New-York tribune., 1922-12-05
Becker's Plea
In Murder of
Wife Delayed
Court Names Counsel When
Indicted Man Asserts He
Has NoAftorney andLacks
Money to Retain One
Form Outlined in Pit
Concrete Holds Phantom
Figure of Slain Woman;
Norkin Case to JuryToday

Abraham Becker. whose vife's body
was found last week in a pit at South
ern Boulevard and I3sth Street, the
Bronx. seven months after she dis
appeared. was arrnigned before County
Judge Gibbs In the Bronx yesterday on
the indictment charging him with her
murder. He said he had peither eoun-
sel nor money 10 retain che, and Alex
ander A Mayper and Charles V. HALEY
ir. were assigned 20 defend him. They
have until Thursday for pleading.
The case Of Reuben Norkin, Beekers
friend. near whose automobile repair
shop the body was found and who has
accused Becker Of the murder, admit
ING completely, will 20 before tho grand
jury to-day. II Is regarded as prob
able that he will be arreigncd on an
Indictment similar 10 that against
Becker tomorrow or Thursday. lie l1
under 100000 bail a. a witness.
On the concrete wall OF the pit IN
which tho woman's body had lain since
April z, the outline OF her prostrats
form Is limned as graphically and far
more faithfully by natures art than
the carving on Egyptian freophagi
done by the ancient artisans,
Norkin, even yet, does not know OF
this phantom form on the wall OK the
murdered woman's tomb, bot be told
Albert Cohn, Assistant District Attor.
ney, yesterday that the woman had
haunted him until he told his story.
The knowledge that her body lay with
In twenty feet OF his bed robbed him
Of sleep, he sad and the. recurring
vision Of what took place before his
shop that night In April made the
quest FOR slumber futile. Now, he
said, ne was at peace and could sleep;
Evidence has been found and fitted
together which enables District Attor-
ney Edward Glennon and his assist
ants TO picture for themselves, almost
independently Of Norkin's story, the
events Of the early morning Of April 4.
Quite apart from his story they can
see body being dragged to the edge
Of tho pit and dropped in; they can se
its limbs being arranged In that rigid
posture now outlined on the pits wall;
they can hear the hiss Of sand and
thud of clods dumped upon 1t, ard
through this subdued and surrepti-
tious din of burial can hear the groans
Of the woman rising from the pit.
The are satisfied that she was alive
when thrown in and that she lived at
least fifteen minutes after she had
been buried; she may have lived two
hours. Her coat collar was folded
across her mouth and nose, enabling
her lungs 10 exhaust the air in the
loosely packed sand and loan before
she succumbed TO asphyxiation.
Two buttons. The mates Of the single
button that remained on her jacket
were found between the repair shop
and the pit, indicating TO the District
Attorney that after being struck down
with the iron bar the woman was
dragged across the ground so roughly
rs 10 rip cf th9 buttons.
The District Attorney made public
n letter which Mrs. Becker's mother.
Mrs. Carl Karbritz. Of Stepney, Eng
land, wrote In October 10 Mrs. Linder
a friend with whom Mrs. Becker spent
her laet evening alive. Mrs. Karbritz
expresses grief that her daughter still
is missing and the shrewd suspicion
that Becker "inust have done some
thing to her" the night they went 10
call on the Linders.
A bottle containing a liquid was
found In the lot near the pit yesterday
and sent 70 Bellevue for analysis in
the belief that it mi~ht prove % be
evidence substantiating the theory that
Mrs. Becker was drugged. Tne exami..
nation Of the organs for traces OF
poison has not been completed.