New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-07
TO LIMIT BECKER THRONG.
Reserves from Two Stations
Will Be at Courtroom.
ADMISSION BY PASS ONLY
Suspended Police Lieutenant
To Be Put on Trial at 10
O'clock This Morning.


| Lieutenant Charles Becker. former COM
mander OF the Police Departments crack
| strong arm" squad, will be put on trial
| for his life before Justice Golf, In the
! extra ordinary term of the Supreme Court,
| this morning at 10 o'clock. The battle IN
court is likely to go down In New YORK
criminal history as the most famous IN
| the citys annals, surprising those waged
over Harry Thaw. In expectation that
great crowd will try TO gain entrance 10
the courtroom reserves from two station
| houses have been ordered on duty there
to see that none but the witnesses CITY
officials and newspaper men enter. Spe-
! cia passes will be issued TO these persons
| II would not surprise District Attorney
| Whitman II Louis Shapiro, chauffeur OF
the murder car" should suffer change
OF heart I'm the next few hours ana ap-
| pear as witness for the prosecution at
/ the trial Shapiro has been weakening OF
late, and his stubbornness In refusing TO
aid the prosecution, though Invited 10
lend a hand, has been vanishing by de-
grees.
on the night Of Monday, July %, Becker
was arrested at his desk In the Bathgate
avenue station house, and an hour later
was arralgned before Judge Mulqueen' IN
the Court Of General Sessions, and COM
| mltted to the Tombs prison after pleading
no, guilty to the murder of Herman Ro-
senthal on July 10, when the gambler was
shot and killed outside the Hotel Met
ropole.
| Becker was arrested Immediately after
! Jack" Rose, Bridge" Weber and harry
WALTON had made confession. alleging that
| Becker suggested several times that ho-
senthal should be removed Inc night
! OF Becker's apprehension the three men
were locked up in the private office OF
| District Attorney Whitman, having ex-
pressed the fsar that they would be muir
dered II taken TO the Tombs
| The immediate history OF the murder
goes back to the time that Rosenthal.
outside whose gambling house police
man had long been stationed, sent woro
| 10 the District Attorney assuring him that
| he was anxious TO tell Of his troubles WIN
| the police He intimated that he would
| show that Becker had been in partnership
| With him The night before his prospec-
tive interview with Mr.. Whitman he was
murdered.
/ The day before the murder Becker sent
Jack" Rose and Charles b. Pitt, his
press agent. to Dora Gilbert. first wife OF
/ RosenthaI. 10 obtain an affidavit damaging
10 Rosenthal That was at p. m Al
! so o'clock the following morning Ros'
enthal was murdered. About half an hour
before that time Becker dropped Jack
| Sullivan, II newsboy friend, at i2d street
! End Sixth avenue. A few minutes later
the murder car passed near this point
The grand jury took up previously area
graft charges duplicating Becker. On
July IS Becker was relieved from COM
| uand of his squad. Later in the day
Mayor Gaynor called him TO City Hail
! The next day Il was learned that sulli-
van had been accustomed 10 go 20
| "Briigie" Weber's poker rooms, where the
murder gang" congregated. on July ~
the grand jury agreed TO hear Becker II
he would waive immunity. Becker
| chauffeur testified before the grand jury
| and later admitted that he was coached by
! Bet hEIs beNhtI NS0 N''h''N'~''N -
! Bathgate avenue station house. The fol-
lowing day Mrs. Herman Rosenthal testi-
| fed that Becker collected money from her
husband and that Rose had also done so
in Beckers behalf
Since that time several men have made
sworn statements that Becker ordered that
Rosenthal be murdered, saying This
mans got TO be stopped"
John f. Mcintyre, chief counsel for the
| lieutenant, succeeded on August IL in
having the trial OF his client, scheduled to
begin on that day. delayed that the testi-
rnony Of certain witnesses in Hot Springs.
/ Ark, be taken
Il is understood that Becker's defence
will be that he is the victim OF vicious
gang plot, In which his enemies sought
| to drag him down In spirit OF revenge
by involving him in the actual murder OF
/ the gambler.
The lieutenant's police career has been
turbulent and full of trouble. 1t has been
said that as police lieutenant at sal
airy OF S2,26O year Becker built up a
bank account OF more than $4,000 In nine
months Becker declares that he can
easily explain the origin Of his bank ac-
counts, and adds that the amount cred
| t.,5 bt,,, ie yo1perated