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With the City Council and Association of Commerce stirring at the outcry of the Press, the Chicago police were filled with confusion and dismay. A general round-up of "Who's Hoodlum" (list lately compiled and .published by a citizens' committee) was ordered and the police stations were crowded with hundreds of idlers, toughs, men out of work. A few with police records were detained, but most were released. The Tribune roared that a certain gunman would soon be apprehended. Into the Detective Bureau marched Sam Hunt, one of the Capone ''mob," with a onetime city alderman, his lawyer. Smiling, he showed news reporters he was not left-handed (the glove clue), established an alibi, marched out. Chief Detective Stege announced the qualifications of his six search-squad leaders in terms of their crook-shooting records: "Lieut. Frank Reynolds, who has killed 11; Lieut. Al Booth, who has killed 6," etc. etc.
To other cities word was flashed to be on the lookout for underworld arrivals. But the week ran out with no progress reported, the killer still at large. From the very nature of Reporter Lingle's work, his wide knowledge of underworld activities, it was difficult to guess who might have avenged a grudge by a gunshot. Lingle had a room in the Hotel Stevens where he lived regularly. Occasionally he spent a night with his family in the suburbs. To the hotel room had gone many and many a caller in recent weeks—impossible to single out one character more suspicious than the other. Friends said he had been betting on horses more heavily than normal lately. Experts said it did not look like a gang murder, more like a private feud. But no one knew.
While the Chicago Press roared and the investigations continued, Reporter Lingle was given a funeral of civic proportions and dignity—a squad of mounted police, more police and firemen on foot, the Great Lakes Naval Station band (Lingle had served in the Navy intelligence service), an American Legion firing squad, four American Legion posts in uniform, Police Commissioner Russell, Detective Chief Stege and many another city official and magistrate whom Lingle had known well. Only conspicuous absentee was Mayor William Hale ("Big Bill") Thompson, whose ineptitude as the city's leader has for so long been so apparent that he now figures scarcely at all in Chicago affairs.