Show Criminal Ring Sets Out to Kill Its Enemies and Has Murdered Three Now v BY MILLARD FERGUSON Cor of ot Time The Standard Copyright 1926 By The Consoli Consoli- Consolidated Consolidated dated Press Association ATLA ATLANTA TA Ga Ca Aug Au The 7 7 murder hero here of o Bert Donaldson arch enemy of ot bunco m men n follow follow- followIng following ing InS as it did the assassination of Don Mellett the Canton Ohio editor and the machine gun slay slay- slayIng slaying ing log of Dill Bill the tho youth youth- youthful youthful youthful of ful assistant states state's attorney Cook county Illinois known to criminals as the prose prose- prosecutor prosecutor has convinced Atlanta authorities that the tho underworld has decided on a widespread pro pro- program gram grain of ot murder to rid Itsel Itself of the men who menace its lis criminal schemes THREE D feared and hated be- be causo bc-causo causo ot of hi his part in tho the effort to clean up Cicero the ridden gang gang suburb of Chicago was Vas slain by bya bya bya a spray of ot machine gun bullets poured Into the automobile In which he was riding by slayers who swept by in another car Mellett the Ohio editor turned the tho white while light of publicity upon the vice ring in Canton and to seal his lips the underworld shot hint him down down in the dark Bert Donaldson ex convict who had turned upon his former part part- partners partners partner ners ner In lit crimp crime and nd had become the nemesis of the tho underworld was WI lured from front his home here b h re to a fashionable hotel and slain with witha a sawed oft shotgun by jn an assassin concealed in lit a closet All night and most of the next da day his body lay upon the floor loor of the hotel room which overlooks Peachtree street direct while his slayers made good their escape WELL LAID ll Since then Information his has h s been received cd by Solicitor Gen General ral John JohnA JohnA JohnA A Boykin by whom Donaldson was employed as Investigator gator thai that thaL pl 1 sae v tx brine being laid In 12 other oIlier widely Ge separated clUes cities to get ett If It the d death plot here failed These were cities he frequently In his search for crim crim- crimInals criminals Donaldson Mel Mel- Mcl I all lett-all all had become a menace menaco to time tho underworld and the tha under under- underworld underworld world grown rich and strong now In largely through the fruits of boot boot- boot made legging made plans to Ipe them out with savage THREATS Ot OP 01 Time The question q Who ho next Is Isone Isone isone one that presents present Itself lt tl now to law enforcement officials and it Is ItIs given added emphasis by death threats delivered ered to Solicitor Gen General len len- eral Boykin B warning him that his lIfe liro will be the tho forfeit unless he ceases his hunt for the time slayers t of Donaldson Such threats Instead of oC o dating Intimidating havo ha served to spur on the search for the scar scar faced who accompanied In 10 Inthe the death room at the ho hotel an aol I the tho three other gl who aro ar- believed to have assisted in hl fl ti deat death plot Donaldson wai wa at his home Jome on West Cain street Direct with hl his hi invalid In wife wi when he received a ou otis ous 1 Phone hone call which nt him him hurrying to the hotel leaving tea be- be be hind him no word as to his mis mis- mission sion slon f ISlon Attaches saw him go up In the elevator ele with a a scar faced man to toa toa toa a room on the third floor occupied by a a man registered as W w D B Sands of Macon Ga SHOT IN IX BACK CI Donaldson entered the door and walked toward toward the center of ot the room The a was seated In a chair In a closet The fhe door slightly as came camo within and the mur mur- murderer mur- mur murderer murderer derer shot him In the back with a oft sawed off shotgun then leaped forward and poured another of ot Ills hits victim Solicitor General Boykin be- be be believes lIe cs Donaldson was lured to the hotel on tho the of ot In- In Information information In Information formation that would lead 1 to the arrest of o Floyd FloJ Woodward head of the bunco gang broken up In Atlanta several everal eads ago alto and pursued relentlessly since then by Donaldson Bert was the tho sort who ho never ne let up once he got started after aCler a man said the tho solicitor Ho He Hohas has kept so hot after the bunco artists that they haven't had a chance chanco to operate They hated and feared eared him hint more than any other man roan on earth BECAME A MINISTER Irom From his ninth year until he hewa was past 40 Donaldson was a criminal and at one ono tim was aa un- un under Under un under der sentence of ot death with a con con- confession confession con confession saving him at the last minute lie Ho was wa one of ot the tho most expert cracksmen In the country and at one time operated with Dutch Anderson who later became Gerald Chapmans Chapman's pal At the conclusion of a sentence In the Atlanta federal penitentiary 10 years ago Donaldson came out a 11 changed man He joined the Pres Pres- Presbyterian Pres- Pres Presbyterian Presbyterian church later laler was or- or ordained ordained or ordained a minister and aed then set setout setout setout out to make restitution for his sins Ins against society |