The Washington times., 1912-07-16
Shooting of Rosenthal Fol
!. lows Probe Into New
York Scandal.

NEW YORK, July 16.-The most sem |
sational gang murder in the history
OF New York was committed at ?
o'clock this morning in the very heart
of the new tenderloin. Herman Rosen- |
thai noted gambler, and the storm
center of the citys latest gambling |
scandal, was shot to death In the glare |
of the lights of the Hotel Metropolis. |
Two arrests had been made up to noon. \
His murderers. utilizing modern meth |
DDS, came to the scene and escaped In |
a high-powered seven-passenger auto |
mobile which easily out-dlstanced the
taxicabs pressed into service for pur-
suit by the police.
Important Arrests Made.
One important arrest had been made
up to the middle of the morning. The
accuoed man was Louis Libbey. Of 30
Stuy pesant street. He was picked up
in a garage at 72 South Washington
squaLe two hours after the killing.
Deputy Police Commissioner Dougherty,
who was in direct charge Of the man.
hunt. insisted that he had three wit
nesses who knew Libbey and who had
positively identified him as the chauf-
feur of the car in which the murderers
made their escape, and one witness who
swore that Libbey fired at Rosenthal.
Libbey's touring car answered the de-
scription Of that used by the man kill
lers. The license number was the same
given by a score OF persons who saw
the shooting. He was closely questioned
by the police. Beyond insisting that he
had the right man and would soon have
all Of the others, Deputy Commissioner
Dougherty would not talk. He already
had one man detained as a material
witness and 1t was rumored that an
other principal had been secretly picked
up and was bepg detained in his inner
office.
Used By Taxicab Robbers.
A peculiar feature in connection with
Lbbey's arrest was that the garage
where he stored his car was that used
by Gino Montani and the taxicab rob-
bers! who recently held up two bank
messengers and stole $25, 900.
District Attorney Whitman personally
cross-examined Libby for several hours,
and finally ordered him arraigned before
Coroner Feinberg, where he asked that
the accused man be committed to the
Tombs without bail on homicide
charge pending further investigation.
Afterward, In his office Whitman said:
'It is not true that Libby has con-
fessed. There are, however. several
important contradictions in his story
which we are investigating. For in
stance, he told me that he brought the
car back to the garage before midnight.
l have already proved that this was
not SO. l have two employees OF the
garage who will swear that he did not
asked them to say he came in at IL.
I'VE are reasonably certain that this
was the same car in which the men
rode who tried to shoot down Big Jack
inal courts building about a month ago.
Laughs At His Fears.
Now, 30 far as Rosenthars visit to
me late yesterday is concerned, all
can say is that he told me he was afraid
to come here again. l laughed at HIS
fears, but he said to me: You can
laugh all right. but want to tell you
that the police have croaked better men
than me. and they are going to get me
all right. And when they do, you will
never be able to get the men RESPONSE
ble.' I told him that II he felt that way
to come to my home ard bring hia wife
along and he agreed to come there at
$3.50 this morning, and tell me all he
knew about the gambling conspiracy In
this city"
The police insisted there was no doubt
that the murder of Rosenthal was care
fully planned and they declare that the
actual murderers undertook the crime
for hire. They said that when the en-
tire operations Of the plot were revealed
ifications.
: A report attributed to Jim Consi-
dine that he noticed a policeman in full
uniform in the touring car when the
today. He then told this story Of the
shooting:
IT had gone across the street from
our hotel (The Metropole) to get glass
of beer with a couple of friends In
Dowling's. AS we were about to drink
I heard the shooting. The waiter told
me It was In our place and I rushed
over. AS / got into the street saw
not recognize the occupants. went
over, found that Rosenthal was dead,
! and gave the police the best description
could Of the men in the car who had
done the killing. l saw no policeman
or anyone who looked like policeman
in the car"
Shot Without Warning.
Thomas Conte. another witness. told
the police the following story:
II saw the automobile come into
Forty-third street from Broadway. 1t
ran along a few feet and then stopped,
but the engine kept pounding. Three
men jumped out on the street side and
two on the sidewalk. One was in front.
He had dark hair and was clean shaven.
He wore dark clothes and a black felt
hat. They suddenly began to shoot. 1
saw a man fall. Then the car came up
quick all got in and 1t was off in an
instant. The leader stood on the run
ming board as the car went out of
sight"
The murder, while the elimination OF
his war with the police and with the
uptown gamblers, was probably the
most carefully planned and cold
blooded OF the recent gang killings In
this city, the home of the gangsters
Rosenthal was one of the best known
of the so-called cheaper gamblers OF
the city. He was recognized as the
agent of certain influential downtown
politicians, and in most of his under
takings represented simply the banL
roll of a prominent sporting man anG
politicians of national repute.
He Talked Too Much"
1t was openly asserted yesterday tina
he had ben ordered by his patrons t