney just As though he did not . As the taxi halted at the curb Maudell stepped and Brothers hand in a affable fashion. Then the Sheik similarly greeted him and each taking an Elbow they walked Arm in Arm us door of o Keefe Hay fur s. Charlie Sevry. Who had been a police reporter for upward of fifteen years said that the entire Montana gang was present at the inquest. It was As if the Beer business Han been closed for the Holiday declared in recognition of f acky Spunn s arrest for the murder of Walter Condon. The inquest and the jury of frightened citizens was sworn. There they sat facing one end of the Long Oak Lable with the report ers bunched at the other. Here hair Way Between was Deputy Coroner u Achs. Flanked on his left by the official stenographer on his Rigel by tiie assistant state s attorney. Directly opposite him id the cams Tody of two policemen yet within touching distance of half a dozen follow Packy Spaun and his lawyer and Back from the table in the Trout Row of. Spectators chairs with Kike Maudell lit one ear and the Sheik whispering it the other shrank Chris Brothers the Only witness. One person 01 importance was missing and he Jay in tiie Back room not Twenty feet from the table in a pungent atmosphere of shellac and formaldehyde. A Sheet covered him from head to feet hid ing the cruel Marki of the Shotgun slugs the ghastly wounds on his face. It was hard looking it that cold gruesome figure to recognize Walter Condon who had been so Debonair so full of life and spirit such a Happy go Lucky Young fellow. Charlie Devry thought so. Less than Twenty four hours ago he had encountered Walter in front of a Wesl Side chop House and chatted with him a while. Their acquaint a i g h t Ance was mainly professional Char lie having been present on several occasions when detective Bureau squads look Walter into custody. Again and again he interviewed the smiling gangster. Once he acted As a go Between i of Walter and his girl. All in All they had rather liked each other the gangster and the reporter. Or perhaps it would be Only fail to say for that was Walter s status when the Shotgun carried him off. It was about a week before his murder that the word went Arou Iid about Walter Condon breaking with Montana and definite by quitting the beet Racket. A sergeant out in the Tioga Avenue precinct first picked up the news and phoned Down to the Charlie Sevry heard Ujj there and was Juki As As any. What s the idea of Waller cutting Loose from Jie town s biggest Beer All of them were ask ing the question from Chiet of detectives Martin Clear Clown 10 the bail Bond runners. Somebody said that Waller s woman was Beijing that gut Char lie Divry Busy. Having carried her a message the last time Walter was arrested he had a. Slight acquaint Ance with Dorothy Llaurie More Over he knew whore she lived. 13ut when he sought her there she was gone and none could Tell him Ybera she had moved. Charlie s curiosity grew All the Keener. A Good news yarn lurked in this somewhere to Felt certain. Then the Story got around that Walter had married Dorothy Marie and bought a partnership in some body s garage business. Most of the Dicks were sceptical about the latter. That Walter might marry his pretty blonde sweetheart was not at All hard to but the garage business it looked to them like a Dodge to hide some new sort of Racket. Automobiles Are so essential to metropolitan crime especially the Beer running Branch of it. Perhaps the Story of the split up was just some new strategy of Lou Montana s. Alter All gangsters rarely part company they be got 100 much on one another for one tiling Ami their interests Are All for Unity limit the Story was True nevertheless. When Charlie Devry finally found Walter Condon in front of the chop House the latter had looked at him there was something about the Gray pleasant eyes of that Man which made you choose to believe inc even though you Luciew he was a a breaker and a potential killer. No that s god s Wal Ler had said. Lou and 1 re emits. Naw we Ain t had a scrap. I m just 1 made my pile and i m tired of the oui less. 1 bought tip half of Chris Brothers garage you know Chris s place Clon t you. Over by the Pontiac theatre Chris and 1 re partners now. It s going to make a Sweet Little business and maybe you thing 1 did t learn some thing about cars when i was running the Beer with Walter his Teeth flashing his eyes twinkling had banged the reporter s Back and held out an impulsive hand. Well wish Luck old kid ton won t see me no More in Bat Lousy old room at the Bureau. And say Are you going to put something in the paper about this you say if you his voice had lowered to a confidential key. It la Deasi the that s Why 1 done it. She kept after me and alter me. Walt when Are you go ing to quit to live Walt you got enough Cut it out and let s live decent All the time shooting that stuff at. Me. Well what s a Guy doing to do 1 used to Tell her a dry up do i look like a dead one or something but then i be to catch it 1113 her so say boy maybe it Ain t a grand Little feeling now that we went and made the she reformed you Charlie s face had brightened with the sudden unfold ment of a human interest Story. The notorious Crook turned straight through the influence of a pretty woman it would be a sad Day for american journalism when z. Story like that failed to crack a