The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-07-21
Another Effort to Save Life
of Former New York
Police Lieutenant
ASKS GOV. WHITMAN
TO GRANT A RESPITE
for New Trial to Be Made
on Ground of Newly Discovered
Evidence Big Tim Sullivan
Named as Rosenthal's Backer.

NEW YORK, July 21.-Another eff
fort to save the life of Charles Becker,
the former New York police lieuten-
ant who is sentenced to die the 28th
for instigating the murder of Herman
RosenthaI, the gambler, was made last
night when a $4,000 word statement,
prepared by Becker in the Sing Sing
prison ath-house, and said to con
tain new facts, was placed in the
hands of Gov. Whitman at Albany.
With the statement was a request that
the governor grant the condemned
man a respite Gin the light of certain
facts now disclosed for the first time -
The publication of this statement at
New York last night followed the an
nouncemeht during the day by Martin
L. Manton, of counsel for Becker, that
within the next few days an applica-
tion would be made before supreme
court justice of New York for a new
trial for Becker ON the ground of new
ly discovered evidence.
Becker s statement, done in his own
handwriting, is a chronological history
told in plain language of what he says
were his dealings with Rosenthal and
the others mentioned in the murder
panied by copy of the argument
used by Bourke Cochran, of counsel
for Becker, recently before United
States Supreme Court Justice Hughes
for writ of error. The latter docu-
ment was included in the documents
sent to the governor in order that he
might know the grounds on which Mr..
Cockra sought writ of error.
hn re l.. ~
Sullivan, at the time of the Rosenthal
affair state senator, is brought into
Becker IS statement at length. Becker
claims that Sullivan had interviewed
with the police in an effort to get per.
mission for Rosenthal to run his gam
bling house, saying that he was fnan-
cially interested in the house and
wanted to help Rosenthal. Later, af-
ter Rosenthal's place was raided and
the latter, being angry, began publish.
ing charges against Becker, Sullivan
according to the statement, called the
police lieutenant in and said that
Rosenthal must be induced to leave
town because, if an inquiry were start
ed, it might reach into election mat
ters, a situation he wished to avoid
This was not long before the assassi
| nation of Rosenthal
Becker says it is common report
that sum of money was raised, pre-
sumably by Rose from the gamblers
to get Rosenthal away. Rosenthal re
| fused the sum offered, but consented
to go for larger sum. 1t is said tina
it was for this larger sum that he wa.
/ waiting at the Hotel Metropole wheI
/ he was shot. Becker adds that if i
could be shown that Rose had been in
trusted with a sum of money to b,
| given Rosenthal it would shed a foo,
| of light or the whole transaction am
| would explain the source of 800
which he admittedly had paid t
/ the "gunmen. -
The statement is accompanied by
supplemental document; also frame
/ by Becker and really a part of hi
story, but revised somewhat bv hi
lawyers. In this second statement tn
! condemned man declares at one poin
that if he is to die he is as ready no1
to meet his fate as he has any rcaso
to think he ever viii be. He add
that there is only one service that ca
be rendered him now, and that is al
in finding evidence which will estal
lish his innocence.