The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-10-06

They were written by Lefty" Louie
Rosenberg. ''Gyp the Blood" Horowitz
] 'Dago Frank" Cirofici. and Whitley
Lewis. These are the men indicted al
the actual slayers OF RosenthaL
The letters were all written on October
3. They were received by Zelig on October
4. Zelig was shot to death on the even
ing OF Octobr 5.
Were these letters of friendly tone
written only to give confidence to an in
| tended victim? The police do not even
express such a suspicion. 1t Is merely
startling coincidence of the drama OF
death that has followed the confession
of Herman Rosenthal-
Slayer Claims Robbery.
The slayer gave his name as Philip
Davidson. He said he lived at II East
Seventh Street. The address was not his.
SO probably the name Is not his either.
He told the police he was a fruit dealer.
and that, early this afternoon. Zelig con-
fronted him at Broome and Eidridge
Streets. thrust a revolver to his chest
and took 500 away from him. There
was only s2.34 on the body of Zelig when
1t reached the morgue tonight. He was
not armed. A penknife and a nail cut
ter were all that he carried.
The prisoners eye was black and blue
He said Zeiig had struck him.
hnOW MN. sald the selr-styled
Davidson. 81 knew he would be likely
to visit places in Fourteenth Street.
went up there and found him with some
friends at Thirteenth Street. When he
jumped on the car, i ran after II, and
and i killed him. He had taken my
money. There was no other reason"
The pistol used by the slayer Is said
to be Of the same type as those used by
the New York police.
were present at the Kid Critic ball last
night. met Zelig there and asked him to
take care Of IS for him. as he had been
drinking heavily. Davidson met Zelig
this morning and asked for his money
and got II. but entered into an argument
with Zelig- who finally knocked him
down and walked away.
Persons who knew Zelig ridiculed the
statement that he had stolen the money
from Davidson, and laughed at the idea
OF Davidson having any sum near $40
claimed by him.
Shortly after Zelig's body was brought
to the morgue, a woman presented her
self with a demand for $500 which she
understood had been found on the body.
She was informed that no such amount
had been found. little later a man
giving the name Elliott called with
the same demand. He departed hurried
~ when told that he had been misin-
formed.
In spite of this statement the police
and the district attorney are not con-
WINGED that there was no other reason.
They demand proof
They learned, however. that Davidson
had spent the summer at Peekskill with
his wife and that. SO far as the records
showed, he had never been affiliated with
any gang Of New York desperadoes
Had Been in Fight.
The police learned that Zelig had been
in Siegel's restaurant, at IS Second Ave
nue.. two hours before the shooting. and
that he had had a fight there with a
man whose name they did not learn.
Zelig is said to have struck the man in
the face. A little while later Zelig got a
telephone message asking him to 20 to
Second Avenue and Fourteenth Street.
Whether this message was the lure to
his death the police do not pretend TO
judge.
When policemen went to Davidson's
home. at II East Seventh Street, they
found there his wife and family But
what they regarded as the most signif-
cant fact concerning the visit was that
IL East Seventh Street is just a half
block from 81 East Seventh Street the
headquarters of the notorious Sam Paul
association Zelig and most of his asso-
GATES were members OF the Sam Paul
band.
Mrs. Davidson said tonight that her
husband had attended a ball last night
and that he came home early this morn
Ing intoxicated and apparently drugged. |
Murderer Was HystericaI.
He got up at O'clock" she said, |
and seemed to be hysterical. He left |
the house and that was the last I saw |
OF him until I heard Of this shooting |
tonight"
Mrs. Davidson said she and her hus-
band had come to this country from Rus
STA thirteen years ago.
1t was stated tonight that Lefty Louis, |
Gyp the Blood. Whitley Louis, and Dago |
Frank, the four gsngsters IN the Tombs
accused Of shooting down Herman Rosen-
thai, the gambler, had learned only yes
terday that Zelig was to furnish evil
dence at the trial OF Lieut.. Charles Beck
er that Becker had hired them as gun
men to kill Rosenthal.
1t is said that Jack Rose. in a state
ment to District Attorney Whitman to-
day in the West Side prison. made a
fuller confession. 1 which he told how he
approached Zelig and had him arrange
to hire the assassns of Rosenthal, also
how he paid Zelig to leave town.
While Mr.. Whitman had little to say
)n the subject, II is n fact that the MUIR
Ter of Zelig removes one of the most
important links connecting the four
now in the Tombs with the
'ormer strong-arm squad leader. who on
will be placed on trial for his
ife
1t was at the West Side prison that
Rose and WALTON had prophesied that
lelig would be killed before Becker's
rial began.
Members Of the Jack Sirocco gang were
discussing tonight a reported encounter
between Zelig and Davidson to-day at
IN earlier hour than the shooting. In
,rief. the affair was described by a men,
Der of the gang as follows:
Recognized as "Stool Pigeon"
Jack Zelig met Phil Davidson on the
East Side in the afternoon. He recog-
iized him at once as fellow known in
Boston, where he originally comes from,
ls Reid Phil. There he worked as a
tool pigeon for the police, and did some
work. in that line also for the New ,
fork police.
when Jack saw Red Phil he said to ,
i'm. You =, what are you doing here
n town, working for the New York po- ,
Ice now? Phil came back at him and !
aid, Why, you -, you've been work. !
ng for Becker all the time you've been ,
ut on ball. They handed 1t back and ,
orth in words to each other and then :
eparated."
The two men, so far as is known. did !
ot meet again until the moment when .