The Washington times., 1912-10-28
BECKER PLEADS
WITH WORLD TO
BELIEVE HIN
Convicted Man Protests He
Knew Nothing of Plot to
Kill Rosenthal.

NEW YORK, Oct. :s.- Stripped of his
buttons, with his face turned toward
Sing Sing toward which he had seen
many an unfortunate go In the old
Gays. Charles Becker. convicted instiga-
tor Of the murder, OF Herman Rosen-
thai, has told the story he might have
told II his attorneys had permitted the
former police lieutenant TO take the wit
ness stand.
B. Denies knowledge of Plot.
Summarized. Becker's story might be
set forth thus:
I That he had no knowledge of a plot
tto kill Herman Rosenthal; that the
staying was a vengeance visited upon
the gambler at the will and direction
OF Jack Rose. who had been cheated
by Rosenthal. That his reputedly large
bank accounts were not his. but his
wlfe's, and that she had accumulated
the money In a way that might sound
strange, but was absolutely true-in
the form of gifts from an old man who
had been well treated by her family In
days gone by.
Rose His "Stool Pigeon"
I'm the beginning" he said. II
could have explained away tho re-
lations of Jack Rose and myself, upon
which SO much stress was laid by the
prosecution. knew Jack Rose. OF
course. had to know him. He was
n stool pigeon, a man employed to get
information secretly for me. Stool
pigeons have been employed for many
years by the police department for gain
ing Information as to all sorts Of crimes.
They were used as far back as In
spector Byrnes' days. Naturally, they
for your friends intimates, or conf
dants. =.
They Met Secretly. . Z
Il made, him no promise whatever,
but he started in to get information
against gambling houses and to turn It
over to me when would meet him in
secret pIaces-sometimes his home,
sometimes in out OF the way parts of
the town. Naturally he couldn't come
TO headquarters" ..
elbows upon the cross-bars in front OF
him and picking up the main theme of
MS. story; mo. Jack Rose never asked
me for money. Before long began to
tirnn W0naer e. why: y did not take a great
Rose told mo one day that he in
tended to enter into partnership with
Herman Rosenthal in a gambling house
uptown"
Becker was then asked: WAS that
really Roses money-that $l,5OO-which
was put into Rosenthars business. and
The prisoner raised his right hand in
an involuntary movement and replied
As sure as there Is a God in heaven
yes; YES That was Jack Roses money. not
Rose told me, when he explained
about the coming partnership, that he
hoped I'd remember all his past favors
I'll he had done for me without asking
for money. and in reward would let
him and Rosenthal run their house
without molestation. He wanted me
to promise that / would not raid them.
II told him the best l could do was
to say that / wouldn't molest them
that I would make no special efforts
against their house unless | was espe-
cially directed to do 80. So they went
ahead and opened up.
Tells of "Double Cross"
"WelI, that house hadn't been opened
a week before Jack Rose got very sore
on Herman Rosenthal. Rose came to
me one day and told me that when the
house had been running two or three
nights n well-to-do man came in and
lost $1,000. The understanding was that
Rose ana RoSenthal were to split even
ly on all the profits; but Rosenthal
didn't keep his part of the bargain.
Jack Rose wasn't in the house at
the time of the 5000 losing. so Rosen-
thai pocketed all the money. and in
stead of giving 5000 to Rose he paid
of a lot of old debts with part OF It,
and then had a couple Of friends of his
"a couple of gamblers from Harlem
come in and purposely let them win
the rest of 1t. He got 1t back from
them afterward, of course.
Hearing that, l said to Rose: Well
why don't you do exactly the same
thing. Why don't you spend twenty,
four hours in the house. and wher
there's big losing, take all the money
and get square with Rosenthal?
AND he did. customer came II
who lost a considerable sum- dom
know just how much-when Rose wal
there and Roscnthal wasn't. Jack Rost
thereupon called in a friend of his
dealt him faro. and purposely let hin
win what should have been Rosenthal'.
share of the profits. He got this money
back from his friend, just as Rosentha
had done.
Although Rose had got sauar,
financially he was very bitter abou
the way Rosenthal had double -crosseC
him, and he spoke to me about 1t every
time saw him. He hated Rosenthai
and always hated him after that time
They had had other differences besides.