| Show th cRIMINAL C r 2 Y YA E k f hJ him 44 iM I s Y f r Y By y Ch Charles s G G. Rei Reinhart hart Scene I f 3 T INTERIOR R of a bank in a small small midland city on a drowsy summer summer ry wt afternoon Through the wide windows win win- J dows doves a powerful motorcar is seen to to pull up to the curb From it desce descend d three men who enter the bank while whileY hile Y t a fourth remains at the wheel idling the motor and carefully watching the almost deserted street Suddenly within the bank there is isa a a shout The guard the teller the t. t clerks Ier s look up to find themselves star staring staring star star- l ing g into the barrels of black J 0 automatic pistols held by masked men Throw up your hands bands rings a curt command i There is nothing to do but obey Unobtrusively elY however a teller presses with his foot a small button t r beneath the counter This will summon summon sum- sum mon coon police assistance But can the bluecoats arrive in time 1 It doesn't matter matter much That button buton but but- t ton on controls another device new in inI I I protection against crime whose existence existence exist exist- t ence ence the robbers do not suspect Quickly then they t t complete the job lf In a few few minutes all aU available cash cash c and securities les have been swept into a j black k bag the bla bandits have fled to their car and with a burst o of speed L have swept from the town unhindered 7 and they believe unrecognized F J Scene II TEN n minutes later The police have arrived and worked their way H through the press of now aroused I. I townsfolk to the scene of the robbery It One man from headquarters listens to f. f the he tellers teller's story then walks to an Q l looking innocent filing cabinet He pulls out a drawer and takes there there- from not not a sheaf of correspondence but a photographic plate While hi his associates continue their investigations he hurries to police headquarters where e the plate is turned over to th the theE E official photographer Scene III DOLICE POLICE headquarters in ra a a nearby 1 I big city Be Before ore the chief of detectives stand three men He has accused accused them of the bank robbery 4 Earnestly they protest innocence The They y chief smiles knowingly and and confronts them with with a photograph The suspects suspects' suspects suspects' suspects suspects' sus sus- faces fall their heir carefully planned defense wilts in their minds Before them is a picture of the three recognizable despite their masks masks masks' standing in the looted bank pistols i in hand A new type of camera has solved a r crime increasingly prevalent in the thelast thelast last few years and has caught a group of robbers of of a type difficult because of their extreme mobility to apprehend a THAT is an imaginary scenario but it L illustrates what the inventor suggests as a a. a possible accomplishment of the Inc Invisible Invisible In c visible Eye camera whose purpose is isto to photograph bandits or burglars in the act of crime Its greatest value he 1 0 asserts lies in the fact that except at night the criminal remains ign ignorant rant of the fact that he is being photographed The new device was invented by John E. E of La Salle SaIle Ill a photographer photographer pho pho- of many years' years experience It was inspired by a big bank robbery jobbery in inGrand inGrand inGrand Grand avenue Milwaukee For six months J pondered over a method of establishing absolute identification I S of such bandits before he drew a plan 4 h Then in succession he constructed ten cameras to put his ideas in effect Each I was scrapped to permit further developments developments developments develop develop- ments until the final machine was completed completed com corn and prepared for the market The Invisible Eye camera is well named It is invisible not only to those ignorant of its presence but even evento evento to the man who knows it is somewhere in the room It may resemble a filing cabinet or other type of office equipment It will fit into a wall a desk or other furniture in any bank office hotel theatre office office tox office ox-office store mail or express car and becomes an indistinguishable part of that background perfectly camy cam cam- y buttons camera is operated by THE placed in the floor or walls or concealed concealed concealed con con- A touch in the office furniture sets it in motion and electrical connections connections connections supply the necessary motive power at or be placed one The buttons may several strategic positions in the room and may may be connected at the sa same e ti time e with an outside alarm system which will while photographs are summon summon help being taken If a bandit enters a store or offices office equipped with the device the PJ prospective s victim need only press one of the buttons buttons but but- 4 to obtain the intruders intruder's photograph tons also to have several of It is possible the cameras in operation to assure a of the of possible part photograph every San room thus guarded One touch ch on a photograph If the button makes one button is held down the camera amera k keeps eps taking photographs much uch like a motion motion- until the pressure is is picture camera released r I ith ERA J I I f r J cr 1 j Invisible Eye to Photograph the B