Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-05-18
WHITMAN COUNTS
ON BECKER AIDES
TO. FASTEN CRIME
Expects Them to Confirm Ac-
cused Mans Part in Muir
der Conference.
PLlTT, PRESS AGENT, NOW
Is ENEMY OF DEFENDANT
Becker May Have to Take
Stand to Offset Statement of
Lefty Louie's Widow.
Ispecial to the Erening star.l

Aspecl0i TO tne Evening Staf.I
NEW YORK, May 1S.-Three close
associates of Charles Becker in the
days when, as police lieutenant in
charge of the "strongarm squad" he
ruled the underworld of New York
today were scheduled to clinch the
case of the State against Becker for
procuring the murder of Gambler
Herman Rosenthal These are Charles
B. Pitt, jh., once Becker's press
agent; James B. White and Charles
c. Steinert, who before the Rosenthal
murder and Becker's disgrace, were
his right-hand men on the Strong
arm squad"
White and Steinart will be reluct-
ant witnesses against Becker. Under
subpoena by the defense they have
been taken by the prosecution as its
own witnesses. They will prove, 1t
Is said that Becker was in the i'm
mediate enighborhood on the night
Jack Rose, "Bridgie" Webber and
Harry Vallon, the three informers,
| have sworn Becker met them at a
\ vacant lot in Harlem to hold the
: murder conference where Rosenthaps s
1.aslte was sealed.
~ Pry Into Heart of Crime.
sra This, through the decision of the
Affappellate court granting Becker a
Anew trial, is the heart of the testi-
e=mony by which the State hopes to
@send the former police leutenan.
Hback to the death house in Sing Sing.
7 The very fact that testimony will
L have to be dragged from Steinert, in
[ Whitr1an's opinion, will ask what
Il they say Of the utmost significance.
! There will be no reason, however
TO drag testimony out of him. For
years Beckers closest friend, Pitt,
has quarreled with his one-time em-
ployer He, 1t is said, will testify
that messages which he carried from
Becker to Bald Jack" Rose will
show that Becker took part in the
Harlem murder conference and had
guilty knolwedge of Rosenthal's MUIR
der.
Pitt is also. expected to reveal de-
tails of the way In whicA White ruled
the gamblers while Becker contrived
TO aneaes more than $4,000 year by
graft while his salary was a bare
S2,400; how some. gamblers were run
down by the strong arm squad while
others-who paid-were immune from
arrest, and how, by Becker's request
he (Plitt) visited a former wife of
Rosenthal the night before the trag-
edy at the Hotel Metropole and OBJ
tained from her an affidavit attack
ing the gambler, who was soon to be
killed by the bullets of the gunner,
forced, as they said, with dying lips
by Becker to their crime.
Becker May Take stand.
Besides these three witnesses Dis
trict Attorney Whitman had others,
whose identity he is not revealing,
ready to testify before the prosecu-
tion closes, probably this afternoon.
The widow of Herman Rosenthal also
is likely 20 take the stand,
Nothing certain has yet developed
as to whether or not Becker will
testify. The denunciation of Lefty
Louie's widow probably will force
the accused tc brave Whitmans at
tack.
The State will probably complete
It's case late this afternoon. rhe de-
Tense may require four or five days
to complete its side. 1t is believed
that all the testimony will be in and
the case submitted to the jury by
the end of the week. Four days were
spent in getting the jury, and late on
Monday a week ago the State began
the presentation of its case by estab-
fishing the murder of RosenthaI by
the testimony of police officers, ply
sicians and the driver of the murder
car, Willie Shapiro.
These are the significant things so
far brought out by the States impor-
tant witnesses:
Testimony Brought Out by State.
Shapiro-He heard enc of the
gunner say that Becker had
s'fixed the cops" thus bringing
Becker into the conspiracy.
Jack RoSe-He met Becker
and planned the murder with him;
he saw Jack zeiig and the gum
men; he )rought Webber and Val
a. Ion into the case and paid the
gunner after the murder.
"Bridgie" Webber = He was
desired because of his influence
with the gunmen. Becker in
duced him at the Harlem confer
ence to take charge of the murder
plans, and after the murder, at
Becker's instance, he paid $1,000
to Rose for the gunmen.
Harry Vallon-He participated
IN the Harlem conference, but
played no particular part in the
murder plans; he corroborated
Rose and Weber.
George d. Young-He heard
Becker admit that he thought he
knew where Rose might be found
in hiding. This was after Becker
had obtained from Rose the atfi-
davit saying that Rose and not
Becker had put up the S1,50O to
enable Rosenthal to open his gam
bling house in West Forty-fifth
street The inference was that
Becker intended to sacrifice Rose
after having provided for his own
protection Becker got this afff-
davit on the evening of July II,
1912. Rose surrendered to Deputy
Police Commissioner Dougherty
the next morning.
Mrs. Lillian Rosenberg-The
widow of Lefty Louie" Rosen-
berg one of the gunner, testified
that Rose said in her presence
that Becker had threatened to