The Detroit times., 1915-07-30

june iS-Court 81 ADDeaos denies
motion TO rearGue aDoeal
in the Catskill mountains. "Gyp the
Blood" and Lefty Louie" were not
arrested until late In September.
In the meantime. Becker had bee
indicted for homicide. due to the
confessions OF Bald Jack Rose,
"Bridgie' Weber and Harry vallon,
who also had been taken for his
value as witness. II was not until
a month after Becker was indicted
that murder indictments were re-
turned against "Gyp the Blood. "
Lefty Louie" 'Dago Frank"
Whitley Lewis" Jack" Sullivan.
and Willie Shapiro. The last two
got out OF the muss because OF their
work in aiding the state. and be-
cause they were not directly impli.
Gated in the killing OF Rosenthal.
With all the principals safely
lodged behind the bars. District At.
torney Whitman began gathering
the mass OF evidence. Sleuths we're
put on Becker's past and his whole
life was barred in the frst trial. The
investigators found money In vari.
Gus New York banks in Becker
name. aggregating in all to between
$4,000 and 100000. This was one
Of the strongest links In the District
attorneys chain. as IL tended TO cor
roborate Roses graft revelations.
Becker attempted to explain the
money by saying il was the accumu.
lation OF years OF saving by him and
his wife. but the agents discovered
that Becker had been divorced. dis
proving his story.
On Oct. s. the day before Becker
was put on trial. big Jack" Zelig.
famous east side gunman, and
boss" OF the four that slew Rosen-
thai. was shot to death in Second
ave. by gangster.
Becker went TO trial the next day
before Justice Con. In three weeks.
on Oct. "a. the Jury returned a yer.
dict guilty in the first degree
Becker was convicted mainly on
the testimony OF Jack Rose, about
the now famous Harlem confer.
ence." In that conference. Rose
swore. he met Becker at One Hun
dred and Twenty -fourth-st. and Sew
enth-ave.. on the night of June 81.
and Becker promised him and his
pals immunity II they would put
! Rosenthal out of the way. The tes-
timony OF Weber and WALTON cor.
roborated Roses statements. 1t
was further corroborated by Ne
gro named Marshall, in no way con.
nected with the case. who said he
saw Rose and Becker talking on
that corner that night.
After his conviction, which he
took with remarkable fortitude,
Becker was sentenced to die Dec q
An appeal saved him. however, as
1t acted az a stay OF execution.
On Nov. 10. "Gyp the Blood"
Whitley Lewis" "Dago Frank" and
Lefty Louie" were found guilty and
were sentenced to be electrocuted.
Little OF importance occurred In
the cases during 1919. There we're
sporadic outbursts Of activity, but
nothing definite developed.
Becker spent all this time In the
death house at Sing Sing, near
where the four gunner we're await.
ing death. His iron nerve never
faltered. Neither did these OF his
four hirelings.
II was Feb. "a before a rift In
the clouds revealed to the convicted
police lieutenant chance TO escape
the chair. On that date the court
OF appeals set aside the verdict and
ordered retrial The same court
however. as part OF the same rui.
ing, affirmed the death sentence OF
the four gunner. and they were
electrocuted in Sing Sing on April
10. after every means TO save their
lives had been exhausted.
Becker WAS jubilant over his, new
trial. He could not see anything
but that he would be acquitted.
On May s. he was again put on
trial. this time before Justice Sea.
bury. Sixteen days later he again
stood before the bar and heard {:
Guilty OF murder In the FIRST de.
gree" But again he kept his re.
markable nerve and walked from the
courtroom without tremor. He
was again sentenced 20 be executed
His friends and attorneys. how.
ever. cheered him up with pros.
poets Of another victory on the ap
peal.
The case dragged along then un
Ill May Is. 1915. when the court OF
appeals all but crushed his last hope
when IL affirmed his second convic
ton. Three weeks later the court
sealed his fate by refusing to lister
to the re-argument of the appeal
n There was but one chance left--s