The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1915-07-30
MURDER
HISTORY TOLD
SHOOTING DOWN OF HERMAN
ROSENTHAL BY GUNMEN WAS
BECKER'S UNDOING
Others Went to the Electric Chair
Governor Whitman an Untiring
Prosecutor

NEW YORK, July 3O.-Herman Ro-
senthal, the gambler for whose death
Charles Becker has paid the penalty
in the electric chair, was shot to
death by hired gunmen in the early
morning of July 16, 1912, in front OF
| the Hotel Metropole on Forty-third
street, few steps from Broadway
The murder was the swift culmina-
ton of sensational charges made a
few day before by Rosenthal against
Becker in which Rosenthal asserted
that Becker, then head of the strong
arm squad of detectives, freely sold
police protection and had accumulat-
ed thousands of dollars of graft
money.
Rosenthal went further than that
He swore that Becker was his silent
partner in gambling enterprise that
failed and that Becker, angered by
losses where he had expected large
profits, raided the Rosenthal estab-
lishment and drove Rosenthal out of
business by stationing uniformed po-
licemen on his premises day and
night
ROsenthaI Was Murdered
These charges were published and
District Attorney Whitman began an
investigation of them. He summoned
Rosenthal to the criminal courts
building and listened to his story. An
appointment was made with Rosen-
thai for the next day. Before the
time came, Rosenthal was murdered
When the assassins had done their
work, they ran across the street,
jumped into gray automobile
which was waiting at the curb and |
whirled away uptown. A bystander |
caught the license number of the car |
District Attorney Whitman, noti-
fed by telephone of the murder,
reached the police station where Ro-
senthal's body lay before dawn. He
sleep and spread a dragnet over the
,ity for the murder car. 1t was found
before night It's driver, Louis Sha-
1iro, and Louis Libbey, part owner,
we're arrested and Mr.. Whitman as
serted openly in an emphatic state
nent that. the police had abetted the
murder.
Becker Openly Suspected
New York City, already interested
n the charges of police corruption,
to the news of the murder
s if to a call to arms Becker, who
ad been the chief target Of Rosen-
halls accusations, was openly sus- ,
ected. He was relieved of his COM 6
1and of the strong arm squad and ,
to the Bronx. Jack Rose, !;
is graft collector, walked into the
riminal courts building the day after
he murder and surrendered to the
istrict attorney, declaring he had !,
othing to fear. Harry Vallon and :.
ridgie Webber, gamblers and friends :
{ Rose and Becker, were arrested as
illnesses The grand jury began its
Rose lay in prison twelve days
,ithout word from Becker, and, be-
ewing his chief had deserted him, S
Vallon and Webber cor
oborated his story. He told of his e
ing association with Becker of po t
ce corruption which existed as Ro- t
snthal had charged, of thousands c
ollected by Becker for police protec- 3
on, and, finally, of his commission Ii
Y Becker to arrange to have Rosen- il
lal killed by gunmen-a commission
: executed.
Becker Was Indicted t
That night, July 29, 1912, District b
ttorney Whitman summoned the a
and jury by telephone and tele- h
'aph, laid his evidence before it and P
thin two hours obtained the indict- Il
ent of Becker on charge of muir a
r. K
-Four east side gangsters we're in
cted as the actual murderers. Rose
I'd testified that these men were as b!
gned by big Jack" Zelig, a gang
ader, who had been arrested by b.
scker'S men on a trumped-up 3
arge, to do the murder. They were m
receive $1,000 and Zelig was to be II
leased Zelig's orders had been is h
ed from the Tombs to the gunner. al
These gunmen - known in the fc
reefs of the east side as 'Gyp the M
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