The sun., 1912-08-01

With Brldgic webbcr over some detai
or other and tho pair argued II Ou
while Mr.. Whitman watched them In
tcrestcdly. Invariably Rose convinced
Webber that the latter was mistaken.
Tho days Information was brough
out slowly and after persistent an
careful questioning. None Of the thre
seemed 10 answer without deliberation
Whether they were telling the truth o
not they gave the District Attorne!
the impression that they were tryinl
to bc careful and conservative as we'
as accurate In their statements.
s:,SOO.OOO Above iAsh street.
Taking up the graft operations ir
which Becker and other policemen are
implicated by the informers. Mr.. Whit.
man asked Rose what he actually knew
Of Beckcr's activities. Rose said that
from his own work for Becker. from
what he had seen with his own eyes
he knew that the lieutenant had col
lected between s2.50O, 900 and $3.000,00j
in Manhattan alone above Fourteenth
street. Rose did not work below Four.
teenth street. he said. and 1t wns his
belief that Becker employed other col
lcctors in the downtown gambling dis
trict.
when said that Beckers own rake
on was &600.000 year and that he
gave each OF three others the same
amount I was trying to guess at the
right figure" Rose told Mr. whitman.
Becker told inc that his own share
was 100000 and that three others got
the same. But that didn't cover all
Of Manhattan and Becker was the boss
Of the gambling situation not only In
Manhattan but In Brooklyn. I don't
know what the graft was south OF
Fourteenth street or over the river.
X had to figure on the whole business
! would say that II was four or five
times what was taken in above Four
teenth street In Manhattan alone.
II wasn't Beckers collector In getting
the graft from the big gambling houses.
How he worked that I don't know. but
I do know that he got the money.
There was a sliding scale for all kinds
of gambling. from a cheap crap game
to the big houses such as John Kelly's
and Sam Emcry's.
Everybody had to pay up. no matter
whether their games were winning or
losing. They even showed their books
W TIC NolcStpIS tIdt tIS pay
was bad now and then"
What wcbber Gave Up.
Bridsie webber told Mr. Whitman
that he paid 5000 month. but that only
3125 ~ 1t went to Becker. Rose got $50
and SIS went to another man who had
TO be pleased. Wcbber said that he had
a cheap rate because he stood In with
RrCkcr l,t ATM, ,,ff yti
Webber agreed with Rose that the
average Of monthly collections was
very much higher than 5000 a month
They said that the rakcofY ran from 5000
to $3.50 month from the smallest kind
of games even the cheap crap rooms to
$1,000 month in the big and high
class" houses
They gave an idea OF how Becker
operated. They said he was pretty rough
with gamblers who tried to dodge pay
ment or who were foolish enough to
think that anybody but Becker could
help them do business
one time Becker raided F'rccman's
place because he heard that Freeman
had been paying protection money to
another policeman, Becker went charg-
ing into FrCeman's. smashed up the
bihCS"dis anu NdIudUlC
psintings. did all the damage he could
and then said to the angry Freeman:
I'm the man you've got to sec II YOU
want to do business"
Rose and Wehber gave 20 the District
Attorney the names OF many gamblers
who had been contributing to Becker.
they said. MIR. Whitman would not give
out these names, but the gamblers men
tiOnQd and i,1 70
been doing business in the last wear or
two. will be brought down to the Dis.
trict Attorneys Office and Questioned
under the Dowling law
Rurns May Head His Men.s Work,
II William J. Burns consents TO lead
in person the investigation to find ont
what police officials besides Becker got
The blackmail receipts Mr.. Whitman be.
lieVes that the vicious cliuue I'm the
Police Department will be utterly
smashed Mr.. Burns and the District
attorney are comforting daily. and
meanwhile Burns detectives are collect
ing evidence. Tho only point that re-
mains to be settled is whether Mr..
Burns himself will have time TO stay
IN New York and direct the work.
IN any event the Grand Jury will
60 ar deeply as possible into the ac-
cuhstions made by Rose, Wcbbor and
Na!lon and by citizens and gamblers
who had written TO the District Attor-
ney, or who have seen him personally.
Mr.. Whitman feels that there Is a
splendid chance to brand the real
crooks In the Police Department and to
rid the force OF them.
Questioning Rose as TO what Becker
had said to him about numbering Ro-
senthal. and as to what the Lieutenant,
had done In directing the operation, the
District Attorney learned from the COL
iector that Becker had sent them to the
Garden restaurant on July s or 6-Rose
wasn't positive which day II was-wtth |
positive instructions that they must |
not let Rosenthal leave the place alive. |
We had been having almost daily
talks for weeks" said Rose. Becker |
wanted Rosenthal killed Immediately |
after he raided Rosenthars place. But
there were bitches and delays because
none OF us thought that there was any
reason to he afraid Of Rosenthal, none Of
us except Becker.
"ffe was dead sure from the start that
Rosenthal was going to get him into
trouble and he didn't want to take any |
chances. The boys felt that nothing |
much would come Of RosenthaIs saueai- |
Ing, and It wasn't expected that he |
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