The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-07-30

few days by Rosenthal against Beck
er In which Rosenthal asserted tina
Becker, then head of the Strong Arm
Squad OF detectives, freely sold po
lice protection and had accumulated
thousands of dollars of graft money
Rosenthal went further than that
He swore that Becker was his silent
partner in a gambling enterprise that
failed and that Becker, angered by
losses where he had expected large
profits, raided the Rosenthal estab'
lishment and drove Rosenthal out OF
business by stationing uniformed po'
liccren on his premises day and
night
| These charges were published and
District Attorney Whitman began an
investigation OF them. He summon
ed Rosenthal to the criminal court
building and listened to his story. An
appointment was made with Rosen-
: thai for the next day. Before the
time came, Rosenthal was murdered
When the assassins had done their
work. they ran across the street
jurped into grey automobile which
was waiting at the curb and whirled
away uptown. bystander caught
the license number of the car.
District Attorney Whitman, noti-
fled by telephone of the murdev
reached the police station where
Rosenthals body lay before dawn
He aroused his detectives from Their
sleep and spread a dragnet over the
city for the murder car. 1t was found
before night. Its driver, Louis Sha
piro, and Louis Libby. part owner
were arrested az Mr. Whitman as
serted openly in n emphatic state
ment that the police had abetted the
murder.
New York City, already interested
In the charges of police corruption
responded to the news of the mur
der as If to a call to arIs. Becker,
who had been the chief tai
get of Rosenthal's accusations, was
openly suspected. He was relieved
of his command of the Strong Arm
Squad and transferred to the Brony
Jack Rose, his graft collector, walked
into the criminal courts building thu
day after the murder and surrender
ed to the district attorney, declarin'
he had nothing to fear. Harry Val
Ion and Bridgie Webber. gamblers
and friends of Rose and Becker |
were arrested as witnesses. The
grand jury began its Investigation.
Rose lay in prison twelve days
without word from Becker, and, be |
lieying his chief had deserted him |
confessed Vallon and Webber cor |
roborated his story. He told of his |
long association with Becker, of pc |
lice corruption which existed as Ros
enthal had charged, of thousands col
ected by Becker for police protection
and, finally, of his commission b.
Becker to arrange to have Rosenthal
killed by gunren-a commission be
executed.
That night July 20, 1912, District
Attorney Whitman summoned thc
grand jury by telephone and tele
graph. laid his evidence before it ant
within two hours obtained the indict.
nent of Becker on charge of mur I
ler
Four East Side gangsters were in.
licted as the actual murderers. Rose
lad testified that there men were as.
signed by big Jack" Zelig. a gang
eader who had been arrested b,
3ecker's men on a trumped-up charge |
o do the murder. They were to re
,eiye $1,000 and Zelig was to be re
eased, Zeligs orders had been is
iued from the Tombs to the gunmen
These gunmen-known in the
itreets of the East Side as "Gyp the
Blood" Horowitz. Lefty Louis" Ros,
'nberg. "Dago Frank" Cirofici and
Whitley" Lewis-were rounded VI |
me by one. The last two were ar
'ested in Brooklyn flat. With them
we're found their young wives who
o divert suspicion, had died their
light hair black.
To give standing to the testimony |
If Becker's three accomplices who
rad turned informers-Rose, Webber
md Vallon-a corroborating witness
who was not implicated was needed.
Sam Schepps, dapper little gambler
who had fled the city. was the man
who could do this. die was found at
Hot Springs Ark, brought back to
New York and the peoples case
against Charles Becker was complete.
I went to trial on October Z, 1912.
A vcrdirf of syuiltv NJ first daoraa |