New Britain herald., 1915-06-02
WILL ASK HABEAS
 CORPUS FOR BECKER
Condemned Mans Case to Be
 Brought to Federal Court

New York, June 2.-Charles Becker twice refused an offer of immunity dismissal of the murder indictment against him-if he would confess to the district attorney about men higher up in the graft disclosures of the Rosenthal case.
 That is the assertion of the former police lieutenant's wife. Mrs. Becker said it in a matter of fact way late i yesterday afternoon in the office of 1 Martin T. Manton, her husband g lawyer It had just been decided that an application would be made this week for a federal writ of habeas corpus-the first step In Seekers last fight to escape the electric chair--and for the first time since his second con- viction Mrs. Becker talked freely to reporters. Has Nothing to Tell.
 Tn the first place, Mrs. Becker branded as absolutely untrue the pub l1shed story that her husband would become informer to save his life. Becker she said, has nothing to tell. Though bearing a, heavy load, realizing that the court of appeals decision last Tuesday was the hardest blow his case
 
 served. self possessed man that he al- ways was, his wife said.
 q am going to carry the case as far as it can go,' Mrs. Becker continued. ..I shall not leave a stone unturned to save my husbands life, because he is innocent and there is nobody who knows that better than the governor himself.''
 "What about the story that he would confess 2 she was asked.
 g Tells of Immunity Offers. -.
 aThere is absolutely nothing to, it. We have not talked about it lately, but we agreed on it from the start. My husband could have obtained lm- munity from prosecution on the very day the first trial began. In fact, he refused two such offers. He was told that the murder indictment would pc dismissed if he would tell what he was supposed to know about certain persons"
 "Who made the offer?" E
 "An emissary ffrom the district at torney. The offer was made to him in the ,Tombs-directly, not through his lawyers. The same offer was repeated when the second trial started. am not quite sure whether 1t was the first day then, but it was early in the trial:
 Supposed to Involve Police.
 "was it police officials he was SUD- posed to involve?" ..t#.
 "Yes." answered Mrs. Becker, "and other persons in the city. He was to turn over to the district attorney any, body he wanted-persons outside those directly interested m the trial.' (Shch as Rose, Webber, Vallon and schepps, whose names were mentioned to Mrs. Becker.)
 Ibid your husband refuse because he had nothing to tell. or because he did not want to?" E..
 ''He refused because he had nothing to tell.'
 Never Made Offer.
 .'Did he at any time make an offer to confess to the district attorney?
 .He told me he never did," said Mrs. Becker, and added significantly, and he had told be everything. Yes, | believe he has conf1ded everything to me. Any action that has been taken ;n his behalf has been taken by me-" f9 Mrs. Becker was asked about re- ports that others involved in the case bad gone to the district attorneys office offering information in Becker's behalf. She said she did not know a bout that but that if anybody had done so it was done without Becker's knowledge and authority, Mrs. Becker saw her husband in the death house on Sunday, she said, and they talked mostly about what might be done in a legal fight for his life. This fight will begin in the federal courts this week.
 ,Legal Move Announced. ,3@
 The legal move in Becker's behalf was announced after conference in MT. Manton's office, which was attend ed by Mrs. Becker and MT. Manton's associate, John B. Johnson, who was in Washington recently, presumably on business connected with the case. MT. Manton has made an exhaustive study of the recent decision of the court of appeals.
 The first step will be an application to United States District Court Judge for writ of habeas corpus It will be based on the ground that Becker's constitutional rights have been i'm lringed It will show, that Beckers stories published before and during his second trial.
 Stories Involved Brother. Some of these circulated stories in- volyed Police Lieutenant John Beck CT, the condemned mans brother, and some involved both. Another story on which it is believed argument for Becker will be based concerned a peti- l ton which was circulated through the Tombs in May 1914 while Becker