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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 9:10:21 GMT -5
In November 1933, Senator Royal S. Copeland led a hearing into crime conditions in New York.
John F. Condon spoke at this hearing.
Statement of Dr. John F. Condon --
Dr. Condon: Worthy Chairman, senatorial committee, honored members of the press, and associates for the welfare of the country, I greet you.
Nearly every man who has spoken except the "Happy Warrior" this morning told you who he was and all about himself. I am going to give the educational part. I just stand here as an example of 50 years in the much-abused system of the public schools, and I state here that all the ethics taught were taught in the memory gems, in the compositions, in the arithmetic, not to look on the neighbor's paper, all from two commandments. One is the love of God above all things on earth; and the next, the love of they neighbor as thyself -- "Jimmy, you have no right to come to me for a mark when you took it from his paper."
What does that require? The greatest thing in all our work in the schools, supervision.
There are 16 chief subjects in an elementary school. They dwindle down in number but I think go up in value in the higher schools.
I had about 28 pages written, in order that I might punish the reporters who are present, but I cut it down to about 3 or 4.
The Chairman. I am very much obliged to you, Doctor. I hope the example will be contagious. [Laughter.]
Dr. Condon. You are welcome, sir.
In dealing with the subject, I am compelled to refer to a manuscript because of the different things that have been said within the past 2 years.
With 50 years' service (during which time I lost 19 hours) in our day schools, 27 years in the high schools, 3 years at Fordham University, and 20 years at the College of New Rochelle, you are in a position to figure out my age. [Laughter.] When the superintendents wanted to know what the length of my service was they added up until they came to a hundred years and then they stopped. [Laughter.]
I will explain that.
They give a half-year credit for each night-school period; and for the service at Harlem Evening School and the Morris Evening High School (where I served 27 year) they gave me 13 years. They added that to the 50 years, all told, with the private institutions in which I taught and the Edwin Gould Foundation--peace to his memory!--and I think that the experience speaks for itself.
In a quick way I wanted to give a birdseye view pertaining to the subject of crime prevention and the means of apprehending criminals. I believe that subject has not been touched on.
My method was to use signs, signals, symbols, identification marks, and communications.
(Continued)
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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 9:35:40 GMT -5
To create public attention, I started 2 years ago to arouse their interest, and all the teachers present will realize what I am trying to do in this paper, from a professional standpoint; I am trying to engender thought in the minds of those who carelessly accepted every thing without giving it much consideration.
My interest was aroused in a little restaurant where a number of men of foreign origin, representing all nations, had congregated, on the 1st of March, 1932. One of them made the statement, "What a country. A crime like this could not have been committed in any other country except the United States."
I was indignant. I felt the thrill that every American ought to feel, and started that night on a 2 years' mission, and I am still on it.
Ever since the five races were recognized on earth, signs, symbols, and characteristics were noticed to divide these races into classes-- call them squads, call them companies, call them what you will.
The features of the Caucasian or white race, the Mongolian or yellow, the Malay or brown, the Indian or red ,and the African or black were recognized and distinguished by color, form, and feature. It has not changed. I wish to go from individual to the universal. But there were certain characteristic features in the divisions, tribes, or hordes of these five races which were studied by the intellectual celebrities of high degree; the size and shape of the head, the slope of the forehead, the length of the digit, which was taken as a unit, three quarters of an inch, one twelfth of the diameter of the sun or moon for larger dimensions, and by these units, with the arabic numbers as units, they went up to the 5's, 10's, 15's, 20's, 25's, 50's, and 75's, etc. Any unit might be taken.
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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 10:00:13 GMT -5
Isn't it strange that the gangsters of today take those same units and divide them? I trust you will not consider me too conceited if I go into those points, but no one else seems to have touched upon it up to the present.
For identification, the Chinese used ink of berry juice and no bill, check, or promissory note was passed without the maker's fingerprints on the document, even to the laundry check. If you will reflect for a moment now, you will find the fingermarks of the Chinese who does your laundry right on a red ticket, with various lines.
It is strange, isn't it? Are finger marks something new? Don't believe it.
No forgery has ever been known among the Chinese.
That is only one phase where I find the gangsters are going into it with ardent feeling, with many attempts, every way, from tracing through a glass to writing the man's signature.
The Jews had a means of identification, and I hope it will be understood, Mr. Chairman, that at no time do I wish to say anything disrespectful about any of these people that I refer to. It is the way I feel, as an American. I hope that will be understood by all who listen to me.
As I say, the Jews found a means of identification. Strange to say, we get the facts, but we do not get the things that a teacher of necessity must give to his pupils: the facts, their relation, their organization, their application to the pupils' life. We do not give those points. We forget sometimes, I am afraid, and yet in the description of the journey of the Holy Family--St. Joseph, the Blessed Virgin, and Christ-- they wanted to follow out the civic law, which was just as important in the actual life of the individual as the ethical or religious at that time, and we find them going up to be enrolled. The authorities knew every single Jew in the place. Augustus and Tiberius Caesar, at that, demanded that each one should be subscribed as seen in that journey of the Holy Family.
