Evening journal., 1915-07-30
MRS. BECKER FOUGHT
HARD FOR HUSBAND
Frail Little Woman, Believ-
ing In His. Innocence,
True to the Last
ALMOST CRUSHED
BYTHE TRAGEDY
BY BERTHA KNATyOLD MELLEr
Written for the United Press.

BY pERT1IA kNA1NOLD MELLhA
Written for the United Press.
ossINING. N. Y. July So.-"I have
spent this day f9t my husband not
FOR story
The response without a trace OF
impatience or in-feeling, but with the
same calm that has characterized her
every action, was made to me by Mrs.
Charles Becker. upon her arrival at
Sing Sing. shortly before midnight.
1T has been hard"
Hard"
There were volumes Of expression
in the one word
"The people in the State of New
York" in whose name all official MUIR
ders are committed, thought they
we're sentencing Charles Becker to
the maximum penalty. Instead. they
were inhicting the real punishment
on the quiet little woman who today
began paying with her life for q life.
Charles Becker paid in full this morn
ing but Helen Becker must go on,
and with her shame and horror as her
companions.
"Hardi'
That exclamation summed up the
whole lifetime TO come
She explained gently then that she
could not talk at that time.
when could you talk asked
her.
81 don't think, ever. It viii do NJ
good to talk--aftcr.'
There was nothing beyond that las
word-"after' dread, the finality o
=, and l stood back appalled,. And the
Mrs. Becker was gone, down the stee
corridors of Sing Sing prison that Lee
TO the death house.
We had waited all the hot day in tn
big, restless prison swatching the rlsini
road that leads from the village of Os
sining. Not till night had come dow
was it known she was soon due that
hurrvind taxicab, somewhere betweei
Poughkeepsie and Ossining, was carry
ing the wife who had done all and failed
for the husband who cared for nothin
now. but that she should come to him.
At last she came-the little woman
with the fearless. eyes. Her gown o.
dark blue taffeta was fresh, her ha
was close and smart. Only her hands
were pitiful and beaten. claspeC
softly a little before her breast al
though they had grown so habited L
prayer they could not unlearn the way
The taxicab drew up at the warden
entrance and she stepped out witt
firm proud feet and guards closed Il
around her in a convoy to the doc
of the .warden's apartments. Sh
knew the way to the death cell an
except for stopping a second to pa
her hair smooth. she did not hesitat'
She went down--the corridor alon
with a quick, sharp tread In the me
ment she stood in the light of tn
hall her face showed calm and pal
and tense, as though held to its out
ward serenity by a mighty effort.
/ talked to the men about th
prison who had seen her most unde
the stress of her husbands ever
decreasing chances for life. and wit
one accord they applauded her Wal
den Osborne finally reached the eS
asperation point Of harassed da
when I asked the possibility of talh
ing with Mrs. Becker.
"I should think another woma
would have too much sympathy
ask that now Don't you think yo
would want to be left alone today
the one you loved best on earth wa
going to be killed tomorrow"
asked. and ! missed the hurt of th
rebuke in the wonder that he sal
KILLED" and not executed"
"She is courage-courage a
through" Deputy Warden Johnso
affirmed. 'I don't see where she ge
the strength. After her day Of agon
yesterday to find the spirit for sue
efforts as she has made today is a
most beyond understanding"
Secretary Malloy, in the warden
office, said;
"Such self-possession as she hi
maintained during this whole orde
Of three years must have cost h
more in torture than the most violel
outbursts of others. Her sufferiI
probably has been vented when 81
has been alone. Here she is alwa,
proud and calm and gentle"
Speaking of Charles Becker, Faith
Cashin, the prison chaplain, told I
that the man who sat waiting for /
wife in the death cell was in no w
the same man who came there thr
years ago.
His whole nature has changed
Father Cashin said. "He came he
arrogant. domineering and bitter.
is as docile as a child now. Ev
the features of his face seem to ha
changed. believe If Charles Beck
we're released today he would be
safer citizen than many men W