New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-03


olson. At Ossining, where
THE voice of the court, steady, even
..,od droned on. Ii would have been al
est monotonous except for the remen'
1ous import Of the words:
..you shall be put to death in the man
,.r prescribed by law"
Sentence had been pronounced. not
lane IN charles Becker, former lieuten-
-, NJ police. a prince in the depart
ut {" as Bald Jack Rose had so aptly
s.,,ribed him, but, in a measure, upon
-. system itself-that system of ruthless
~ which. TO save exposure of lis
.,bods ordered the murder OF prog
,,,c,iv. witness for the people, and then
s,a,d public opinion in vain efforts 70
,ro,so4 the murderers
What then. Of the Systems reception
.,,b,s body blow-Of the manner in winch
=. nous Of the verdict came 10 those
IL compose the System-and particular
=, =, its reception among the underworld
nv. NJ the System who are at once a
a,r, n and the victims of its workings
~. grapevine" Of the underworld Il
,h,ng of mystic speed. 1t is the system
s.. ,hieh the habitues of that world get
,hs,r fash Of the news that vitality con-
Ems them, and IL is fast as lightning
One rarely sees the workings OF that sys'
tenn Its emissaries use the telephone oil
c,urss We know that they must because
u,s know, that in a city like this that Is
tho only explanation Of the rapidly with
which their news reaches their people
hut one does not see the messengers oil
tho underworld using the telephone.
Guilty Of murder in the first degree
as charged in the indictment the WORDS
or. solemnly delivered by the foreman
Of the Jury at midnight in a locked court
nom in the gray pile on Centre street
You know that the doors of that court
rom were locked. and YOU know that u
was matter Of over three minutes. jeal'
onsly hut perforce spared by the sfainins
nsvspapermen before even those Watch
men of the metropolitan press were al
lowed 10 get out Of that courtroom.
But do YOU know that at midnight the
word that Becker had been found guiIt\
vas being snapped from mouth 10 mouti
in cafe in the heart Of the great lower
East Side in dirty saloon on the llNei'
front mile to the north and nlie t'
the east Of the Criminal Courts Building
4 saloon which has no telephone, III
'rendtrloin hotel and dance hall, In
cigar store in the Little Italy Of Har
l.n where "Dago', Frank Cirohcl nae
been wont 10 hang out: and even on
Eindv corner in the nOrthernmost reacH''
Of the Bronx wnere two franc cops
mounted. leaned eagerly Forward
heir saddles TO speak TO each othcr o
this strange news that a powerful heu
tenant Of police had been started uiieC
toward the electric chair.
Possibly stranger, but not so uncahhS
bsc,us. Of it's proximity 10 the courthouse
you know that the fash Of that news tid'
ered through the Tombs prison across th'
Bridge Of Signs within seconds OF the liiii'
when the words were first pronounced Il
that locked courtroom.
To trace the grapevine in It's WORK
jpss Won can start from that locked court
loom, from which the definite news -,
underworld was so intensely interesleu Il
had 10 start, but if you followed the "oro'
or Foreman skinner out Of that room
even ~ Won were the first person to pas
on, wbsn the doors were unlocked, you
would be so hopelessly behind the grape
VIM" that YOU would miss entirely IT'S III
trcacies.
II YOU had been in the Criminal Couru
...kaN n
Building on that Thursday night "hei
The Verdict was announced you "ou'
have seen In its corridors types OF Rln'
YOU would never see on Broadway no
anywhere west OF Broadway Throughout
the city.
Well enough dressed as 10 the materia
in their suitings, smartly shod, snd' SUI
prising as il may seem, clad In al proo
ability in sllken underwear, but USUAL!
covering that luxury with a cheap shlr'
which ls frequently collarless-altosethe
combination of wealth and appareh
poverty and worn with sneaking air o
brsvado--that is the typical "gangman
runner"
OF such there were scores in and arouh'
the building when the Becker jury wa
out celebrating, and they constitute I'M
arst link in the grapevine
simnering always and boiling up at In
teryaIs in their relations with the police
the law and the courts, these runners
are far too experienced to have TO wal
Tor the formal enunciation Of the word
which give them the basis Of their mes
sages 10 the underworld.
While YOU were sitting spellbound II
that courtroom. gaze riveted on jury
Judge o. condemned, chatting at the drag
sine DELAY of the formalities that hell
back the Jurors dramatic climax oil pro
nOuncement. they were even then spread
INK their fash TO the denizens OF gangland
for their experienced intuition had giVel
them that message Just as surely as you
ears had conveyed II 10 your brain whei
you listened 20 the spoken words OF tn
foreman.
How-and the details? Well, the Jur
had been in an upper room deliDerauns
After long hours they had finally sen
Captain Lynch on a message 10 the judge
They had seen that. and they had see
the Judge summon the opposing counsel
exchange with them a brief word an
then take his seat on the bench.
Lynch returned 10 the juryroom, but II
moment came out again, leading tn
turymen on their short Journey to tn
courtroom.
To their accustomed eyes Lynch ma
liver as plain a message az that deliv
cred 70 the Judge Their scouts wer
posted at vantage points In the corridor
Lending from juryroom TO courtroom, an
hey read the final climax in the sternl
set faces OF The jurors as easily as the
had interpreted the movements Of tn
0fdcey IN charge Of the fury