The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-08-21
BECKER INDICTED
WITH THE SIX
GANGSTERS
Sam Schepps' Testimony Con-
firms Story Of lack Rose
zELIG'S EVIDENCE HELPS
District Attorney Said To Have
Strengthened Case Against
Police Lieutenant.

New York, Aug. 21.-On evidence
unexpectedly strengthened by the
testimony of Sam Schepps and
Jack" Zelig, the EastSide gang lead
err. the grand jury yesterday rein
dicted Police Lieut. Charles Becker
for the murder of Herman Rosen-
thai and handed down also the eX-
pected indictments against six OF MS
alleged tools, the four gunner ac-
cused of actually doing the murder
and two who are alleged TO have ia
ken part in the plot. They are "Gyp
the Blood" and Lefty Louie, who
are still at large; "Dago Frank Giro
fici and Whitley" Lewis, now in the
Tombs; Jack Sullivan the famous
king of the newsboys, who is al
legged to have given the murder sig
nal. and William Shapiro, the driver
of the murder car Sam Schepps'
who was before the jury two hours,
did even more toward duplicating
Becker in the murder plot than had
been anticipated by District Attorney
Whitman, who expected no more OF
him than a corroboration of the story
told by Jack Rose.
Jack Zelig. whose appearance be
fore the grPnd jury came as a sur
prise, also IppOrted Roses story, II
was learned Their stories dovetailed
chronologic; ", Zelig telling of hap
penings be ore the murder tending
to show the alleged determination OF
Becker to set rid OF Rosenthal, the
gambler, who had "squealed' against
him, and Schepps telling of events
after the murder which pointed back
to the police officers alleged prepar-
atoms TO carry ont his determination.
Schepps told the jury, it was
learned, that it was true that he act
ed as a go-be-tween for Rose and Bee
ker, while Rose, panicky and sick
from fear of arrest, was in hiding a
the home of Harry Pollok and be-
seeching Becker to save him. Schepps
it was learned, told the jury of his
conversations with Becker and with
Rose about the murder, and it was the
witnesses testimony concerning these
conversations which came a uneX-
pected news to the grand jury and
the district attorney. What he quoted
Becker as saying could not be learn
ed, but it is known that the CONVEX
sations pointed back to events before
the murder which the prosecutor be-
lieves materially strengthened Roses
story that Becker was its instigator.
The witness testified further it
was learned that he was present at
the time Richard G. Barter, the no
tary public, came to Pollok's house
with John w. Hart, Becker's attor-
ney, to get Rose to sign the affidavit
which was to clear Becker of Rosen-
thal's charge that the police officer
was the gamblers partner in his faro
place. Schepps said that he was pre-
sent part of the time while Hart was
dickering with Rose over the afiida-
Wit. and corroborated Barter's testi-
mony as to what took place, includ-
ing the notary public's declaration
that Hart and himself, who had been
brought there by Becker in a taxicab.
were not admitted to the house until
Hart had given the signal. The wit
ness's testimony directly contradicts
the story of Hart, who stated that
Schepps was not present Schepps
went before the jury, it was learned
unaware of the details of what either
Barter or Hart had testified to, ana
surprised the jury by his close zorro
boration of DEATHS as given by Barter.