The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1914-04-17
'DAGO FRANK MADE
DEATH STATEMENT
SAID "GYP THE BLOOD" "LEFTY
LOUIE" AND HARRY VALLON
KILLED GAMBLER.
DOESN'T INCRlMINATE BECKER
Clrofici Averred He Was Five Miles
From Scene of Murder-State-
ment Made Verb

AlUduyy IN. f1plll Ohoht AJ
before 'Dago Frank" Cirofici went to
the death chair in Sing Sing prison
he told Warden Clancy that 'Gyp the
Blood" Horowitz, Lefty Louie" Ros-
enberg and Harry Vallon, an informer,
fired the shots which killed Herman
Rosenthal, for which crime the four
gunner paid their lives.
Doesn't lncriminate Becker.
$50 far as know Becker had moth
ing to do with this case" the gum
man also declared.
ct was a gamblers fight"
Cirofici averred he was five miles
AWAY at the time the crime was COM
mitted and that whitley Lewis"
Seidenschner, although present at the
scene of the shooting, did not fire any
of the shots. Cirofici made no at
tempt, however, to deny that he was
Rosenthal, even admitting that two
nights before the gambler was slain
he went with other gangsters to look
for their intended victim. They were
frightened away from Rosenthal on
that occasion by men they thought
were detectives.
In "Murder Car" Earlier.
The condemned man also admitted
that early on the night of the actual
killing he was in the gray murder
car" with the gunner, but insisted
that he left them before they shot the
gambler.
He did not explain precisely why
he left the other gunner just prior to
the shooting, but two reasons were
advanced. One is that he became
frightened and the other that he de-
serted in order to bail out his sweet
heart, Jean Gordon, who had been ar
rested.
The statement, which was made
verbally in the principal keepers Of
flee about o'clock Monday morning
was the result of the insistent plea
on the part of Cirofici's mother and
his sister for the truth. They had
been here and made an unsuccessful
appeal to the governor to save the
prisoners life. Returning to the pris-
on near dawn they were met by the
warden and taken to the office, where
they met Cirofici.
Warden Tells Governor.
Mr.. Clancy came to Albany and
told his story to Superintendent John
B. Riley, of the state prison depart
ment and Governor Glynn. The war.
den first issued formal statement re-
hearsing a part of what Cirofci told
him and later added details, which in
Guided Cirofici's admission that he
was in the murder car" two nights
before the Staying.
According to Mr.. Clancy, practical.
ly everything that Cirofici said after
he started to make his final state
ment was voluntary His defense of
the Becker case came absolutely with
out suggestion from anyone, the war.
den maintained.
Not Unexpected.
Cirofici's statement was not wholly
unexpected. 1t was rumored last
Thursday that he might talk and this
caused the governor to send Mr.. Riley
to Sing Sing. The prisoner gave Mr..
Riley a statement which contradicted
the later one in some minor details,
but it contained little more informa-
ton than had been brought out pre-
viously. After making his statement
to Mr.. Clancy, Cirofici almost col
lapsed and this was the cause of the
sudden switch in the warden's plans
which sent "Dago Frank" to the
chair first instead Of "Gyp the
Blood"
At no time, according to the war
den, did any of the gunner except
Cirofici tell hi mthey were innocent
of killing Rosenthal
Whitley Lewis" always declared
that he did not fire and it is the war
denis opinion that his final words
were 81 did not shoot at Rosenthal."
Mr.. Clancy said that "Dago Frank"
and Whitley Lewis" always believed
tSat they were not as guilty of STAY
ing Rosenthal as the men who fired
the shots. incidentally, while Mr..
Clancy was sitting in Mr.. Riley's Of
flee the superintendent expressed the
hope that no man ever again would
pay the penalty of death in the cleo
trio chair in this state.
Wsets Life Imprisonment.
II hope" he said, ito see the next
legislature pass law permitting
juries to fix life penalty and that this
reform will succeed in doing away
with capital punishment"