Evening star., 1912-07-16
Killing of Herman Rosenthal
Climax of Graft Charges
Against Gotham Police.
CALLED TO STREET, SHOT, !
QUINTET FLEEING IN AUTO
Victim in Few Hours Was to Have
Testified to Prosecutor.
SUSPECTS HELD; CAR LOCATED
District Attorney Whitman Imme-
diately Begins Investigation.
Eyewitness Declares Ono
Assailant Was a Policeman.

Assailant Was Policeman.
NEW YORK, July l6-The efforts Of
the police to run down the five men
who. early this morning. shot the gam
bier. Herman Rosenthal, to death in front
of the Hotel Metropole, but a few hours
before he was to give evidence against
the police about gambling graft. have re-
suited today in the arrest of three men.
The identity of but one OF them as a
member OF the party who did the shoot
ing has as yet been established, however.
to the satisfaction Of the police.
This man. according to Deputy Com
missioner Dougherty. is Louis Libby. and
drove the automobile in which the party
rode to the Metropole. He was arraigned
before the coroner and charged with
| murder, but refused to make state
ment.
One of the other two prisoners is a
man whom the police were obliged to call
John Doe" because Of his refusal to tell
his name or give any Information as To
the shooting. although, according to the
police. he was in the hotel at the time
Other Prisoner Libby's Partner.
The other prisoner was William 8.
Shapiro, said to be a partner of Libby.
and who was arrested at the garage
where the automobile was found
Although evidence as to the motive OF
the shooting as thus far gathered seems
to show that Rosenthal had feared death
at the hands Of the police, the theory
thai had really been the victim of the
so-called gambling fraternity" which
took the opportunity afforded by Rosen-
thafs activity against the police to seek
revenge foE his '.squealing' on them.
1t was learned that knowledge that
Rosenthal was to get his was current
among frequenters of various tenderloin
resorts, and a subject OF common dis
cussion some time before the shooting
took place
Eye Witnesses Identifies Libby.
Deputy Commissioner Dougherty assert
ed that eye-witnesses to the murder OF
Rosenthal identified Libby as one OF the
quintet who drove up In front of the
hotel and called the gambler from the
dining room to the sidewalk, shot him
down with fusillade of bullets and then
fled in the motor car. Rosenthal was
shot five times in the head.
Mrs Sadie Rosenthal, widow of the
gambler. in a statement to District At
torney Whitman put the ASSASSINATION OK
her husband squarely up to the police.
She said she had warned her husband
that if he kept an appointment last night
he would come to a violent end. She said
she had premonition tragedy would
follow such a conference. and she named
a police official as one of the men who
was to be present
Deputy Police Commissioner Dougherty
| said today:
THE car used was No. Abb New York.
1t was bought by Louis Libby last Oc-
tober. He promised to pay $500 for IT.
had paid 500 and was still paying on 1t.
Car Found in Garage.
"It has been positively identified as the
car used by the assassins and Libby has
been positively identified as the chauffeur
and as one of the men who fired at
Rosenthal. The car was found in the gar
age on South Washington square.
1.-The charge against the prisoner is
homicide. The garage is the same in
which was found the taxi used by Mon
tam and the twenty y-fve-thousand-d dollar
taxi robbers. At this time this is all
can afford to say"
Police Lieut. Becker joined District At
torney Whitman at once when he heard
of the murder He said:
"It is very regrettable. j know OF no
motive. / haven't seen Rosenthal for a
week, and then ] met him casually
The police learned that Rosenthal talk
ed with friends about the degree of safety
in which he moved about since he brought
charges against the police.
Said He Had Been Threatened.
i've been threatened Rosenthal was
quoted as saying, but / don't care
hang for anybody. I'm going to stay
right here, and face this thing. They
didn't play this game on the level with
inly and cyaf (,
tice Common justice. that's all ] asked.
and I'm going to get it,"
Rosenthal sprang suddenly into public
notice only last Friday. when he hurled a
bomb into police circles by filing afiidavils
charging that the police were in league
with the gamblers throughout New York
and that every gambling house was being
assessed fixed sum for police protection
Rosenthal had been for some time. he
explained, the proprietor of "A gambling
esta blishment on West 45th street, whicn
was closed April Il. after "A raid by Police
Lieutenant Becker, head OF the so-calieu
Strong-arm squad.
Becker His Alleged Partner.
This raid. Rosenthal declared, followed
a misunderstanding between himself and
Becker. The latter. Rosenthal alleged.
was his partner in the profits of the es-
tablishment.
Specifically Rosenthars affidavits charg-
ed that Lieut.. Becker had loaned him
81, 800 on a chattel mortgage on furniture
in the 45th street house as share in the
gambling business done on these prem
ises and that Becker's share amounted TO
25 per cent of the profits.
Rosenthars charges were so sensa-
tional that the explosion Of a bomb
at headquarters could not have caused
any more CONSERVATION in police
circles. Police Commissioner Waldo
and District Attorney Whitman. both
of whom were out of town. cut short
their vacations to start the inquiry
going.
Waldo Demands Investigation.
Commissioner Waldo. after making
himself acquainted with the situation.
yesterday wrote a formal letter to the
district attorney demanding. an In
vestigation by, that official rather
than through his own department. He
said that RosenthaPs accusation was
not so much a charge OF bad discipline
in the department as one OF out and