The French use another means. I want to keep my word, so allow me to skip many facts that might be important, if I can give my message to the Senator who has been heralded all over the United States--and I have just finished the forty-eighth State in the Union. His name has gone before me wherever I have gone, and I trust he will continue the good work.
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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 10:24:59 GMT -5
The United States, the greatest country in the world, uses the fingerprint system and the rogues gallery. And, believe me, I have seen enough distorted faces to distort my own mind, perhaps 38,000. The methods they use are most effectual and if the Federal Government takes up a case the criminal has no chance whatever. Time is a great healer. It is a great factor, but the United States Government will never give up, and especially where it comes to public light and people dare to say something against the Government.
Tattooing was in vogue, for instance, in the Army and Navy. I shall not go into that in detail. It was a means of identifying, but they refuse to take that now because various ingredients such as goat's milk stabbed with a needle in the same place that the tattooing of india ink was placed will remove every bit of the tattoo mark. So that it is not an effectual method.
The system of taking fingerprints is an infallible method because no man's fingerprints ever change beyond recognition. Neither do his toes. I might speak about one case, that of a dear little baby's hands and feet, but I shall leave that for some other time.
Signals, signs, and symbols have been used by different people and the same intelligence that the authorities have has descended into and permeated the ranks of the underworld. First, the salute. They know each other. At every prison that I visited--and I have been at San Quentin, Sing Sing and many others--they knew when I got there. They have signals. They beat officers very often by those signals. One signal that they have is, "He didn't squeal; he didn't squeal; he didn't squeal." That is passed along 500 feet, and you won't hear a word.
Next is the tap on the pipe, the three taps, the SOS [indicating by tapping on the table]. Oh, how many times have I heard that and how useful it was for me to have studied the Morse system!
Fingers, actual facial expression, the eyes, sight, hearing, muscular sense--there are six senses applied--are utilized by these people. Even the ear, the vibration of the tympanum will give them an opportunity to pick up the danger that is in their way.
Let me skip the rest of this. I have the signs here. But whistling is one of the greatest means of affecting the three little bones that are in the internal ear--stapes, malleus, and incus.
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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 10:48:35 GMT -5
Next, the crescent, cross, star, eye, anchor, heart, Jewish scroll--I refer there to the five books of Moses--the dragon, serpent, eagle are all symbols.
I have just drawn little rough diagrams there. I need not go into the squares and compass. I need not go into the "tempus fugit" of the various organizations, or the Maltese cross. As the little boy used to say, "The way to make a Maltese cross is to step on its tail." [Laughter.]
The last and most important of all (and I hope that anybody who knows anything about this will assist Mr. Cummings, Mr. Hoover, and the honorable Senator) is the doctrine of the Trigamba. And to the Italians I wish to say I do not seek to give away their secrets but I feel it is necessary to explain the doctrine of the Trigamba, the flaming sword, the three holes which mean, first "You had your warning!, second, "You had your warning!", and, third (the foot is up in the air) as Calabay told me, it means, "Look out for the step", or "Watch your step!" That means, "On the spot."
Naturally, when I received such a letter it attracted my attention because I had studied those points. Up to the present time, you have not spoken of them.
I have listed here the following headings: Crime Prevention, Criminals' Apprehension, Convicts' Detention, Convicts' Occupation, Convict's Improvement, Convicts' Punishment, Convicts' Correction, Convicts' Privileges, Convicts' Ideals, and Convicts' Ambitions.
Each of the foregoing captions might be made the subject of a lecture, time permitting, as a result of my personal experiences. I do not wish, however, to inflict that upon you.
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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 11:15:47 GMT -5
The apprehension of great criminals, capturing of gangsters--let me take one example, that of Arthur Barry, the diamond thief. I incorporated a little plan that I have for detecting criminals, and I do it in this way:
"Hello, Arthur Barry." Are you going to identify-----?"
"No, sir."
"If you are not the man-----"
"I shall not identify this. There is not power enough in the world to make me."
"Sit down. The keeper, he minded you."
"Surely, he minded me."
"Arthur, what do you consider the first cause of your trouble?"
"I played hookey from Sunday school and stayed away from church."
"Go on."
"Then I gypped and cut periods."
"Heh!"
After that he fell in with crooks, evil companions, saw pictures unworthy of seeing.
The same routine was gone through with 50 others. And after viewing 38,000 pictures in the various rogues' galleries, some through compulsion and some through the happiness of volunteering, I came to this conclusion: that all crimes originate from the same things.
There are 6 senses---sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, and the muscular, to life, to press, and so on. Formerly 5, now 6 senses are acknowledged.
We should educate all the processes of the human mind, and not stop when we take the first step, memory and imagination. We shouldn't leave them there. We shouldn't let half-baked scholars go out into the world without ethics. We shouldn't let half-baked scholars go out without giving them a chance for their moral lives.
As a little boy said to me one day, "Isn't it too bad?"
"What is the matter?" I asked.
"You see, I am only up to memory gems and my aunts said that I am lopsided."
"What do you mean?"
"She said my brain is a little too much to the south side." [Laughter.]
