The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-07-31
STARTLING REVELATION
OF ALLEGED GRAFT
Four Men Alleged to Have Received
s2,4oo,0oo Each A Year and the
Amount Further Distributed.

New York, July 3l.-Sworn state
ments, tending to show that the annua
graft, collected by high police Officials
in New York city from gambling houses
and other illegal resorts has amounted
within the last year to $2,400.00O, ale
in the hands of District Attorney Whit
man. The statements were made to the
district attorney yesterday by Bald
Jack Rose, self-accused graft collector
/ for Police Lieutenant Charles Becker
head of the "strong arm squad" who to-
night began his second day of inearcer
alton in the Tombs prison as an alleged
instigator of the murder of Herman
| Rosethal, the gambler.
This annual yield of $2,400,000 pro-
lection money was equally divided, ac-
eording to the story told by Rose
among four high officials of the police
department, one of them being Becker
and from other evidence the district at
torney has collected he has reason to
suspect that each 100000 was further
distributed In other words there were
| four separate systems of bureaus of
graft collection each headed by high
police official.
Mr.. Whitman, il was learned. has the
names of the three other officials whom
Rose has named and his further efforts
in this now most sensational police eX-
posure" that New York has ever seen
will be directed toward strengthening
the evidence which points against them.
One Of the officials named, it was learned,
holds position at headquarters and is
in a strict sense civilian employe.
The name of a former prominent city
official has been brought to the atten-
tion of the district attorney as having
been closely connected with the graft
system, but it was learned that the evil
dence thus far obtained against him is
not of tangible nature. The evidence,
however, is being closely followed by the
detectives in the employ Of the district
attorney.
II also became known last night that
if Lieutenant Becker will tell all he
knows, not only in respect to his own
alleged completely in the murder but
will unfold the inner workings of the
graft system in so far as it may involve
"the men higher up no effort will be
made to enforce the extreme penalty
for the crime of which he now stands
accused. the murder of Rosenthal, but
he will be granted leniency on that con
dition only.
The alleged fact of the $2,400,000
graft fund was told to Rose by Becker,
the little bald headed gambler said in
a sworn statement yesterday. Becker,
he said, told him that he handled $780,
600 year and that equal amounts were
handled by three other officials. This,
he said. came in collections from gamb-
lin houses, pool rooms, houses of i'll
repute and the like.
Rose said he had collected gambling
graft for Becker for months and he
promised the district attorney that he
would obtain for him the rates paid
by gambling houses. make tabulation
of what these receipts amounted to-
and yearly, and how the mon
ey was handled. That there were other
collectors beside Rose is the assumption
of the district attorney, who hopes to
identity them Becker he said, gave
him liberal commissions for his work.
Becker told me that he wa the
prince of the police department Rose
said. He paid me literally out of my
but | never was able TO
keep what | got. 1t was a fool gamb
Ter, and gambled it all away
Part of the business between the
gamblers and the police. the district at
torney was told. was boldly done through
checks, although his efforts to secure
evidence in this form have proven fruit
less.
Bridge" Webber, the gambling house
keeper who has also confessed and whose
story largely resulted in the arrest III
Beewer promised Mr.. Whitman, it was
learned, to corroborate Roses statement
in regard to the collections Incidentally
Webber yesterday admitted to the dis
trict attorney that $4,000 was the sum
which he received to pay the men who
actually fired the shot which killed Ros-
anthal.
In regard to the murder itself. Rose
stated to Mr. Whitman that the reason |
why it was done SO openly and that no
effort was made to cover the number of |
the big gray murder car as it drove up |
to the hotel Metrople to get" Rosen-
hal was that Becker was relied upon !
Tor protection.