The San Francisco call., 1898-12-08

"The Prince of Forgers" Well he earned the V title. His adroitness and his facile pen have for years been the terror of bankers Becker IS Tn jail in this city, his latest crime confessed What next?
 On his first trial Becker together with associate was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment for life The trial took place before Judge Wallace, urst noted for answering severity Many a footpad has Wallace across the bay to end his years Tn stripes Many man, impelled by want to some deed of violence has trembled before Wallace at the words doomng him to confinement for twenty, thirty or forty years So was not surprising that Becker was sentenced for life.
 Neither was 1t surprising that the prisoner should have been given trial. Such is the way that justice is expedited. On the second trial there was still shadow of doubt to the guilt of Becker, but there was disagreement It IS not to the pur- pose now discuss the status of the jury Before third trial could be brought about the associate of Becker man equally culpabe with him, deserted the orger and agreed testify against his old pal To this despicable treachery he purchased by the offer of leniency Who had right to offer it3
 Becker saw that his case was hopeless. For three years he had been in the County Jail While there was no prospect that he would be again convicted, there stretched out ahead the possibility of long series of trials, years of waiting, intermin- able fight against justice. He determined to render At this point the revelation of the utter inadequacy of Chief Lees In his anxiety to be able to say that he had the Prince of Forgers behind the bars Lees promised him immunity as he had prom sed it to the thieving accompices To be sure, Becker to be punished but he to dictate the terms. He was willing to accept sentence of seven years with credit for the time he had kept the bafed courts and the helpless police struggling to give him his dues He pleaded guilty, his plea being accom- panied by statement from his lawyers, the States lawyers and the Bankers Association that this would be satisfactory Or, in other words, Lees tried the man, passed the sentence, got tie bankers to approve, and then asked Judge Wallace to enact the formalty of legalizing the findings Such unex- ampled impudence deserves the full weight of any buke Judge Wallace can administer. Is he to permit Chief of Police, anxious for a scalp, and lot of bankers to override him and pre-empt his preroga- tves? We do not believe the Judge weak We think he esteems the dignity of his position too highly to have 1t thus made adjunct to stupid and unlawful police scheme He has heard Beckers confession of guilt He is in no manner bound to weigh extraneous conditions imposed by Lees. Ii Becker deserved life sentence before-and this mo- body questionable deserves 1t
 The bankers agree that after the expiration of the trifng term they have decided upon for Becker they will give the old man pension, not reward of merit, but inducement to be honest. They want the law to touch him lightly, they may buy him to be honest
 The entire scheme is rotten. It shows above all things the incompetency of Lees. He may make bargain with crime but when he calls upon court ratfy 1t he insults alone the court but the peo ple Becker says that he is guilty charged In at tempting shield him Lees is dereict to his duty. He has met the astute Becker and the stronger intelligence won. Society wants protection against Beckers. It does not desire that when caught they shall instruct the courts what do with them We hope and believe that Judge Wallace will over rule the firm of Lees & Becker.