The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-08-04
BECKER IS KILLED
POLICE LIEUTENANT PAYS HIS
PENALTY WITH DEATH

PROTESTED INNOCENCE
Goes to Death Chair With Picture OF
His Wife Pinned Over His Heart
Reiterates and Afirms His limo
oence of Crime up to his Dying
Hour.
During the night Becker penciled
on a piece of paper what he caption
ed: seMy Dying Declaration. It was
taken to the warden's Office Wnere
two copies were typewriter, when
Becker, signed in a bold hand with
his fountain pen. To Deputy war
den Johnson, who had charge OF the
execution in place of Warden Inos.
Mott Osborne, who does not believe
in the death penalty, the onetlme
no1ice lieutenant gave his fountain
pen as a gift. ''It is the last thlng
that I have to give away. } "ane
you-to give this statement TO the
newspaper men.
Becker's message read:
gentlemen: I stand before you In
NV fn1I senses, knowing that no pow
er on earth can save me from the
grave that is to receive M. IN tne
fact OF that, in the teeth OF those VINO
condemned me, and in the presence
of NV God, I proclaim my aosolute
innocence Of the foul crime for Wnlcn
7 must die. You are now aoout 10
witness my destruction by the state
which Is organized to protect the hVeS
Of the innocent. May Almighty COO
nardon every one who has contri out-
ed in any degree to my untlmeiy
death. And now, on the BRINK OF NY
crave. I declare to the world tnat
am nroud to have been the nusoaHo
of the purest, noblest woman tna'
aver liyed-Helen Becker. This &C.
tnowIedgement is the only legacy J
can leave her. I bid you all good
bye. Father, I am ready 10 go
Amen o,
After his wife had said farewell
sbortly after midnight, Becker nam
tened a casual conversation Wild
6anntv warden Johnson, who sat be-
e;de the screen in front of his ceA.
Sometimes he smoked cigars, a1ter
wb;ch he would let his head 1ali
upon his hand ard gaze restiessiv a.
the concrete floors for minutes at q
time. +ba
e5ee of his cot casually plnnlng
nj otoeraph Of his wife on his Whlte
xbirt iust over his heart. Tnen, as
;f he desired to have her all to MN
self Becker put on a thing oiach
sinsca coat which he lightly button
ed. The photograph was not seen os
the witnesses until the PRISON ph!si
clan opened his coat as ne sat III 'ie
death chair. u-,;+
lengthy statement to Gov. WHIT
man was given out by Becker late
Tbnrsday. Becker reiterated his IN,
nocence and declared he never mao
ofsered to plead guilty to second de-
4 statement credited to Mrs Beck.
er was given out here shortis a1'et
her husbands death. s,,o+
"I shall never res" she was quot,
ed as saying, until I have eAposee
tbe methods which were used to con-
y;et INV husband. Whether ne was
eu;lty or innocent, there was no Jus
+;scation for the means employed tc
convict him. , +ha otbe,
members Of my family. as esH a.
thew are to me. than lose Charhe
No ono can take his place. In an 0,
the ten years Of our marrieo lne
never had occasion once 70 resre
that was his wife.
"Charlie was no angel. ne maos
NO pretense Of being one. he wa
inst an ordinary human oelng-anc.. {.
nerhaps that is why I loved him SO.
Herman Rosenthal. the gamble.
eo, whose murder Charles Becker
was sentenced to die IN the eiecttn
chair. was shot to death oy n1rsc
eunmen in the early morning OF JutH
rs 1912. in front of the Hotel metro.
noIe on Forty-third street. rev
stems from Broadway. The muroef
vas the swift elimination OF sensa'
tional charges made few days De
fore by Rosenthal against Becker ID
which Rosenthal asserted tnat oeeA.
ar. then head Of the Strong arm
SQUAD of detectives. freely sofa pc,
lice protection and had accumuialee
thousands of dollars OF graft money
Rosenthal went further than that
IA swore that Becker was his slieh'
nartner in a gambling enterprise ina
failed and that Becker, angered o.
1osses where he had expected large
profits, raided the Rosentha! estao,
1ishment and drove Rosentnal OUT
business by stationing uniformed po
1icement on his premises day anC
night.
These charges we're published an'
District Attorney Whitman began al
;nyestisation of them. He summon
ed Rosenthal to the criminal court
bnilding and listened to his story. Al
onDOlQtm6nC Was ueSoO
thsl for the next day. before IN
time came, Rosenthal was murdered
When the assassins had done tnel'
work, they ran across the street
iurnped into a grey automobile Wn7ci
was waiting at the curb and Wnlrls,
away uptown. A bystander caush'
the license number Of the car.
District Attorney Whitman notl
fed bv telephone of the MURDER
reached the police station Wnere
Rosenthars body lay before dawn
He aroused his detectives from theli
sleep and spread drasnet over tne
citv for the murder car: 1t was 1oune
before night. It's driver, Louis sha'
Diro. and Louis Libbey, part owner
were arrested and Mr.. Whitman as
serted openly in an emphatic state
ment that the police had abetteo the
New York City, already interested
in the charges of police corruptloh
responded to the news OF the muroe1
as if to a call to arms. Becker. "h'
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