Word: ganges
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...from a railroad trestle after a Pennsylvania jailbreak. The two men were members of what authorities believe was a Mafia-backed band of thieves that flourished nationwide from 1965 to 1967, specializing in robbing the homes of the wealthy. In exchange for a cut of two-thirds of the gang's take, the Mafia offered planning expertise as well as a fence for disposal of stolen furs, jewels and other valuables. In its heyday, the gang roamed from coast to coast, hitting homes in wealthy spots like Grosse Point, .Mich., Shaker Heights, Ohio, Scottsdale, Ariz., as well as choice...
...Size Heists. The group operated with almost military precision: garbed in black, wearing black ski masks, carrying elaborate tools and sometimes even walkie-talkies, the burglars were noted among police experts for their stealth, daring and king-size heists. Chicago detectives are certain of at least 30 jobs the gang pulled, with a haul that exceeded $3,000,000. Indeed, the outfit's sleek style is what drew the attention of police investigating the Percy murder. Moreover, the gang was known to have two members-Hohimer and Malchow-vicious enough to have killed Valerie Percy...
Both men joined the gang around 1965. Hohimer was a career burglar with 22 arrests on his record, twelve of them for burglary and robbery. He also showed a marked penchant for violence. His favorite weapon on heists was a propane blowtorch, which he used not simply as an entry tool but also to coerce reluctant robbery victims by threatening to burn off their hair. Hohimer's former wife told police that he once cut off her hair while in a jealous rage and on another occasion emptied a revolver in a circular pattern around their infant daughter...
Hohimer was first fingered early last year by Leo Rugendorf, 58, a Mafia operative who oversaw the gang's activities. He reached Chicago Sun-Times Reporter Art Petacque and reported that Hohimer, shortly after the murder, had said to him: "They'll get me for the Valerie Percy murder. The girl woke up, and I hit her on the top of the head with a pistol." After Petacque interviewed Rugendorf, he arranged for him to be questioned by state police investigators. Early this year, Rugendorf, near death from heart disease and diabetes, again fingered Hohimer, this time from...
...mansion, but they have proved not to be Hohimer's or Malchow's. The remaining physical evidence is scant and ambiguous, and none of it directly links either Hohimer or Malchow to the crime. Yet by the testimony of witnesses, one of the members of the burglary gang is the likely killer. Said William Hanhardt, commander of the Chicago police department's burglary division: "Malchow and Hohimer are the ones. They're responsible. I have no doubts about...