How Sidewalk Sirens Decoy Men Into New “Badger Traps’’
One Incident Uncovered the
#
Organized Racket Behind
the Girl With a Smile
Who Waits for
Susceptible
Pick-ups
D
I hta Etruiult
Pearl*
H»nai«d.
Gold-plated
Revolver,
Juit Made to
Fit a I «Jv’«
Hand, Waa
Found in the
Pocketbook at
One of the
Feminine
Member* of
(he New York
"Badter
Gan*.’'
THEY FACE THE LAW
Study the Face* of Til*** Eight Member* of * Ceng of Alleged Badger Game
Racketeers as They Appeared When Photographed in Newark. N. J., Police
Headquarters. You Will Find on Them Fear, Defiance of Indifference.
From Left to Right They Are Margaret Haines, William Blackburn, Theodore
Peterman, Ray Duke, Edward Poleyich, George Hamko, Albert Gugliciello and
Mary Rich. .The Two Girls Were Said by Police to Have AeJOd a* Decoys to Lure
Unwary Motorists, Such a* is Suggested in the Drawing in the
Upper Left-Hand Corner.
A SHINING new automobile moved
along the Avenue. At the wheel
was a well-dressed young man.
Glancing toward the curb he saw a
pretty girl who seemed to be waiting*
for a taxicab or something, lie looked
at her and smiled and she smiled back.
H* drew up to the curb and she ac
cepted his invitation for “a lift.”
What this man did not realize was
that he was about to become just
another victim of the old badger game,
In a modernized and more sinister
form, which is now sweeping the coun
try*
For a little later, after bringing the
young woman to her destination, he
suddenly found himself confronted by
a ma» with a gun, who proceeded to
take away all the money and jewelry
In his possession.
This is called the “siren-lure holdup
racket,” the dangerous extent of which
was recently revealed in the simultane
ous capture of two big gangs. One
was operating in New York and the
other in the neighboring cities of New
Jersey. For weeks they had added
scores of victim* to their list.
But what has arouaed .authorities is
the information that there are such
gangs operating in nearly every large
city of the United States. They de
pend upon pretty sidewalk decoys to
lure unwary motorists to apartments or
deserted highway*. This sounds very
much like tne old badger game. But
there is one important and serious dif
ference. Under the old system the al
leged husband, finding his "wife” with
the victim, would demand a ca*h con
sideration to keep silent. But now he
adds gunplay and thuggery to the
traditional technique if necessary to
obtain his ends.
Under both system* the erook de
pends upon the same human fear of
becoming publicly involved in an em
barrassing situation. That i* why the
victim usually hesitates to complain to
the police.
W hat Causes Warts
and the Dangers of
Infecting Them
By HERBERT L. HERSCHENSOHN
(Fhyticimn and Surgeon).
A WART is a small abnormal out
growth of the skin or mucous
membrane. Warts are apt to
ippear in numbers rather suddenly.
After a while they may disappear with
the same suddenness that they arrived.
This explains the supposed value of
charms and superstitious practices.
The tendency to have crops of warts
may be hereditary, passing from gen
eration to generation- Sometimes,
after the general eruption has passed,
•ne or two warts may remain and per
ms* for a period of years.
Warts are often seen on the hands
»f children and young people. The
u -uai type is the common flat variety.
When a wart appears for the first time
la an adulf. it is chiefly brought about
by a constant irritation of the part,
fhe irritation does not have to be very
' prominent. As a matte? of fact, it
may be very slight but often repeated,
V'or instance, warts tan form on the
nner aide of the right middle finger
ron» the constant rubbing of a pen;
When writing.
Men working in slaughter-houses and
butcher shops sometimes develop warts
on the knuckles, wrists, and folds be
1 tween the fingers. The underlying
cause can often be traced to infection
by tuberculosis from the meat that is
handled. Although the meat is dead,
the germs of tuberculosis remain alive
l ■
and can cause an infection wherever
there is a break in the skin. Chimney
sweeps and workers in coal-tar products
seem to be particularly susceptible to
warts. They may be of the ordinary
variety, causing no inconvenience other
than their conspicuousness. All too
often, however, these warts do not re
main stationary but continue to grow,
developing into tumors or cancer. The
local irritation caused by tar has long
been used in the experimental develop
ment of cancer in animals for research
purposes.
