The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-10-25
Becker May Know His Fate
Before MghtfdIL.
DtFtNDANT VERY CONFIDENT.
He Declares, mo New York Jury
Would Send a Man to the Chair
on the Lies of a Lot of
Crooks"

New York, oct 24.-The best and
the worst for Lieutenant Becker has
been said. The jurors went to their
hotel last night to sleep over Mr.. Nc
Intyre's furious denunciation Of the
informers and Of District Attorney
Whitman and over Assistant District
Attorney Frank Moss calm analysis
of the defenses own evidence as proof
lndomitable will behind the murder of
Herman Rosenthal.
The charge to the jury was delivered
by Justice Goff at 1890 o'clock this
morning. 1t is probable that about
noon the jury will retire to make up
their minds whether Becker was the
master or the victim of murderers.
On the eve OF this decision Becker
himself professed to be confident that
mo New York jury would send a mam
to the chair on the lies of lot OF
crooks His lawyers, Mr.. Mcintyre in
particular, said that they would not
accept verdict of murder In the sec
ond degree-it had to be complete guilt
or complete innocence. The jury can
return a verdict of any degree Of muir
der it pleases.
Look For Disagreement.
The opinions of intelligent and
thoughtful men who we're a part of
the audience which listened to Mr..
McIntyre's summing up in the morning
and Mr.. Moss review in the after
noon were interesting in that there
was practically a unanimous belief
that the best the defense could hope
for was a disagreement.
Mr.. Mcintyre, master of invective
and of insinuation, adept In befogging
bad points and Illuminating good ones,
given to sentimentality and appeals to
the emotions, spent most of his force
attacking Beckers accusers and of at
tributing to them motives Of the most
viilalnous sort. He laid Becker's
prosecution to the cravenness of
frightened murderers and to the am
bilious designs of the district attor,
ney, whom he charged with fathering
a conspiracy. He pictured the ac-
cused lieutenant as a brave and noble
police officer in peril of Shiny crew.
Often he inverted or abbreviated test.
mony so as to put before the jury only
such parts as appeared to favor the
defendant. His analysis Of testimony
was largely charge that the main
state witnesses were perjurers.
Mr.. Moss, whose manner was not un.
like that Of a Sunday school superin-
tendent addressing his class, but whose
address was that of a we'll trained and
able lawyer, was at all times restrained,
courteous and fair. For the most part
his summing up was a calm condensa-
ton of the main evidence produced by
the state and shrewd dissection Of
the weakness of the defense's evidence
Defends Mr.. Whitman.
Rebuking Mr.. Mcintyre for the insin-
uations that the district attorney was,
too. a conspirator for ambitions sake,
Mr.. Moss told the jury that If Rose and
Webber and Vallon had not been ac-
cepted as states witnesses ten murder.
ers instead of three would have gone
unpunished. II the character OF the
witnesses against Becker was bad 1t
man of bad associations and that
Becker must stand or fall by the sto.
ries of such men. Mr.. Moss, taking up
the testimony bit by bit, argued that
the state, by direct and circumstantial
evidence, had shown that the motive
for the murder was Becker's fear that
his grating and dishonor as a police
man would be exposed by Rosenthal
He analyZed the testimony for the de-
fense and told the jury that Becker's
main witnesses had convicted them
selves out Of their own mouths Of ly
ing. And he closed by telling the jury
that their duty was to protect civiliZa
tion against such men as Becker
No such crowd had stormed the cor
ridors of the criminal courts building
as strove and fought for entrance Il
the trial. Men and women came armed
with all kinds Of personal cards anC
passes issued by this and that person
age. but few, however great their In
1uence, were admitted unless they haC
business in the courtroom or had tn
permission of the justice, the dlstric
attorney or counsel for the defense
Some Of those who had seats wer
Judge and Mrs. +. ii Gary, Magistrat
and Mrs. Corrigan, Lewis Nixon an
several justices Of the supreme court,