New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-08
FRAMED
BY ROSE CLIQUE,
CONVICT SWEARS
Says Story That Con
demned Policeman Was
Invented in TOmbS Cell.
WALTON AND WEBER
HELPED PLAN TALE
Charges Help Confirm ACCUSE
ton Against Weber by Mar
shall. Former Counsel.


An eleventh hour squeal by an under
worlder, now prisoner at Sing Sing,
may save Charles Becker from the cleo
tric chair. The former intimate friend
of Jack Rose and companion of Bridge
Wcbhcr and Harry WALTON, whose story
may yet win a repreve for the former
police lieutenant, is known as Dan the
Dude. His real name is Louis Harris.
Dams revelation Of the way Rose,
Weber and WALTON put Becker across"
for Governor Whitman, who was then
District Attorney, comes as coniirma-
ton of the accusation made recently
against Weber by Hartford 7. Mar
shall, who was once his lawyer. 1t is
the more convincing because Dan had
outlined his story to Deputy Warden
Johnson at Sing Sing before Mr.. Mar
shal's charges were made public.
When Dan made up his mind to tell
what he knew of the inside story of
Herman Rosenthal's murder he coniidtd
first in Mr.. Johnson. who was so i'm
pressed with his apparent sincerity
that he thought best to have the story
made into n formal statement. After
three nights Of laborious compilation
Dams affidavit was ready. 1t covered
twenty-four typewriter pages.
Dan has repeated his story at the
prison to a representative of The Trib-
une. His intimate knowledge OF the
lives of the men he accuses of being
the real conspirators and the fact that
he himself has nothing TO gain by tell
ing what he knows impressed his
heprer as it had Mr.. Johnson with the
apparent truth of his story. He spoke
with an earnestness and force that
were convincing.
Shortly after Rosenthal was shot.
Dan said. he went to Mr.. Whitman and
told him Of a conversation he had over
heard between Weber and Dollar John
Sam Paul Association picnic just be-
fore the murder, in July, 1912.
IF you string along with Herman"
Dan said he heard Weber threatening,
well take you the same way we're
going to take him"
This was the first clew Mr.. Whitman
had 10 the identity of the men who
were responsible for Essentials death
about three days after the picnic. &C
corGlng to Dan. At that time, he eX
planned, Mr.. Whitman promised not to
bring him into the case at all. That is
the reason, he said, that he was not
summoned as witness at either Beck
er trial
The story which finally sent Becker
TO the death house at Sing Sing, Dan
says, was concocted at a midnight
meeting in Jack Roses cell in the
Tombs not long after Herman Rosen
that's murder. keeper had been
bribed to let Weber and WALTON come
down from their cells in another tier.
This is briefly the account of that
meeting as Dan swears Rose has told
it to him, his only confdant, not once,
but dozen times:
Through a bank robber friend who
was confined on the same tier in the
Tombs Rose had learned that Weber
and WALTON were likely to run out on
him" Gossip of the District Attor
ney's Office which drifted back to the
Tombs with prisoners who were taken
over for examination confirmed Roses
suspicious. Little by little he became
convinced that his two intimates were
about to make Confessions" clearing
themselves and placing the blame all
on him.
zone night Jack gave one of the
screws keepers SO to let Bridge and
Harry come down to his tier" Dan said.
at was after midnight. Jack he puts
it up to them straight they goin'
to run out on him? At first they de-
MED it, but Jack kept at them. and
pretty soon they broke down and cried
and said they'd thought about it. Jack
had convinced them.
Rose has a way of convincing his
friends" Dan went on, but | don't care
now what he says about my turnin' out
on him at last. He's been scared of it,
| know.
"Well. when Bridge and Harry ad-
mittcd what they'd almost done, Jack
says: Boys, you and I've been brought
up together; we've got into this thing
together, so now let's get out Of it to-
gether. I've been up in the District
Attorneys Office, and know who they
suspect up there.
"'Boys, Whitman thinks Becker's
back Of IT. He's craving for Becker.
BY well give him Becker
That same night they fixed up the
story thev'd tell, and few days later
they made their squawk.'
Dan was asked why he gave Mr..
Whitman the tip on who was lespon-
sible for Rosenthals death.
Herman was my best friend" Dan