"Take Out" to 1939?

[ANNE V. GILBERT]

Barry and all:

> 1889-10-05, pg. 799:
>    Beaton felt a sudden turn of his rage toward the men whose action would
now force him to walk five blocks and mount the stairs of the Elevated
station.  "If you'd take out eight or ten of those fellows," he said,
ferociously, "and set them up against a wall and shoot them, you'd save a
great deal of bother."
>
> 1910-05-21, pg. 14:
>    Certainly the plan as operating in Staunton has been a distinct
financial advantage to the property-owners and taxpayers, even though it has
proved rough on professional politicians and aldermanic "take-out" artists.

That's interesting.  The first time I heard "take out" as a euphemism for
"assassinate" or the like was around the time of the Gulf War.  Before then,
(at least back in the 60's and 70's), the usual expression was "to off"
somebody.  I suspect this latter term has a "ghetto" origin, but I'm not
sure.
Anne G