Bandit in the Act Latest Contribution i It o of Scientists to Circumvent x i Lawless Enemies of o Society x I If A I t u i F j r jr L ii 4 i rin Y r r S The bandit who has been aided by the in inability of his victim to give ghe the police an accurate description description t tion now faces the eye of a camera which makes t. t no mistakes and his picture may be placed in in the t u hands of detectives a few minutes after the hold hold up u kf Y i-i i r Thus the camera operates during the day At night in an unguarded office the device may be arranged to work automatically To make its work effective effective effective tive the wires are connected with a floor pan which when stepped on starts the machine and sets off a flashlight At Atthe Atthe Atthe the same time the regular alarm system may be put in operation ups Hook-ups can be made too with vault or safe doors The i inventor has announced that he is working on the problem of obtaining a series of night pictures by setting off several flashes The film in the camera can can register as many as photographs photographs photographs photo photo- graphs and will record as rapidly as the average picture motion-picture camera Its finished photographs are similar in size J to movie film pictures and may of course be enlarged According to the inventor the button may later be discarded as a means of setting off the camera He is experimenting experimenting experimenting with r radio dio control instead TN IN PREP PREPARING ARING the camera for its work as an infallible witness there had to be considered the the possibility of ofa a burglar aware of its presence disguising disguising disguising dis dis- dis- dis guising himself with mask or hood sufficiently sufficiently suf suf- to make the pictorial evidence worthless It has been stated however that in the hands of a trained investigator investigator investigator gator a picture thus made would identify identify identify iden iden- the subject regardless of disguises Give us a photo photograph raph Mr quotes of cf the chief United States postal inspectors as saying and we will get the man or men involved Every Everyone one has some peculiarity of build hands ears ars or manner of standing or walking which is readily discernible in a photograph photograph photograph photo photo- graph and in nine cases out of ten will expose some peculiarity by which he can be re recognized Police and postal inspectors the country country country coun coun- try over have undoubtedly regarded the announcement of this new ally aIly in their perpetual war against again t the criminal with profound interest To realize the importance importance importance im im- im- im of any device which will willaid willaid aid in checking banditry to these men one need only remember that since 1920 more than has been stolen from the custody of the Postoffice De De- Losses by banks are equally startling In many instances inventors have sought to aid the upholders of the law lawin lawin lawin in their constant battle against crime One such inventor proposed for example example example ex ex- ample the installation tion of a battery of g guns s over ver the cage cage of the bank cashi cashier r. r f. f be The guns were were to be beso so trained that when fired filed they would hit any one oIle s standing in front of the g cage An objection offered was that their threatening aspect might discourage depositors from approaching approach- approach ing the windows fearing an accidental discharge Another inventor has proposed the installation of a bullet proof bulletproof proof tower in the rear of every bank lobby with a a a. marksman marksman marksman marks marks- man suitably armed stationed therein during banking hours In his tower would be De buttons closing every door so that in the event of an attempted holdup holdup holdup hold hold- up up he could imprison the criminals and either shoot them down or compel comp l their surrender Many inventors depend on the effect o of a sudden loud noise to frighten off bandits as well weIl as summon assistance Police officials familiar wi with with the the technical technical technical cal knowledge which so m many ny of the newer criminals can boast assert that the weakness of the majority o of such devices lies in the fact that the bandit knows how to circumvent them by cutting cutting cutting cut cut- ting wires or by other means or 01 else refuses to be frightened by mere more noise nois in the brief time he allows himself forthe forthe for for- forthe the raid THE utilization of poison gas has also been suggested by men who observed its effects during th the war This is feared cared by law enforcement officers avid and bank officials because of the the- possibility of accidental discharge threatening the lives or health of innocent and depositors producing Noise-producing devices on the out out- outside outside out out- side of the bank building are frequently suggested and often used Among the proposals of inventors are whistles operated by 4 compressed air phonographs phonographs phonographs graphs which will cry Help robbers and automatic devices which would lift a telephone rec receiver iver from its hook and shout for help into the mouthpiece This would involve a phonographic at at- Traps roughly like those used for or game and electric