South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-07-30
BY William BaservilIe.

OSSINING, y. y. July 30.-ChaTles
Becker, former car of New York
city's tenderloin and once the most
force, was electrocuted III Sing Sing
prison today for the murder Of Her
man Rosenthal.
Becker went To the chair protest
I ing his innocence. Even as he was
being strapped TO the instrument of
death, the doomed man leaned close
TO the Rev. Father Curry. one of the
two priests, who accompanied him
and whispered: Father, bear this
message to my wife and friends: ]
am not guilty by deed or conspiracy
or in any other way of the death Of
Herman RosenthaI. / am sacrificed
for my friends"
Becker entered the death chair at
SAP o'clock and at 1858 he was dead,
having paid the penalty for his
crime in the same chair in which the
four young gunner. the actual slay
ers of Rosenthal were executed Is
months ago.
A little more than an hour before
he went to his doom dying state
ment. which Becker had written, was
made public. In this statement the
former police lieutenant made en-
phatic declaration of his innocence,
and paid his final tribute TO his loyal
and devoted wife who has spent the
past three years fighting for her hus-
bands life.
His Dying Statement.
Becker's dying statement follows.
Gentlemen: | stand before you in
my full senses knowing that no power
on earth can save me from the grave
that is TO receive me. In the face
Of that, in the teeth of those who
condemned me and in the presence
of my God and your God l proclaim
my absolute innocence of the foul
crime for which l must die.
You are now about 10 witness my
destruction by the state which is or
ganized to protect the lives of the
innocent. May Almighty God pardon
every one who has contributed in any
degree TO my untimely death. And
now on the brink of my grave / de
clare to the world that l am proud
10 have been the husband Of the pur-
est, nOblest woman that ever lived
Helen Becker.
This acknowledge is the only leg
acy l leave her J. bid you all good
bye. Father l am ready 10 go. Amen.
Mrs. Becker. crushed by the blow
but undaunted in spirit was in her
home in New York. when her hus
band was put TO death. Immediately
after Becker had been executed the
following statement, prepared by his
wife, was made public here;
Will Expose Means.
4 shall never rest until / have eX-
posed the methods used To convict my
husband. Whether he was guilty or
innocent there was no justification
for the means employed 10 convict
him. In all the 10 years Of our mar
ried life / never had occasion once TO
n rrrf 20 rrfs d
have lost all the other members Of
my family. dear as they are TO me.
than Charlie
He was not an angelic never
made any pretense at being one. He
was an ordinary human being and
perhaps that Is why l loved him So"
Becker never lost his nerve. At the
very last moment the only evidence
OF emotion was a slight trem bling OF
the voice. He seemed TO be the cool
est man in the death chamber as he
took his seat in the death chair in
which he had been strapped ] 8 years
ago as a joke. Three shocks were
administered.
Becker was the first man TO die in
a double execution which took place
in Sing Sing in the gray OF a humid,
foggy morning Sam Haynes. a negro
murderer. who slew a woman IN Put
nam county. followed Becker 10 the
chair and by 10 minutes after the
cOrpses Of the two men, one a for
mer official in the police force of
Americas greatest city and the other
that OF a cruel ignorant negro Ia
borer. were stretched side by side on
a marble slab in the prison morsue.
Twenty See Death.
There were 20 witnesses in the
death chamber. seated upon TWO long
benches in the grim. bare room DI-
rectly in front OF these benches is the
death chair. BY $40 o'clock the spec
tators were on hand. most OF them
tense and white faced. Most OF them
kept their eyes riveted upon the little
green door through which the con-
demned pass as they enter the cham