Warts which make their appearance
singly in later life are to be looked at
with suspicion. They may be the fore
runners of cancer and should be in
vestigated and removed. This does not
mean the application of acids or home
remedies but the complete destruction
of the growth by electrical cauteriza
tion. ‘Ticking” a wart off ,m*y be the
.<ve$ &ctor which will stimulate its
grorvjh to even greater proportions.
A wart consist* essentially of a deli
cate framework of small blood vessels
supported by a rather tough tissue.
When the wart is newly 'formed the
surface is rounded but as it gets older
it becomes ridged by the irritation of
objects that.B4me into contact with it.
-'Although many; warts are naturally
dark, the dirf which becomes ingrained
.into its folds has much to do with
making the wart even darker or per
haps black.
The wart is an joutgrowtb of blood
vessel* from the surface of the body.
If the blood vessels lie in a group
parallel to each other*, then the wart
has a broad base, but if the blood ves
IN THE NET
These Three Girl* Were Arrested in a Raid on a New York
Gang of Love-lure Pirate*. At the Left i* Blanche Roger*.
The Girl in the Middle, Marian Mewti, Look* Like a
School Teacher—"Ju*t a Gag,” Say the Police. At Right
ia Mr*. Betty Tbomp*on, Wife of the Alleged Gang Leader.
It Was the courage of one man, how
ever, that brought about the arrest of
the so-called Newark siren-lure holdup
gang after its members had victimised
scores of motorists. Throughout New
Jersey police made frantic efforts to
detect them. Residents of several cities
and towns had suffered in fear and
silence.
In each instance the s me plan was
carried out, with slight variations. A
pretty girl would “allow” a man in a
car to speak to her. They would go
The Above Drawing bho»a an Extensive
Distribution of V arts Over the Entire
Upper Surface of the > Hand. 'this
Condition Lsuatlr Affects Young People
and Occurs Rather f requently.
sels «<Jme from a singlp branch, the
wart is long and hangs by a stem.
It is little wonder that a wart grows
back after being shaved or picked off.
The vessels are merely cut down to the
level of the skin but the structure be
neath is not destroyed. The force of
the blood stream causes new small
blood vessels to form and project be
yond the surface of the skin. The re
mit Is the formation of another wart.
CopjrUht, !9St. lnt*m*tiooaj feature
-e* o* ... lie —— I
motoring and she
would give him
her address and
invite him into
her apartment.
Once inside the
unfortunate mo
torist would find
himelf confront
eu by one or more men—armed- But
they did not merely demand money for
silence. They would go through their
victim’s pockets and perhaps even hold
him while one of the gang went to hie
homo and robbed it.
One day this gang' had the misfor
tune of coming in contact with Jacob
Landau, a druggist of East Orange.
N. J. Landau had been driving through
Newark and stopped his car when a
girl smiled at him. He graciously
askhd if he could give her “a lift” and
she directed him to a point in the
neighboring town of Elizabeth.
The spot he reached was a secluded
one. Landau became suspicious but
before he could do anything a gun was
poked into his ribs. He turned to see
a group of men, and a car beyond. He
was ordered to turn over all the money
he had on him, which he did. It
amounted to about $30. Then the
gangsters drove away with the girl.
Although warned not to follow,
LaAdau started in pursuit. Coming
into Newark he picked up a couple of
traffic policemen and gained on the
Car of the gang. It turned down a side
street, up against an embankment and
was wrecked. The members of the
gang—nine in number, including two
girls, were taken to the hospital and
later to Newark Police Headquarters.
There they are said to have admitted
to a long series of similar holdups. In
their “headquarters” police found a
remarkable collection of revolvers and
burglars’ tools,
A more ingenious roundup of love
lure pirates was that of a gang work
ing along New York’s exclusive River
side Drive. This gang might still be.
operating but for the fact that the
mother-in-law .of the leader decided to
nay bins a visit. ...
