New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-31

One finds few complimentary
.rorcoa IN Charles Becker in the nu-
uorous accounts OF his operations as
policeman. Here one learns tha' "'
arrested. without justification "o'''""
he charged with soliciting; there o"'
reads that he almost ruined the repu-
tation of woman by asserting 'n"'
she was drunk. whereas investigatio"
showed that she was not. rur'he'
scanning of his record involves MIN In
the killing of two young men. VINO were
at first supposed to have been law
breakers.
The only praise he won was la'er
found to have been undeserved. Tha'
was in the case Of Butler. the ilfe-
saver. Butler was supposed to nave
been In danger of drowning wheh
Becker jumped into the water ana
brought him to shore. He was gwen
$50 for this. A few months after this
incident Butler declared that he and
Becker had framed the rescue ana
that Becker had agreed to give nm
s25.
~ really saved Becker's life" Butler
said.
But. no matter what the man was -
or may have been-he stands out re-
markedly, not only as a dominant hg-
ure among the shady workers IN the
unper Tenderloin, but as now unique
type of policeman. He had a Will tnat
few persons had the courage TO defy
and a power that even fewer cared 10
have him exercise. Once that power
seemed to be more real than the last
few months of his life demonstrated
but the sternness Of his face and the
determination in his eyes were almost
always sufficient to have done what ne
, ordered done.
Admired by Subordinates.
The sort of politics that have gwen
opportunity for wealth and influence 70
some of the party leaders this city mas
seen should, it seems, have Deeh
Rockers field. He did not attract al
lection from the men with whom ne
worked and with whom he dealt. put
from all of them he commanded al
/ miration. Mentally he was far oeneath
hundreds of the men who were ms IN
/ feriors in rank, and his judgment was
not particularly sound. He ruled be-
/ cause he thought he should rule. And
/ he had the strong, active BODY ana
! strong, unhnching face that win ar
! guments without a move.
"When he started anything they
knew he'd finish it," they used to say
! Of him.
| In the eyes of many Of our former
police inspectors who won notoriety.
/ il not fame, by their methods OF
/ handling crime situations. the highly
desirable policeman was the one who
| didn't bring a score of prisoners to the
| station house every month, but who
/ settled forty with a club. so that the
/ lawbreaker's physical injuries would
be the deterrent.
/ But Becker seldom employed a night
stick. His hands. which gave in only
! to an electrical current. accomplished
! what no quantity of argument or per
/ suasion could have accomplished. He
was gentle at first. but that period was
seldom sufficiently long TO give heart
]
When it became necessary, in
/ Becker's eyes, to infict corporeal pun
/ ishment, he did not strike with his fist
/ Persons who accompanied him on his
/ gambling raids will tell you that. He
/ struck with the back of his hand. but
/ the blow was powerful enough to send
/ the other man spinning to the floor
| And that usually ended the matter
+ Nobody came to Police Headquarters
to report that Becker had beaten him
even in the later days when Mayor
/ Gaynor inaugurated the soft speech
idea of dealing with criminals.
Becker's Parents Were Germans.
/ Becker was born in Callicoon Centre
n. Y, on November 1, 1870. His father
Conrad Becker, was born in Germany
That country, too, was his mothers
birthplace.
When Becker's parents arrived al
Callicoon Centre and started out tc
gain their living by telling and selling
timber they had but 81 between them
/ Conrad Becker came TO this country al
/ the age OF eleven. His wife, who came
/ some years later, never learned to read
or write English. 1t was fortunate
/ ignorance for her, for she never knew
of her sons plight. Her other sons
and her daughters never told her. She
died on December 10, 1918, believing
that Charles was kept away from hei
/ by business.
On his twenty-frst birthday Becker
was appointed a patrolman. His early
/ career in the Police Department was
quiet, but shortly after he became
sergeant, on November "a, 1903, thai
slight possession of power turned hin
10 the development Of a career that has
ended so ANONYMOUSLY. He battleC
| with his superiors constantly, but not
often unnecessarily. His personalit,
| gained him friends who knew of the
transactions OF some Of the men above
| him. and this always gave him the ad
vantage in official quarrels.
| On January 4, 1907, Becker was mad,
q lieutenant. He was appointed e
L L -