New Britain herald., 1915-07-21
BECKER SENDS PLEA
TO GOV. WHITMAN
Condemned Man Names Late 7. D.
Sullivan in Letter.

New YORK, July SAI.-COunSel for
| Charles Becker awaited today the
result Of Becker's appeal to Cover
nor Whitman to forbid his execution
on July % for the murder of Her
man Rosenthal. Beckers plea sent
TO the Governor at Albany last night
included a long statement Of his YER
sion of the facts leading UP to the
murder. In this statement Becker
denied completely in the murder and
said that State Senator Timothy D.
Sullivan. now dead, had told Becker
that he had $4,000 invested in Ros-
enthars gam bling house, and that
when Rosenthal began to make pub
lie statements about raids on his
place, Sullivan exacted a promise
from Becker to keep Sullivan's name
out of it. Becker said that he had
kept his promise up to the time of
the making of his plea for executive
clemency.
BeckerS statement made no dis
closures of police graft but gave an
account of his movements of the
night of the murder. 1t was report
ed that friends of Sullivan have of
fered affidavits substantiating in part
the story which Becker told.
Ready to Die.
w Bourke Cochran, one Of Bee
kers attorneys who prepared por-
ton of the statement sent to the
governor said IT. had been decided to
take this action in order to prevent
further delay in first appealing to a
Supreme court justice for new
trial. Becker is ready to die. He
does not ask favors of anyone. but
he wants to prove his innocence"
Mr.. Cochran said.
Martin T. Manton, another of Bee
ker's counsel, has announced
that proceedings will be stated in a
day or two in application for a new
trial for Becker on the grounds of
newly discovered evidence.
Chronological HisAory.
Becker's statement, done in his own
handwriting is a chronological history
told in plain language, of what he
says were his dealings with Rosenthal
and the others mentioned n the muir
der case. This communication was
accompanied with copy of the argu-
ment used by Bourke Cochran, OF
counsel for Becker, recently before
United States Supreme Court Justice
Hughes for writ of error. The lat
ter document was included in the
documents sent to the governor in
order that he might know the grounds
en- which Mr.. Cochran sought a writ
Of error. aBss
The name of the late Timothy D.
Sullivan. at the time Of the Rosen-
thai affair state senator, is brought
into Becker's statement at length
Becker claims that Sullivan had in
tervened with the police in an effort
to get permission for Rosenthal to
run his gambling house, saying that
he was financially interested in the
house and wanted to help Rosenthal. |
Charges Against Becker.
Later, after RosenthaPs place was
raided and the latter being angry,
begin publishing charges against
Becker, Sullivan, according to the
statement, called the police lieuten-
ant in and said that Rosenthal must
be induced to leave town because il |
an inquiry were started it might |
reach into election matters, a situa-
ton he wished to avoid
Sum of Money Raised.
Becker says that 1t is common re-
port that a sum of money was raised, |
presumably by Rose from the gam |
blers, to get Rosenthal away Rosen-
thai refused the sum offered but con-
sented to go for a larger sum- It is |
said that it was for this larger sum
that he was waiting at the hotel Met
ropo1e when he was shot. Becker |
adds that il It could be shown that
Rose had been entrusted with a sum
II money to be given Rosenthal it
would shed a food of light on the
whole transaction and would explain
he source OF $1,000 which he admit