Semi-weekly herald., 1914-04-16

was the only one that
made statement. Sitting in the
electric chair he said: Gentlemen, |
want to say few words for the sake |
of justice. The witnesses who swore
they saw me shoot are perjurers. l
swear, by God did not shoot Rosen-
thal.'
Rev. Father Cashion, a Catholic
priest, accompanied Cirofici. Rabbi
Goldstein accompanied the others.
1t was reported that Cirofici was
drugged He never raised his eyes or
uttered sound after he entered the
death chair Seidschner was cool.
Horowitz was near collapse. His
eyes protuded in terror.
Rosenberg was the hardest to kill,
four shocks being necessary.
The crowd of witnesses was so
great that they alternated in squads
of twelve each.
An attempt to delay the electro
cutions was discovered yesterday A
special dynamo was damaged, prob
ably by hammer.
Cirofici's mother and sister visited
him at 4:30 and plead with him to
confess He insisted he was innocent
The murder Of Herman Rosenthal,
the gambler who "squealed," prob
ably was the most cold blooded in its
conception and the most carelessly
and contemptuously carried out of
any in all the sordid and sensational
criminal history of Greater New
York Police Lieutenant Charles
Becker, leader of New York's "strong
arm squad" was convicted, previous
to the gunner, of first degree mur-
der, as instigator of the crime, and
sentenced to death. For over a year
he sat in cell on the "life side" of
the little green door" which leads
to the dread chair and the beyond.
Then he was granted new trial by
the court of appeals on technical
grounds. He is now in the Tombs.
Besides the five convictions men
toned, four police inspectors, one po-
lice captain, police sergeant and
several patrolmen, were sent to the
penitentiary, following investigations
of graft conditions revealed at the
murder trials. Dennis Sweeney, John
]. Murtha, James e. Hussey, and
James F. Thompson, all police in
| spectors, were convicted of grating
and served year at BlackwelPs.
Three days before their terms were
up, Murtha's conviction was reversed
by the appellate division, which up
held the conviction of the others.
Herman Rosenthal was murdered
at a. m. on the morning of July 16,
1912. He had been furnishing Dis
trict Attorney Whitman with evil
dence of police grating which con-
nected Becker with gamblers. He had
been several times warned to "hold
his tongue While dining at the
Metropole, located just off Broadway
on West Forty second street, he was
called to the pavement by man
never identified. As he stepped ia
the curb he was shot through the
brain. The murdereds calmy walked
to waiting automobile and rode off
toward Fifth avenue. A policeman
recorded fictitious number of the
car. A bystander who had witnessed
the shooting, took the license num-
ber, and was arrested when he gave
it to the police of the Forty-seventh
street station. Only the fact that
District Attorney Whitman got out
of bed to assume immediate personal
charge of the case, saved this man
and his memory of the car number to
the prosecution. 1t was this slender
thread of evidence from which Whit
man traced the real slayers, and built
up his case.
Up to the very last "Dago Frank u
"Gyp the Blood" Lefty Louie" and
Whitley Lewis" asserted their inno-
cence. Becker was tried before they
were. They were confident Becker
would not be convicted. When he
was, however, they did not lose hope.
Following their conviction before JUS
tice Goff, who presided also at Beck
er's trial, they appealed but the state
supreme court sustained the verdict.
1t also sustained the verdict against
Becker. Then came the appeal to the
appellate court. Even when that
tribunal unanimously confirmed the
verdict against them they kept their
nerve, and issued statements tending
to show their innocence and why they
should get new trial.
| ALBANY, N. Y, April 13.-Super-
intendent of Prisons Riley declared
this morning that no mistake had
been made in executing the gunmen.
He intimated one of the victims had
confessed to Warden Clancy of Sing
Sing implicating others in the shoot