Gang Pulp

Gangster Stories, May 1930

In the New York Times of February 26, a headline said: “Murder rate in States with the death penalty found more than double that in those without.” This is the result of a statistical analysis by the League to Abolish Capital Punishment.

What are we to gather from this report? Is capital punishment a failure? Is crime on the increase? Certainly the latter is true if we are to make our test by the amount of space given to crime news by the most conservative daily papers.

It is well nigh impossible to find a newspaper without gory details of some crime featured on its front page. Is all this an aid or a hindrance?

We believe that the criminal must go. He is usually a cowardly fighter, shooting down his enemies from ambush; protected by shrewd lawyers; endeavoring to outwit the police; and banded together for further protection. He is a sort of fighting minority.

The majority of peace-loving citizens are seemingly at loss as to how to cope with these desperadoes.

The situation is alarming. We need knowledge of the facts involved, and we need steady concerted action.

This magazine welcomes opinions from its readers. The best letters will be printed from time to time. Who knows but that we might discover some simple method to tackle crime and criminals that would be of great assistance to the authorities?

Even though the stories we publish are only intended for your entertainment, and are of course but the creations of our writers from pure fancy, still there is no reason why we should not do our bit to protect the home from this army of the underworld.

Sit down and write us today. Give us your opinion, and any suggestion you may have toward the betterment of conditions.

Faithfully yours,

Harold Hersey