Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1914-05-02
bECKER'S TRIAL
SET FOR MONDAY
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE
Bi'si rot NDING uP W.T.
NESSES FOH STATE
States CASE G00D SHAPE
EN-Police Lieutenant Expects a.
Take stand In Own l,ef.nSe.
BEING Prevented u, NJ.
tuine,s liefore

| Special 10 The News
NEW YORK May d. District At
torncy Whitman and his aids have
practically completed their end OF the
preparations Tor he second trial OF
Charles Becker. former police lieu
tenant. on charges OF instifatinP the
murder Of Herman Rosonthal. for
which the fCur gunmen were recently
executed IN Sing Sing The District
Attorey will be- ready for the trial
to proceed next Monday. which t.
he tentative date fixed by Justice
Seab,ry OF the supreme court n
there In any posiponsment whon the
ease il called Il will be on motion OF
counsel for the defense.
The principal work Of the District
Attorneys office in preparing for
the new trial has been In ihr round
Ing up Of the wilnesses Since the
first trial. which took place year
ago last fall. The witnesses Tor the
state. or The most of hem. have for
saken their old haunts In the mo-
trCpolis. aud some OF them have Ia
ken mp permanent residences outside
the city aud State. As soon as the
supreme court granted Becker new
trial Mr. Whitman went 20 work TO
place himself in communication with
those who had testified Tor the pros
ecution At the first trial. Within
the past two months he has had as
surances from each OF them. either
In person or by letter. that they will
be on hand ready 10 testify when the
case is called for the second time.
II is known that the District At
torney feels that he has the States
case In good shape. The general
supposiiion is that Mr. Whitman will
rest his ease upon the testimony of
Rose. Weber and vallon. In that re-
spect the case will resemble the
one which was reversed by the high
ss- corri. nuf -ths testimony IN cer-
Rotation. IL II said. viii be almost
entirely new.
Jack Rose, "Bridgle' Weber, Har-
~ Vallon and Sam Schepps we're the
principal witnesses for the state at
the first trial They are the four
iniormors who testified 60 having
conducted the negotiations between
Becker and the gunmen and 10 have
been otherwise concerned in the pre-
liminaries of the plot that ended in
the murder of Rosen hal
The testimony OF Schepps vas not
cf an entirely satisfactory character
and was freely criticised Ia the de
cision of the court OF appeals For
this reason. and also because Schcpps
has talked so freely and told so many
contradictory and highly scasatioua
tales since Beckers first conviction
IL is considered probable that the
District Attorney may not call him
the stand az the new trial.
Rose. Weber and WALTON are count
ed upon 20 take the stand and re-
peat the testimony they offered az
the first trial. Since their release
from iail. where they we're held for
many months at witnesses. the trio
have kept in touch with the Disiric
Attorney office Rose now mako.
his home In Connecticut when he De-
now filling dates as a lecturer and
eyengels, WALTON has been employ
ID oi late as q cigar salesman.
Weber Is onegaeed In a mlu'ac'ur-
ing business in passiac. y j.
There g. much speculation IN and
out OF legal circles as 10 the part
hat "Daro Frank'a' confession.
made within less than two hours cf
hts death, will play in the second
trial oi Becker. The friends OF ihe
former police lieutenant hold that
con fession ~ admitted will smcuni
10 an eXculpntion OF Decker as the
nstieatOr Cf the Rosenthal murder
and furthermore they declare that II
shows the worthlessness OF the tes'i-
mony given by Rose. Weber. Vallon
and Schepps ca the other hand
District Attorney Whitman does not
consider the confession az vital 10
he case. either from the standpoint
of the defense or the prosecution.
IN tho opinion OF the District AttoT
ney the confession In many ways
corrCha'es the contention OF the
aiate-that there was conspiracy.
aud that as result OF thai couspir-
acy the gunmeu we're hired 20 mur
der ROsen'hal week zoo advance 0l
the assassination
The second interesting point 90
connection with The new trial Us the
probability that Becker will take the
stand m his own defense u ls said
that the eN police officer strongly
desired 10 take the stand a. tho first
trial hut Was dissuaded from doing
sc hv hig counsel II he takes the
stand AZ the cominr trial he viii be
subjected 20 . severe cross-eXamina-
ton. iIe viii be- asked IN particular
10 explain how he managed 20 ac-
cumulate @ large fortune on a salary
81 g. 400 year A. tho first trial
Il was said the District Attorney had
traced some s7o.oo0 in Becker's ac-
counts scaiterd In banks all over the
cltv n Recker 'akea the stand Il
viii open the way for the STATE a. in
iroduce evidence 10 prove that Heck-
er had made n business of shaking
'uwn' tho gambler and that n was
that which had led 10 bis personal
difficulties with Rosenihal Under