Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1912-10-09
ON EVE OF the
BECKER TRIAL
big Jack" ze ig Killed With
FOIiCenan'S Gun
SLAYER IS QU| ,KLY CAUGHT

OiAILn ID QUl jNLI UAUI I'll
District Attorney Worried at siIencine
of Gunman Who Was to Be Chief
Witness Against Becker, Charged
With the Murder of RosenthaI-
Graft Case Against Police Killed
New York, Oct. 7.-Baff1ed so far
in their efforts to connect Philip Day.
idson, the slayer, and the events sur
rounding the murder by him of big
Jack" Zelig as the latter sat complac-
emily smoking a cigarette on the end
of an open nOrthbound Second avenue
street car, with the killing of Herman
Rosenthal, the gambler, who met
death in somewhat similar circum-
stances, the police are bringing every
influence at their command to bear on
Davidson to induce him to give a COM
plete and detailed account of the
events which led to the murder of the
leader Of the east side gunman Satur-
day night.
The first and most important cir
cumstances being investigated is the
revolver which was taken from David
son less than a minute after he sprang
onto the running board of the street
car and, placing the muzzle of the
weapon close behind the gun
mans ear, pulled the trigger and sent
a bullet crashing through his brain.
Leaping from the car the murderer
| toward First avenue, when Policeman
| Schmidt, in citizens clothes, seized
him, threw him to the ground and
took the still smoking gun from his
hand.
An examination of it disclosed that
! it was the pattern carried by police
men. Further sitting developed that
it had been the property Of police
man who travels out Of the Fifth az
enue station, Brooklyn While the
! name of the policeman who once
| owned the revolver has been kept Sc
cret, it is known that his number is
1872.
In an effort to trace the steps which
/ followed the loss of the gun by the
! policeman, Deputy Commissioner
! DOugherty is responsible for the state
ment that the policeman has told him
that he lost the revolver some time
tectiVe L'HeureauX, went to a pawn
shop in Jersey City in an effort to cor
rOborate Davidson's story that he
bought it in sucha shop for So that he
might avenge himself on Zelg for the
theft from him of nearly $500, which
sum has after been proved, the police
say, to have been but SIT.
District Attorney Whitman took part
in an eight hour grilling OF Davidson
! which, to a large extent, only brought
| about confirmation from him of his
original story, to the effect that he
shot Zelig because the latter had
backed him into a doorway, beaten
him up and robbed him of his savings.
| WOIIlGQ
over the killing of Zelig cannot be
! denied. He, it is said, had just about
convinced Zelig that the best thing he
could do would be to go the witness
stand in the trial of Lieutenant
! Charles Becker, which begins today
and tell ali he knows about the ar
rangements which were made between
him and Bridge" Weber and Jack"
Rose, by the terms Of which he sup
piled for them the quartet of gunner
who killed Herman Rosen.hal in front
of the Metropole cafe.
His removal by death is looked upon
by the prosecution in the Becker case
as one of the greatest setbacks they
have received since the Investigation
following the murder of the gambler
started. 1t was expected, it is said =,
that Zelig's test would furnish the
connecting link, the link that would
forge the chain of evidence connecting
Lieutenant Becker directly with the
lowest stratum of the underworld
Just how he will accomplish this, now
that Zellg's lips have been closed by
murderer's bullet, the district at
torney as yet has not indicated.
Incidentally, perjury charges which
| it was thought by the district attorney
| would be easy to prove against Stein
ert and White, two of Becker's
r strong arm squad" are now certain
to fall for lack of evidence.
r Zelig charged that the two men
framed up" on him by placing a re-
I volver in his pocket after arrestine
6 him in the very cafe from which he
:, started to his death. He was charged
after the alleged frame up" with
carrying concealed weapons. 1t was
on this accusation that the police ex.
pected to send him to Sing Sing for
y long term.
L IIorY,,on uac shot hofor,