The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-24
BECKER CASE WENT TO JURY
 AT 2 O'CLOCK
Justice Goff's Charge Conceded to be Fair to Both Sides Verdict Expected Today

New York, Oct A-The fate of sPo- lice Lieutenant Charles Becker is in the hands of the jury. At precisely 1:55 o'clock, Justice Golf concluded his charge to the 12 men who are to pronounce the defendant guilty of the murder of the gambler. Herman Ro- sentha1, or declare him innocent and give him back his freedom.
 The charge was long and was made in an even, passion1ess voice. but those who heard it sat impressed with the Justices fairness. And from it the jury has little chance of doing other than returning a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree or freeing the defendant entirely.
 Before retiring to the juryroon, where they are to remain until they come to a final conclusion, the jury men were taken to lunch.
 The general impression is that a verdict will be reached within 10 hours if at all
 With warning that they were to neys' speeches which were not based upon submitted evidence, Justice John W Golf charged the jury, today, in the trial of Police Lieut.. Charles Bec- ker, accused of the murder of Herman Rosenthal, the gambler.
 Those in the courtroom had the inn pression that this was q hit at At torney Mcintyre who, in his speech for the defendant, drew, at great length, a. vivid word picture of Jack Rose, the chief witness for the prose cution.
 During the judges charge, Becker 1ounged in his chair chewing gum, gazing with the air of a. distnterested spectator over the crowded ooufr oom At one time he looked in the direction of his wife, pale and nervous, in an other part of the room, and waved his hand careSSingly.
 Justice Golf directed that Becker might be found guilty of second de- gree murder if the jury found that there was no premeditat1on But If U between the order to kill and the unur der for the order to be withdrawn. then deli1beration and prezneditafion
 "If Becker did this then he is gull ty of first degree nurder7 Jus tice Golf went on. 'It matters not wheth- with Rose. If the state has proven the case as have stated it then Becker is guilty
 to your satisfaotion-,. .@1Faking up a digest of the defense'H testimony, Justice Golf laid stress on Hawley, reporter. He called the jury's attention, however, to the fact that the. testimony of the lieutenant of po- lice on duty at the station the night Of the murder differed materially with Hawley's-
 The court reviewed in detail almost u1InuC0 lDY 31l1nuIS, LH0 IHON01Il0ItS O17 Becker on the night of the murder as outlined by the state. He quoted witnesses who corroborated these movements but he told the jury that they were not to let his telling of the story sway them as he was merely reviewing the testimony to refresh their memory.
 He drew the attention of the jury to the fact that the state was seeking to prove that Becker inspired the n1ur- der.
 elf you believe there is a certain ty of ttis,'' he added, 'sthen gentlemen. the defendant is guilty as an accessory before the fact which, under the com mon law makes him principal in the crime.
 seThe main witnesses against Becker are called accompdces. There is no question about their being accomplices. There is a question about Schepps but I charge you that Rose, Webber and vallon are accomp1ices. With re- gard to Schepps, I must say that I am in such doubt that decline to instruct you that he is accom- plice Gentlemen, it is for you to de termine from the facts whether Or not Schepps is an accomplice.
 The court declared there was no d1- rect testimony to convict Schepps of being an accomp1ice. His relations with the gamblers, he said, laid him open to suspicion. But the fact that he had Suspicions of the approaching crime did not of itself make him an acconplice.
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