Hole in Page one of Charlie s paper. Listen. Lei s have . We dish this up in style. To you mean it you la print the kid s picture and All i Tell you i got to see a fellow at the garage but you go round to the hat and Tell her 1 said you could have it he had Given him the hurried off with an airy wave of the hand. Debonair Walter Condon a Man of legitimate business Light hearted Walter Condon so pleased will his new respectability laugh ing Walter Condon no longer an enemy of society wary eyed foe of. The coppers and Charlie Devry filled with enthusiasm for his Story had eaten a Hasty counter dinner and hopped aboard a Street car to get Dorothy Condon s picture. He reached this former gangster s Ilat just As a Telephone was ringing. Then the clock in a neighbouring apartment began striving the hour of seven. The faint ii gallic sound of it came through an open window and Charlie glanced at his watch without particularly thinking. Then he heard a scream. The door abruptly ripened. A girl her wide with horror rushed past him and Down i lie stairs crying War and Over they be killed him they be kill d so that was the manner of ills ironic violent. Cut to pieces with Shotgun slugs he was Cli and before she could reach him. In i he Little office of his garage father Daugherty administered extreme unction and the police took up their inquiry. From Chris Brothers Walter s new partner they got an accurate description of the killer. Brothers had been standing in a sort of closet where there was i Wash bowl a Towel rack and a Mirror. He was drying his hands he said when he was startled to hear an insulting epithet uttered in a tense Low voice lie peered out just As Waller con Don who had been bending Over the desk half Rose and turned around. He caught a vivid unforgettable glimpse of the other Man s face then the sawed off Shotgun exploded and the office filled with smoke. The detectives had no difficulty recognizing Packy Spann from brother s description. By 10.30 they had him in custody and were show ing him the Gold fish in an upstairs room at the Bureau. But Knuckles and Hose and other illicit hangovers from the merry Days of third degree had no effect on Packy s Tongue it was All old stuff to him. Why should lie confess Well no matter. The coppers had the goods on him anyway. There was Chris Brothers and his positive identification. As for the motive that seemed obvious enough. The Montana gang was sore at Walter for and afraid of what he might say now that he d turned respectable. There were too Many things he knew for three or four unsolved murders As the police Kus dec Toul might easily be explained by any of Lou Montana s gangsters. So Packy Spaun had been told off to silence Walter forever. That was because a personal grudge existed Between them. Only the Iron hand of Lou Montana had kept them months ago from settling it once for All. Packy was the logical Choice therefore and pleased it May be presumed that the privilege had been accorded him. Certainly he did not look worried now As Chris Brothers Rose to testify. There was a Little smile on his face a smile of contempt boredom. Why indeed should he feel perturbed Wii nil of his gang around him. An Ordinary killer yes an Ordinary killer placed in Packy s predicament would have occasion to be apprehensive. But Here at his Back was Lou Montana Rich powerful feared and respected and Here was Lou Montana s with their guns and the will to use them. Not that there would be any Neces sity Jor shooting. Such an eventuality was indeed unthinkable. They were merely n silent threat these gunmen. There they sat and glowered darkly sullenly about them. Not a word had been spoken to any of the jury was there need Lor words. One of the scared nervous Fellows thus trapped in the line of civic duty. Would look up and find a pair of eyes fixed disconcertingly upon him. The eyes would seem to study him. Coldly and disapprovingly As though storing his image against a future Day. There was not a Man on that did not know what verdict expected of him. If this Coroner s Tut should recklessly recommend Iii Packy Spann be bound Over k a Brand jury Lor the murder of that would not necessary if the sole eyewitness i what was for him. Those frightened jurors Pray to i he d do the sensible thing. Montana s Power with its Pali ramifications n certain Rotten was so t Reat methods so us Ulous. What Chance had an Ordi Law biting citizen against this c Torci of the since Moa had risen to Power Slid wealth. One of his had been evicted in la. Courts. Joe Hopp the Hopp Wiio was Litta but that our when just is Renchi it. Chris now was i. Ill o tiie i Evju a i . He was tit How a every oils of a Iury Inea the same of. The morning papers. Titty read How Brothers description of t killer re suite a in Spann s arrest i Quick . Escorted the squad room where he vase fronted by a line up of fifteen v Brothers had glanced at their Ami pointed out p it was All in the morning Ftp and the had read it. F How Jar Wou in dare to to aide noon. Since and lie Hausa him the narrative finished witness picked ius lips and looked Fri Vot isly at Jin ror Ouer. There i restless behind tiie suddenly very Cue in lie room lie next question void by. Of lies Iii it Nul Lor in a hush i stil is on t the min or Pierc Niece til Brothers looked he room. Fot red on Stofey Section. Kukk 1 h k h a ;