Evening star., 1912-07-16

out crime. which If worthy of serious
consideration at all would be worthy
of adjudication before the regularly
constituted criminal 1.iSanaa WSstman forth
with announced that he would begin q
formal investigation today:
The murder of Rosenthal before
daybreak today brought the SITUATION
to sensational climax.
Went to Meet Lieut.. Becker.
The gambler left his home late last
night, telling his wife he had an appoint
ment to meet Police Lieut.. Becker at the
Hotel Metropole, at Broadway and 4Sd
street. Rosenthal reached the hotel. where
he was well known. some time after mid
night and sat down alone in the lobby.
smoking a cigar and whistling as ne
watched the usual midnight crowd in
Times Square outside
Shortly before o'clock a slate-colored
automobile drew up In front. One OF its
six passengers got out and walked into
the hotel. beckoning to Rosenthal
Herman" he called, come out here:
some one wants to see you"
Rosenthal without hesitation walked
out
Five Shots Take Effect.
He had reached point not more than a
dozen feet from the door when a volley
of shots rang out from the slate-coiored
car. Five of them found their target and
Rosenthal fell dead instantly with bull
let in his brain.
Almost beore the crowd on the sidewalk
and in the lobby realized that q shot had
been fired the touring car was under way
and disappearing in the direction or 9th
avenue.
Police Lieut. File OF the central office
staff was dining In the Metropole with
party of friends when he heard the shots,
and ran out. Without waiting for de-
tails, he jumped into taxicab and
started in pursuit OF the big slate
colored racer. He gave chase for a mile
dropped hopelessly behind.
Shots Attract Large Crowd.
The five shots that were fired at Rosen-
thai attracted a large crowd, and few
minutes after the accident the street
about the hotel was filled with hundreds
of persons. Reserves from several Of
the nearby stations were turned odt to
keep them in order.
James Considine. one of the owners of
the hotel. witnessed the shooting from
the Of the lobby. He said:
Il saw Rosenthal come from the hotel.
Tie stdTIPu ttDuSu lie were SOIHS W
Broadway and then stopped suddenly.
Il don't know whether he saw the men
in the machine or not. but the sudden
way in which ne stopped convinced me
that he was afraid something was to
happen to him. | know that one of the
men in the car was q policeman"
Mrs Rosenthal wife of the gambler.
was driven almost frantic when a mes
senger went to the Rosenthal home to
tell her that her husband had been slain.
Wife Blames the Police.
This Is the police again. she exclaim-
ed. 1T is just what I expected, ! stayed
up. fearing that Herman would not get
back safely"
District Attorney Whitman was notified
of the murder within few minutes and
a half hour ater had opened his offices
and was proceeding with a staff of
stenographers and assistants to the West
41th street police station He began his
investigation of the murder there at $3.50
O'Clock.
Becker Denies Completely.
Lieut.. Becker said later:
1T ought to be needless for me to say
] think 1 ought not to be asked to say
that know absolutely nothing about the
crime. who perpetrated it, what the mo-
1--WE. OF WHat emu Is 10 De gained Dy II.
l want TO say, now that I have said this
much. and perhaps I am violating rule
of the department BY SO saying. that it
was to my best and only advantage that
Rosenthal should have been permitted to
live right on for many years. If not for
few more days only. 1 bore this man
no malice He set himself up as my
enemy. / have explained every move l
made with this man to the satisfaction
uf my superiors
THE mortgage is very easily explained.
rs | look on IL now, in three more days
the whole thing would have been off.
| calculated that in three days, at the
outside, the last suspicion would pc lifted
from the police department by docu-
Inentary legal evidence before the proper
authorities
Feared Death From Police.
District Attorney Whitman said Rosen-
thai had told him yesterday that he fear
cd death at the hands OF the police.
The police have killed better men than
when it became necessary to do 1t to
suppress evidence the gambler said, ac-
cording to the district attorney.
Mr. Whitman added that when he took
this statement as joke RosenthAl re-
piled: 1T is no laughing matter at ALL"
and expressed the fear that something
would happen to him in the next few
hours. 1t was because of this fear, Mr..
Whitman explained. that he had told
Rosenthal to come to his apartment this
morning instead of making the trip to
the criminal court building