New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-24
Power That Sealed q Gun
mems Lips, Even in Death
Chair, Again Active.
BIG TAMMANY MAN
ITS REPUTED LEADER
Dresner's Perjury Paid For Out OF
a Fund Operated by Men Who
Are Well Known.

Testimony 70 the effect that there exists
a conspiracy Of politicians to save former
Police Lieutenant Charles Becker from
the electric chair has been laid before
District Attorney Whitman within the
last forty-eight hours.
The magnitude OF this conspiracy anu
the power and influence Of the consplra-
tors may be realized when II IS known
that their efforts in Becker's behalf pre-
vailed in the death house in sing sing
prison up TO the very moment OF the exc
cution Of the last Of the four gunner.
As outlined BY The Trlbune's informant
yesterday. the entire plan Is ceh'reu oi'
the creation of an atmosphere favorable
to Becker in his coming trial, whlch IL SET
for May 6. The 'Dago Frank confess
sion. with its apparently incidental white
washing Of Becker, was only one OF the
results OF this conspiracy as II was I'M
folded to the District Attorney
II WAS the brazen, open work or some or
these roen that is said 10 have caused
Warden James NJ Clancy 10 throw up his
hands in disgust and send In his reslgna-
ton TO Prison Superintendent Riley. This
resignation. unless Clancy can be urged
TO remain, will take effect May l.
AT tho head OF the conspiracy is
powerful Tammany Hall leader. Thls
man. said TO be one OF Charles +. Muir
phys most trusted lieutenants, Is the Gus
todian OF a large defence fund that has
been raised among politicians and Sc
lected number of policemen.
Two of these creators OF Atmosphere"
favorable TO Becker are known 70 the
District Attorney. but the evidence
against them, like most Of the evidence
the plot, Is not such as could
be presented TO a grand jury.
These two men are known the length
and breadth OF the state because OF their
labors In the field OF philanthropy, but
their work on behalf OF Becker was
my stery 10 the District Attorney until he
was told that they were on the payroll OF
the alleged employer OF the four gunner.
The money that was used 70 pay Carl
Dresner to give perjured testimony at the
eleventh hour OF the fight to save the four
gunner is said to have come from the
Becker fund.
Not a single underworld" source has
been tapped TO swell this fund. Tho
money has come from Uen In the Police
Department who are reputed 70 be graft
ers and from politicians who are allied in
enc way or another with gambling houses
and Illegal resorts, but who have no d.
rect connection with them.
To preclude all possibility OF detection
and so far they have been successful-the
have devised an elaborate
grapevine system OF communication be-
tween the head OF the conspiracy and any
underworld" source that is wanted as
the maker Of perjured affidavit or as the
giver of false testimony.
When Dresner was wanted as a false
witness the political lum,nary flashed the
word down the line until II reached GER
tain underworld" character, who, armed
with the necessary money, approached
Dresner and told him what TO say. The
message transmitted to Dresner also
rassed along the grapevine
The hard of the controlling genius in
the conspiracy has been manifest almost
from the time Rosenthal was shot to the
present. But IL was not until the last
three weeks that his name began TO be
whispered around as the real brains Of
the plot
Politics has shown itself at almost every
step OF the Becker case. The first evil
dence Of Il that rose above the surface
was I'm August OF 1917, a month before
Becker was put on trial. Then James p.
March. the friend OF big Tim" Sullivan.
and other oldtme East Side Tarpmany
leaders came TO the front with story
that Becker made his fortune OF $4,000
through stock market tips that March
had given him.
March, the nominal leader Of the Repuo-
leans in the Sd District, WAS hailed before
the grand Jury at the time. He left the
stand without substantiating the story he
gave to newspaper men that Becker made
his fortune IN Wall Street flyers.
The next big move on the part OF poll
ticians to save Becker came when SEN
ator Stilwell introduced in the Legislature
Of 1913 a bill abolishing the death penalty.
Il was beaten when an attack was made
on It that It would mean the saving of
Becker from the chair.
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