River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-07-29
Death House Document ImplI-
Gated Big Tim Sullivan.
BITTER ATTACK ON ROSE.
Sixty Page Statement Gave Former
Police Lieutenants Version of the
Murder Of Herman Rosenthal, In
Which He Made Allegations Which
Had Not Been Revealed Before.

In his final effort to escape the death
chair, having been convicted and SEN
fenced to die on a charge Of instigating
the murder of Herman Rosenthal, q
New York gambler, Charles Becker,
former police lieutenant, issued sixty
page statement from his cell In the
death house at Sing Sing, In which he
told his version of the shooting and
asked suspension of his sentence ''in
the light of certain facts now disclosed
for the first time"
This proved one Of the most sensa-
tional turns in the history Of this case,
which has attracted the attention OF
the entire nation. The statement al
legged that Big Tim Sullivan, at one
time one of the most influential poll
ticians in New York city and a former
member of the house of representa-
tives, was interested in a gambling
house with the victim, Rosenthal.
Sullivan is now dead. His was a
tragic death. The big Fellow" as he
was commonly known, was confined IN
a sanatorium, when he escaped his
guards and met a mysterious death on
a railroad track. It has never been
fully explained
BecLer's New Version.
In his appeal to Governor Whitman
Becker claimed:
That Big Tim SulIivan's secretary
appealed to him to keep that poll
tician's name out of the Rosenthal
case, saying that Big Tim was
nearly insane as a consequence Of
the murder.
That he agreed to do this only
after the secretary had visited the
informers in the Tombs and OBJ
tanned their promise not to involve
Big Tim.
That Police Inspector George Nc
CIuskey, now dead, never spoke to
him after he had raided a gambling
house IL which McCluskey was re-
ported to have a Is per cent inter-
est.
That the public thought he "had
something on Gaynor" because the
mayor had stood by him and that
the newspapers pounded" him be-
cause he wouldn't tell something
about Gaynor that he didn't know.
That Waldo's refusal to suspend
him after RosenthaI's murder was
instrumental in the same way in
influencing public opinion against
him because he had nothing to tell
about Waldo.
That his guilt of RosenthaPs muir
der has never been clearly estab-
lished and that, although he pleads
for life, he would rather die fell
on's death than live a felon's life in
prison.
Throughout the lengthy statement he
referred to Jack Rose, one of the in
formers, as a perjurer. he also said
he preferred death to life term in
prison and that if worse came to
worst he was ready to meet his fate.
Some of the striking assertions in his
statement follow:
Some Striking Statements.
81 know nothing whatever-I never
did know anything that dread
full crime.
IF l am to die / am as ready now
to meet my fate as / have any reason
TO Ln1uK ever VIII Do.
"To a criminal so depraved | freely
concede there could be neither warrant
nor justification for mercy.
1.-The action you Governor Whitman
may take will be between your con-
science and yourself. Your power is
unlimited: so also is your responsibility.
THAT I should select such a man
ROsenthaD for a partner is conceiv-
able only where preconviction Of my
guilt has become an immovable mental
obsesSiOn.
"Of course If it could be shown that
Rose had been intrusted with sum of
money to be given Rosenthal it would
shed flood of light.
Rose has acquired added distinction
by removing the halter around his own
neck and fastening it around the neck
Of "a cop by perjury.
1T was not until Roses personal
reasons for desiring Rosenthaps death
were made clear on the trial of the
gun men that myself could form any
reasonable theory of the motive for the
murder.
rs it conceivable if l had known
Rose was the instigator of this crime
that on the day after l could have been
seeking him at Pollok's house, not Sc
cretly or alone, but openly in COM
pany with a notary who was a perfect
Stranger"
The occasion of making the story
public before the execution, Becker
said, was the publication of what pur-
ported to be a statement Of his, which
was disclosed through other persons to
whom he was said to have told the
story. Had it not been for that. Beck
er asserted, the story which he had
prepared would not have been made
public until after his death
Henry @. Terry, a reporter, who is
referred to as Deacon" Terry In Beck
er's statement, confirmed Becker's as
sertion that a few hours before Rosen-
thai was killed Terry brought Becker
a message from Whitman to the effect
that Becker was an efficient police Off
Ger and had nothing TO felr