The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-14
Clearing House Will Help
Attorney Whitman in
the Fight
BECKER HAD FORTUNE
DEPOSITED IN BANKS
Sam Schepps Is Still in Hot Springs
Where He Has Been Turned
Over to Deputy Marshal
Johnson

New York. August 1S.--Powerful banking
interests, acting through the New York
clearing house committee, came to the
aid of District Attorney Whitman today In
/ his efforts to lay bare the alleged corrupt
alliance between the police and the gam
bling fraternity founded ON graft and
backmall A virtual command was given
by the committee to all banks in the clear
ing house to furnish the district attorney
with a record of deposits they may have
received from any high police officials
whom the district attorney suspects of
having been collectors of hlaclmail from
dlsorderly elements of the city
Becker's Deposits
As result records showing that within
J the last eight months Police Lieutenant
Charles Becker, charged with the murder
of Herman Rosenthal, and accused of
gambling graft, has made bank deposits
of SIS, ,S45 in his own name or that of his
wife, were placed in the hands of the
public prosecutor. These deposits, the rec
ords show, were first made in November
1911, shortly after Becker became head
Of the strong arm squad of gambling
raiders and continued all during the time
that Jack Rose says he was collecting
graft for Becker and until after his arrest
The table of deposits as presented to the
district attorney was as follows;
| Corn Exchange bank, November 2l, 1911,
to August l. 1912. $29,6l5.
| Corn Exchange bank (branch, May.
1912, 1880
Corn Exchange bank tbranehl, April,
! 1872 5000
Corn Exchange bank (braneh), July, 1912,
10000.
Empire Savings bank April, 1912, $500
West Side Savings bank, May, 1872,
5000
Lincoln Trust company, April. 1912, $500.
Total, $5S.S45.
The district attorney has been promised
records of Beckers deposits in four other
banks which did not have time to go over
their accounts today. and lie also dlscoV-
cred that Becker has an unknown amount
of stocks, honda and other securities
blocked up in, TWO separate safe deposit
vaults.
That the total value OF the police leu
tenant assets will be found to approxi-
mate 100000 would be no surprise TO the
district attorney. Beckers salary as
police Lieutenant was $3.50 year
Clearing House Aid
The aid of the clearing house commit
lee was proffered 10 Mr. Whitman after
! il became known that his representative
lsad been finding some difficulty In trac-
| ing Beckers hank accounts and those of
| other police officers, owing to the natllr-
! al feeling of bank officials to protect as
legally confidential secret the amount OF
the deposits Of their customers. Mr..
Whitman was assured by leading bank
ers of the city that they were anxious
| a tph ri IN ba
police force nurged of its grafters an1
/ the whole scandal aired, and that they
| would give him every aid in their power.
tThis offer was gladly accepted by the dis
tr.el attorney.
The word from the clearing house COM
r1ittee requesting the various banks TO
disclose their records of Becker's depos-
it's was transmitted by telephone and re-
suits were quickly forthcoming. The dis
triet attorney has received Information
that Becker may have put money away
in several banks outside Of the city, as
well. and II these are definitely located
/ ana difficulty should be experienced IN
| obtaining the records the New York
| bankers have promised to use their influ-
| ence to have them produced.
he prosecutor expects that the aid of
| the bankers viii be invaluable to him
! when he takes up the larger phase of the
| graft inquiry 1t became known tonight
/
presentation to the grand jury evidence
! by which he expects to convict -four po-
/ lice Inspectors on the charge of collecting
/ blackmal These four men are ali aware
! II IS said, OF the nature OF the evidence
which the district attorney has and have
been making every effort to cover their
! tracks. Thus far the states investlga-
tors have uncovered bank access OF two
of them totalling $4,000 The prosecutor
| expects, however, with the aid of the
clea ring house officers to unearth bank
accounts of all -four of them, which are
expected TO disclose some surprisingly
! large fortunes. in one case an accumula-
/ ton of nearly sl,00o,0Oo
No Action of Grand Jury
The expected murder indictments by
the grand jury were not handed down
today owing TO the time taken up by
testimonials Of various witnesses. One
of these was Jack Rose who II was
learned held the jury spellbounh for two
hours when he repeated In an oratorical
flow of excellent English the confession
of his part in the murder plot ana mig
alleged GRAFT relations with Becker.
One of the jurors Is reported TO have
rernar that he had not heard the equal
of the story portrayed IN any melo-
drama or hued dime novel. The one
additional fact of Importance that the
little bald headed gambler added to hts
F
lieutenant was, 1t was learned that
Becker himself was in effect the pay
! master OF the murder crew When
4 Becker. "Bridgie' Webber and Rose met
/ Ia front Of the Murray Hill baths on tho
morning of the murder according TO the
testimony of the witness Becker oor-
4 rowed from ''Rrldge" Webber the $1,000
blood money in large bills. handed it
to Rose who handed It To Schepps who
then passed 1t on 10 "Gyp the blood ana
! his three companions.
Becker, according to Rose, said to
Webber 'Bridgie.' ! owe you $500
already Lend me another $1,000 and
I'll make It all risht with You"
Two days later" Rose testified
"Bridgie sent Jack sullivan 10 Becker
to get the money back but ne never
got II and he hasn't got it yet Rose
said also, in telling the story of his
career as a graft collector for Becker.
that he sometimes made the police
So. l. f1,. t,t..