The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-30
ON BRINK Of GRAVE


Continued from First Pase.)
son through whom I offered to plead
| guilty to murder in the second degree
or any crime whatever
! 1t would be too shocking to suspect
that the Governor of this State coulf
stoop to assaii with unfounded charges
a helpless nan in the very shadow Of
| death. / assume that you have beer
misled. But demand in the name Of
| the justice which yo- are sworn &c
| administer that you state how tbs
misconception was caused. For the
statement IL wholly untrue. / never
! offered to plead guilty to murder In
the second degree or any other Of
| Tense. / never authorized anyone Il
make such an offer in my behalf
! Every one of my counsel assures me
| that he never made any such offer.
Never offered to "Squeal."
| Second--1t is said that ] offered tt
| give testimony against several person:
| Whose names are undisclosed) OF
| having shared with me in collecting
money from lawbreakers, what !:
commonly known as grating. 1t II
wholly untrue that / ever offered "a
give such testimony against anyone
Mr.. Manton is the one who asked voc
some citizen OF pre-eminent distinc-
ton concerning the executive action
justice required In my case. He as.
sures me that he never made any such
offer or said anything that could be
taken as suggesting 1t. ] ask you, sir,
20 disclaim publicly this imputation
on me, or else assign your authority
for making II.
Third--It lie said that sent counsel
to two men arrested for completely in
the murder of Herman Rosenthal at
the moment Of their arrest.
This is wholly untrue. I ask you to
disclaim IL.
Forthwith a cruelty that lie al
most inconceivable, 1t Ia stated that
my first wife died under circumstances
warranting suspicion that had caused
her death.
Resents Insinuatiom.
Against this foul insinuation / con-
tent myself with this simple narrative
of facts which can be verified by many
persons, including her own father.
! was married to Mary Mahoney, OF
III Washington Street. February s,
1925. by the Rev. J. H. Mclean. OF
St. Peters Church. corner of Barclay
and Church Streets. Mrs. Becker
caught cold on the night of our mar
riage. 1t settled on her lungs, and
ten days later she was treated by DR.
Turner. Of 90 State Street; later by
| DR.. Cook, of Ill West Twelfth Street:
| by DR.. Rockwell, OF the Roosevelt
Hospital or the Vanderbilt Clinic: also
by DR.. Loomis. the eminent tubercu.
losis specialist. and by a doctor in JEFF
fersonvlle, Sullivan County. whittier
| she had been removed on account of
her disease. Mrs. Becker died In her
fathers home. October Is. 1925, and
was buried from St. Peters Church,
and lies in Calvary Cemetery. No
breath of suspicion was ever raised
against me as to my wife's death, for
everyone knew that the cause was
| hasty consumption.
Her father. jeremiah Mahoney. nov
lives at Roseville, Newark, n. j.
viii you, Sir, disclaim this inideous
imputation while remain alive. or
must i go to my death with so foul
an aspersion on my character without
an opportunity to meet and refute IL
To these charges. and to all Others
that may be formulated or insinuated,
answer by repeating solemniy on the
brink OF the world to which you are
sending me before my time, what was
my constant answer while in the
world, am as innocent as you of hav-
ing murdered Herman Rosenthal, or
of having counselled, procured or aid
ed his murder. or of having any
knowledge whatever of that dreadful
crime.
His Final Charge.
Mark well, Sir, these words of mine.
When your power passes, then the
truth of Rosenthals murder will be-
come known. But not while Your
nominees remain district ATTORNEYS
and can hold the club over these per-
sons. With the aid Of judges who were
mtsled into misconceiving the testt-
mOny offered on my trial. and into
misstating It both to the jury and on
the appeal. you have proved yourself
able TO destroy my life. But believe
me. surrender II without rancor. Not
all the judges in this State, nor in this
State, nor the District Attorney, all OF
them combined. can destroy perman-
emily the character OF an innocent
man.
tSigned) CHARLES BECKER.
AS Becker originally prepared his
statement to the Governor IT was
about three times as long az the final
version made public tonight. The
stoicism which the condemned man
had been shown after his brief display
| of emotion when told last night that
third trial had been denied him BY
Justice Ford left him this morning.
after he had read the charges which
he denies tonight.
While he was at his final bath In q
small bathroom connected with The
death house. at $3.50 o'clock this morn
ing, everything. including writing ma
terials, had been removed from his
cell. Thereupon. when he returned to
his cell determined to send broad
side TO Albany and to the public.
Becker asked that stenogra pher be
sent to him from the prison ONCE.
! Under the law this request had to be
denied him.
His Lawyer Called.
| As a special favor. however, he was
! permitted to have a pencil and writ.
ing paper. and he Immediately set to
| work writing and rewriting. As the
day and his writings progressed
Father Cashin~ and oficiais spoke with
Becker repeatedly about the wording
Of his address to the Governor
Finally Mr.. Manton and Mr.. Cochran
were summoned from New York
Mr.. Cochran and Mr.. Manton ar.
rived from New York on the same
train which brought Becker's two
brothers. Police Lieutenant Johr
Becker and Jackson Becker. and hi.
widowed sister. Mrs. Catherine
! Ge,kIar $a n~ctnfnw TEhi1A hi,