Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-07-20

ROSenthai, gambler, are promised by
decisive action by the district at
torney's Office tonight.
Following this rumor came one that
a high police oicial committed sui
eide The suicide was said to have
been Lieutenant Charles Becker,
whom it was alleged by Rosenthal to
have been his partner had disappear
ed from his home and suicided.
Three hours after the statement had
been made Becker's wife left her
home, and later today Becker reap
peared and said he was hunting Jack
Rose who is sought in connection with
the case. 1t is not known how the ru-
NOR originated.
No Progress
The third day following the
shooting of Herman Rosenthal, the po-
lice seemed to have made little or no
progress in establishing the identity
of the men responsible for the death
of the man who had threatened to ex-
pose the connection between the gamb
lers ring and the police.
Attorney Aaron Levy representing
Libbey and Shapiro, the owners of
the car in which the murderers made
their escape, said last night that two
men who had ridden in the murder
car during the during the night on
which it was used in the assassination
of Rosenthal. whom his clients recog-
nized, were Jack" Rose and a man
known in the East Side gambling cir
cles as "Itzski." Beyond this he said
they were unable to identify the lat
ter.
Libbey and Shapiro are still held at
police headquarters, but their attor-
ney declares that their arrest was
merely bluff and that both are
sure to be set free.
Further the investigation goes on,
the stranger it seems to unbiased OBJ
servers that the slayers of Rosenthal
we're able to have made their escape
unless the police purposely avoided
activity in their capture, or were I'M
believably stupid.
There was one policeman, Detective
Fitz, within twelve feet of the spot
of where the gambler was slaughtered.
There was at least FIVE others within
sound of the pistol shots Yet not
one of them did so much as obtain the
number of the auto which carried off
the assassins, let alone capture them.
And the first private citizen, Char
les Gallagher, a singer, who did obtain
the number and turned it over to the
police, who cast into cell like Grim
inal.
Severe On Police.
Many persons believed that the po-
lice possibly knew that the Staying
was to take place and were purposely
lax in their observation and actions.
District Attorney Whitman in an Of
fetal statement went so far as to de-
clare that the police permitted the
murder to be committed and the as
sassins to escape. He pointed out the
facts leading up to that belief.
Detective Files was at supper in the
Hotel Metropole not very far from
Herman Rosenthal when the latter
was called out to the street to meet
his death. Files left his party when
the shots rang out, and, according to
his own story, ran outside and saw a
gray touring car with white stripping
moving away "at rapid gait"
Other witnesses declare that the car
started slowly, as it naturally would
have to do, and that when Files came
out he could have overtaken it If he
had exerted himself. This was only
a few seconds after the shooting. The
place was certainly light enough for
any policeman to have seen the num-
Der of the machine. But Files did not
see it,
There were, according to precinct
reports, at least five policemen on
fixed posts" within a short distance
of the Hotel Metropole.
1t should not, as District Attorney
Whitman pointed out, have taken the
most distant of these men more than
fifteen or twenty seconds to run to
point very close to the scene of the
shooting, where they could at least
have obtained the number of the ear.
Yet did any of thin run? No.
Whitman Shows 6Iotter.
Mr.. Whitman produced record of
the police blotter which showed that
seven different automobile numbers
were turned in by Policemen, and all
of them were wrong.
It remained for Gallagher to turn
in the numerals 41,31s. and when he
did he was at once locked up "as
witness"
When pursuit was made after the
gray touring car containing Rosen-
thals slayers the gray machine was
out of sight. OF this Mr.. Whit
man declares he has positive proof.
Il charge" said the district attor-
ney frankly. that the police allowed
the murder to be committed and the
slayers to escape. The responsibility