Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1915-08-05


Crime as Governor Himself.
Funeral services were held for Charles
Becker in New York city. He was bur
led with the rights of the Roman Cath
Ollie church. One floral piece inscribed
>3"Sacrificed to politics" was barred cut
of Woodlawn cemetery.
Before the ceremonies were held po-
lice officials went to the Becker home
to see the silver plate on the coffin.
bearing this inscription:
Charles Becker Murdered July 80.
1915, by Governor Whitman"
After telling Mrs. Becker that It
would lead to criminal libel and it was
bad form it was decided to take the in.
seription off.
The former New York city police
lieutenant was sent to the electric
chair for the murder of Herman Ro-
senthal, the gambler, on July 16, 1912.
Three shocks were necessary to put
the condemned man into eternity.
After making a final plea for clemen-
Whitman, Mrs. Charles Becker, who
>
with the following, statement:
~L shall never rest until 1 have ex-
posed the methods which were used to
convict my husband. Whether he was
guilty or innocent there was no justi-
fication for the means employed to con-
yict him.
Becker's Dying Message.
Becker gave to the world the state
ment which he called my dying dec
1aration' about an hour before going
to his death. The statement follows:
Gentlemen-I stand before you in my
full senses knowing that no power on
earth can save me from the grave that is
to receive In the face of that. in the
teeth of those who condemned and in
the presence of God and your God, I pro-
claim my absolute innocence of the foul
crime for which l must die.
You are now about to witness my de-
struction by the state. which is organized
10 protect the I6es of the innocent. May
Almighty God pardon every who has
contributed in any degree to my untimely
death. And now, the brink of nay
grave. 1 declare to the world that I am
proud to have been the husband of the
purest, noblest woman that ever lived
Helen Becker
This acknowledgment is the only legacy
leave her. bid you all goodby. Father,
am ready to go. Amen.
Statement to Whitman.
Becker issued a statement as follows,
addressed to Governor Whitman
srr-You are credited in the public press
with three statements concerning me,
each Of them wholly untrue and unwar-
ranted.
First.-It is said that offered to plead
guilty to murder in the second degree.
Standing the brink of the grave l
ask you solemnly to name the person to
whom I offered to plead guilty to murder
in the second degree, or any crime what
ever.
1t would be too shocking to suspect that
the governor of this state could stoop to
assaH with unfounded charges a helpless
man in the very shadow of death 1 pre-
fer to assume that you have been mised.
.R72t I demand in the name of the justice
that you are sworn to administer that
you state how the misconception was
caused. For the statement is wholly I'M
true. never offered to plead guilty to
murder in the second degree or any other
offense. + never authorized any one to
make such offer in my behalf. Every
one of my counsel assures me that he
never made any such offer.
Second.-It is said that I offered to give
testimony against several persons (whose
names are undisclcsed) of having shared
with me in collecting money from law
breakers, what is commonly known as
grating.
IT is wholly untrue that I ever offered
to give such testimony against any one
Mr. Manton is the one who asked you on
my behalf to take counsel with some citi-
zens of pre-emnent distinction concern
ing the executive action justice required
IN my case. He assures me that he never
made any such offer or said anything
that could be taken as suggesting it,
ask you, sir, to disclaim publicly this i'm
putation on me or else assign your au-
thority for making it.
Third-It is said that I sent counsel TO
the two men arrested for completely in
the murder of Herman Rosenthal at the
moment of their arrest.
This is wholly untrue. l ask you to dis
claim it.
Tells of First Wife's Death.
Fourth.-With a cruelty that is almost
inconcefvable it is stated that my first
wife died under circumstances warranting
suspicion that l caused her death. Against
this foul insinuation I content myself
with this simple narrative of facts which
can be verified by many persons includ-
ing her own father:
was married to Mary Mahoney of New
York city Feb 6, 1895, by the Rev ]. II.
Mclean of ST. Peters church. at Barclay
and Church streets. Mrs. Becker caught
cold on the night of marriage IT
settled on her lungs and ten days later
she was treated by DR.. Turner of 80 State
street. later by DR.. Cook of Ill West
Twelfth street by DR.. Rockwell, of the
Roosevelt hospital of the Vanderbilt
clinic; also by DR.. LOOMS, the eminent
tuberculosis specialist, and by doctor ir
Jeffersonville, Sullivan county. whittier
she had been removed on account of hel
disease. Mrs. Becker died in her father:
home Oct, Is, 1895, and buried from
St Peters church and lies in Calvary
cemetery. No breath of suspicion wa!
ever raised against me as to my wife!
death, for every one knew that the cause
was hasty consumption.
Her father, Jeremiah Mahoney' nov
Ewes at Roseville, N. J. Will you, sir
disarm this hideous imputation while
remain alive, or must l go to my deatl
with so foul an aspersion on my charac
ter without an opportunity to meet anc
J refute it?
TO these charges. and to all others tina
NAV be formulated or insinuated, l an
svcer by repeating solemnly on the brinl
of the world to which you are sending M