Educate all six processes of the human mind (that is the first step)-- imagination, concept, judgment, and reasoning. People will laugh at you and ridicule you for putting forth such a doctrine, but to my mind it is a most reasonable way of training young people into the right paths.
A senatorial committee headed by a man like Senator Royal S. Copeland is one means of solving the problem. They should investigate the facts first, before meting out the punishment.
Second, there should be governmental machinery set up, the President of the United States to be the head and chief administrative and executive officer.
Next, the department of secret service should be under such a man as Mr. Cummings of Mr. Hoover.
Next, the investigators should be under the supervision of the chief.
Next, the undercover man.
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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 12:45:55 GMT -5
I suppose I will be "panned" for saying this, but all reports should be submitted to that department first while the case is pending, before the facts are published. Otherwise it would be like chasing ducks with a brass band--they would fly away.
The press should remain silent until sanctioned by the chief while the case is pending. I strongly advocate that. The Associated and United Press should obtain their information from the chief and let him be responsible.
The Federal Government should have power, without restraint by State or municipal officers, to visit any scene of crime and to carry on their own investigations. I am thankful to say that, with the aroused spirit of the people of this country, the so-called "Lindbergh laws" make that possible. I congratulate the Senator on his work in that direction.
Cooperation by State and municipal officers with Federal officers should be mandatory, because it affects our whole country and our flag.
It should be made a criminal offense for any investigating officer, whether State, municipal, or Federal, to negotiate with the publishers of any book or magazines, or to receive remuneration from them as a result of his findings, without receiving the sanction of the Chief of the Department of Secret Service.
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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 16:40:30 GMT -5
One more point, with regard to some of the ethics learned in the public schools. I can speak on this subject because I have been a principal for 30 years and a teacher for well- nigh onto 20, with a loss of only 19 hours, which occurred at the time of my father's burial.
I want to compliment my colleague, Miss Simpson, with whom I studied at the university, on the stand she took with regard to the teaching of ethics in the public schools.
There came a man in days of old To hire a piece of land for gold He urged his suit in accent meek, "One crop alone is all I seek The harvester, my claim I yield And to one crop resign the field."
The owner some misgivings felt, And coldly with the stranger dealt * * *
And sowed the spot with acorns wild.
At first like tiny shoots they grew Then broad and wide their branches threw, But long before the oak sublimed The cheated landlord mouldering lay Forgotten with his kindred clay.
Oh, yea whose years unfolding fare Are fresh with youth or free from care, Should vice or indolence desire The garden of your soul to hire, Be careful lest that great oak tree Shut out the light of heaven from thee. I offer my apologies, Senator, for appearing before you and thank you for the opportunity. If there are any questions, I stand ready to answer them.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. We are much obliged to you. I am sorry we didn't have the other 20 pages, Doctor.
"Investigation of So-Called "Rackets" Pages 539-544 Hearings, New York City November 23 and 24, 1933
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Post by Sue on Apr 3, 2021 16:53:06 GMT -5
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Post by hurtelable on Apr 19, 2021 8:35:05 GMT -5
Wow, it's hard to believe that the Senate would invite Jafsie Condon into its hallowed chambers in November 1933 to testify supposedly about "crime conditiions" in general. I'm presuming that Condon was thought to have credentials in this area because of this well-publicized activities in the Lindbergh case. Remember that about this time, Condon had been thought to be, in some law enforcement circles, a suspect in the "crime of the century" - which would make him the kind of character to be avoided in genteel circles. So what were Senate members thinking in inviting him? Did they think he would reveal new details about the Lindbergh kidnap plot? Why weren't they astute enough to foresee that Condon, being Condon, would give them only a long-winded speech about totally irrelevant subjects, such as racial characteristics? They should have known in advance that this would occur. So how did Condon get this gig? Perhaps he carried more political clout than we have generally assumed that he did.
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Joe
Lt. Colonel
Posts: 2,614
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Post by Joe on Apr 19, 2021 13:22:24 GMT -5
Wow, it's hard to believe that the Senate would invite Jafsie Condon into its hallowed chambers in November 1933 to testify supposedly about "crime conditiions" in general. I'm presuming that Condon was thought to have credentials in this area because of this well-publicized activities in the Lindbergh case. Remember that about this time, Condon had been thought to be, in some law enforcement circles, a suspect in the "crime of the century" - which would make him the kind of character to be avoided in genteel circles. So what were Senate members thinking in inviting him? Did they think he would reveal new details about the Lindbergh kidnap plot? Why weren't they astute enough to foresee that Condon, being Condon, would give them only a long-winded speech about totally irrelevant subjects, such as racial characteristics? They should have known in advance that this would occur. So how did Condon get this gig? Perhaps he carried more political clout than we have generally assumed that he did. How many investigators actually believed Condon was a suspect in the "crime of the century?" I'm not talking about those who for whatever reason, realized Condon could not always be trusted to provide a straight accounting of events. How many investigators actually believed Condon was criminally culpable within the kidnapping of CALjr and/or the extortion of $50,000 from Charles Lindbergh, in a way that left no doubt he went against the grain of his originally-expressed desire to serve the Lindberghs and be able to safely return their child to them?
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