shocks have also been proposed as crime crime deterrents The majority majority majority ma ma- of banks however still depend on the older systems of guards and police pouce protection against daylight banditry and time locks and burglar alarms to withstand the night prowler The Postal Department has recently extended th the system of armed guards J J b t f I The new device will r give the i police pictures of the crime which can be compared i 1 with Avith the posed suspect r I Iby by supplying each of its railroad mail clerks with revolvers and calling in the marines to aid them in m the work of protection With that order issued recently went out the command Shoot to kill This move move ove was determined upon by Postmaster General New at a council of his lieutenants lieutenants lieutenants lieu lieu- tenants which f followed a recent up hold-up near Chicago in which the bandits bandits- escaped with in currency In discussing the move W. W W. W Irving Glover Second Assistant Postmaster General who has direct charge of the railway mail service told his men It is self-evident self that members of the underworld and bandit gangs throughout the United States have again thrown down the gauntlet of battle to the railway mail service to hold up at every every possible chance the postal cars and attempt to steal valuable registered packages It It means this That we we must tighten our our belts place J i y r i i III j a UI Y i iw w e vi p y x L Yh A A From its hidden nook hook the camera lies in wait for the bank robber ready to photograph him in the act of theft rendering his identification almost certain Y 1 f Y r. r j 3 jl the holster easier of access clean up our GUI revolvers be more careful in the protection of this valuable mail and with a more determined will to shoot to kill kiIl finally renew the pledge to protect protect protect pro pro- the mails to our cai care eI e. e I have faith in the railway mail service and will back it against any similar body of men anywhere We have a record to protect and we will do it The number of recent ups hold-ups of postal cars makes it necessary and the thelast thelast thelast last one which took place near Chicago is the call caU to arms Mr 11 Glover made a personal offer of ofa a reward of to the first railway mail clerk who killed any anyone one attempting attempt attempt- ing to rob a n railway y postoffice e and promised another reward to any railway mail clerk who captured any one at attempting attempting attempting at- at tempting to hold up a railway postoffice car I The robbery which prompted that move had been p preceded ec ed by fou fourteen teen 1 I U major robberies in the fiscal year which ended June 30 These resulted in the loss of of f which was recovered In the last two years there were sixty-five sixty convictions of mail robbers robbers rob rob- bers bels in major cases The Chicago robbery was staged by four our men who escaped with consignments consignments consignments consign consign- ments of currency from the Federal Reserve Bank and the Union Trust Company Two of the robbers entered a mail car and held up the clerks The bandits had boarded the train in the city and after their successful job escaped at Evergreen Park a small suburb There it is believed they were motorcar and met by a a confederate in a made good their escape Police believe the men headed beaded into the city but they were hampered in a search by the fact that the rapidity of the bandits' bandits movement made it difficult to obtain a detailed and accurate description of them Photographs taken at the time of the crime would undoubtedly undoubtedly undoubtedly un un- un- un have proved of tremendous help Less than a month after the Hie Chicago theft the the- country was shocked by news that armed bandits who it was believed had planned to rob the air mail near Hadleigh Field N. N J. J had killed a motorist and wounded his son in their efforts to reach the site of the proposed robbery There was a dramatic pursuit hemming in the slayers in a lonely country but they escaped by a an unguarded unguarded unguarded un un- guarded road the most notorious UNDOUBTEDLY of all aU mail robberies was the Leonard street up hold-up in New York City in October of 1921 staged by Gerald Chapman and Dutch Anderson The so called waited in a fast motorcar parked near City Hall HaIl then pursued and overtook a mail truck bound from the City Hall HaIl Postoffice Post- Post Postoffice Postoffice office to the main Postal Building There Thera they halted the truck opened its doors and fled with five sacks of registered mail containing securities and jewelry valued at about This was the culmination of a series of robberies s that led to the first arming of the mail messengers messengers messengers mes mes- and the calling out of the marines five years ago go According to officials the robberies decreased after that step and the marines were withdrawn withdrawn withdrawn with with- drawn but the messengers continued to bear arms The cessation was only temporary however and by 1923 de desperadoes were ra raiding ding the mails again holding up trains stopping trucks intercepting valuable securities bound for the mail planes and stalking gun in hand into to escape with stamps and cash ash At the same time daylight ups hold-ups of bank |