Tour girls played the part of !o\e
tures in this racket. They had been
flirting with min irt motor cars along
the drive and had been enticing them
to the apartment of Hugh Thompson,
in West S9tij Street. There the victims
were held up and robbed. One day
Thompson’* mother-in-law arrived and
it was necessary u> make a hasty
Strrtc*, u*.. Qr«u Buuu Oirtiu twni
BUSINESS EQUIPMENT
Tha "Supplie* of the New York Cong,
Include Fake Police Bodge* and Hand*
cuff*, Blackjack*, Wire Cutter*, Iron
Knucklat. Revolver*, Rubber Glove*
and a Plentiful Supply of Bullet*.
Sample* of Their Outfit are Strewn
Down the Page.
change in plans.
So one of the alleged lures, Peggy
Huran, a pretty 19-year-old telephone
operator, took up her stand on the
drive. Dcing a telephone girl she knew
how to say “hello” and she success
fully solicited a ride with Isidore Simi
ansky, wealthy importer. Since she
couldn’t go to the Thompson apart
ment she directed Stmiansky to drive
her to Riverside Drive and 138th
Street.
As the car slid up to the curb, one
fair anger leaped on the running board
and exclaimed “What are you doing
with my wife?" while another, with a
drawn gun, proceeded in a business
like fashion to relieve Simiansky of
valuable jewelry and about $50 in cash.
. Simiansky shouted for help and
Thuma3 M. Farrell and William A.
Graham, two detectives, came to his
aid. The girl and the two ftieii were
caught. At the police station they broke
down and confessed to a series of
crimes. They even gave the police the
address of the gang’s headquarters in
West S9th Street, but they cautioned
the detectives to be careful as “the
outfit’s always armed.”
The detectives broke into the place,
and, they said, found Ringleader
Thompson with a .22 caiihre pearl
handled automatic in his band. He
i rr
quickly dorpped it, however, whet
ordered to do so by the detective*
Then his wife, Betty, said by police
to have been Thompson’s first lieu
tenant, camo into the room. Police
found in her pocketbook a fine auto
matic of expensive, delicate design.
Betty admitted, police said, the re
volver was a “present” from her hus
band. -
!t was about this time that
Betty’s mother arrived on the
scene, and realized, too late, what
a terrible situation her daughter
was involved in. Betty was ar
rested, together with the others,
i nine in all, including two other
^ girls found in an adjoining room
A search of tne
apartment proved
enlightening. Police
found blackjacks,
handcuffs, fake de
tective badges, rub
ber gloves, wire cut
ters and brass
Knuckles. Evidently the gang .was
prepared for extortion, robbery, Blog
ging, and almost everything else in the
category of crime.
Proof of the extensive depreda
tions of the outfit was given by several
persons, who came forward and identi
fied some of the members. They told
of having been lured to places and re
Moved of jewelry and cash. One man
said that after being robbed he was
beaten up. An unnamed doctor said
he had been lured to the Thompson
apartment. There he was robbed of
his jewelry and money, and, while h«
was a prisoner, the keys to his apart
ment were used to loot his rooms.
The capture of the New York and
the Newark gangs convinced police
that great vigilance must be kept
throughout the large cities continually.
This is realized by authorities to such
an extent that Chief Inspector John J.
Sullivan, of the New York police, has
issued a warning to men and youths
that is summed up in this sentence:
“Don’t pick ’em up if .you value
your reputations and lives.
The lesson of the two siren bandit
fangs, he says, should be learned well
y every' male motorist. Among th"
dangers he lists are these perilous re
sults of “picking up” etrange young
women:
1. It may mean even deatn to you.
2. The girl who flags you on the
road may be a plant by some attorney
or detective retained by your wife.
Detour!
3. Don't forget that if the girl ia
injured" in an accident while she s rid
ing with you, she can sue you for dam
ages.
4. You’re likely to get a little bit
more reckless and invite accident.
5. Police have records that show
unwed, expectant mothers have invited
a lift and later haled the motorist
into court to support a child.
6. You’re an easy mark for black
mail the moment you pick up a strange
young woman.
7. That’s not a marker to the really
The clever young lady note* jour
license number, and then, if she and*
out you have a family, she make* more
dates with you, and finally you come 1
to pay day.