The Washington times., 1925-08-24

world took place at Auburn prl-
son, New York, August g. 1890.
when a man named Kemmeler
was cooked to death in the
chair" which had been installed
there. After that grewsome
blunder it became a practice to
always test out the apparatus in
advance of executions. a large
chunk of raw meat and hone be-
ing used. To this chunk of meat
the electrodes would be attached
and the Juice turned on. II
the current passed through the
meat without scorching or cook
ing it, all was o. K.
That meant that when a hui
man body was introduced be-
tween those electrodes, death
would occur without the unpleas-
. ant odor of burning flesh. But
in those old days when electrocu-
ton was first used in Auburn,
and soon afterwards in Sing
Sing and Clinton prisons, the
prisoners fare was very meagre,
and when it was learned by the
prisoners that the piece OF meat
used to test the chair was thrown
away after it had been shocked. /"
men whose stomachs were empty
began scheming how that meat
could be diverted from the swill
barrel to stewpan. with the re-
suit that every time the chair
was put to use in the prisons
few, at least, Of the prisoners
enjoyed a feed" the concoction
becoming known as Death
House Mulligan.
Sentence Makes Men Bitter
AS the time for the execution of
Charles Becker drew close heard
considerable joking among some
of the prisoners as to who would
be the ones lucky enough to par
take of 1.-The Becker mulligan."
/ say the men "joked' about it,
but as a matter of fact every
word uttered by the prisoners in
connection with the Becker case
was bitter and sarcastic and deri-
sive of the law
Because of the effect which that
execution had upon me / deem it
necessary that 1 tell something of
the facts as 1 learned them from
the inside. .
Becker, a lieutenant of police in
New York city, was in charge OF
what was known as the vice
squad" and had the authority to
enter any precinct of the city and
raid any establishment where gam
bling was in progress. In one of
these raids the East Side establish
ment Of a small gambler named
Herman Rosenthal was raided and
closed UP, while that of another
gambler close by was unmolested.
IT was said that Becker, for
sufficient consideration. gave
protection to certain gambling
places. and that other higher
up" police officials were stand
ing In on the graft. This was
probably true. Charles S. Whit
man, then district attorney of
New York county, had learned
of this situation, and had gathered
evidence for presentation to the
grand jury.
Plot to Kidnap Witness
The disgruntled Rosenthal, who
had been. on the inside" with
many gamblers throughout the
city, and who possessed damag
ing information, had offered his
services to Whitman, and was
to be the star witness.
The night before the grand
jury was to meet, however, a
conference of gamblers was held
in the Lafayette Place Baths, and
it was arranged to have several
gunner" shanghai Rosenthal
and secrete him beyond the juris-
diction Of the New York authori-
ties.
The kidnapping or shanghai
method was at that time the
recognized way of disposing of an
undesirable" No mention was
made at the conference of killing
Rosenthal. The gunner selected
for the job, however. drank heav-
lily that night, and when the car
load of them drove up to the
Metropole Hotel and Rosenthal
was inveigled out to the sidewalk,
a fusillade of shots greeted him
and he sank down, MORALLY
wounded The gunner leaped
into the cara gray car--and
drove madly away.
Eight Men Charged
The next day several arrests
were made, and within a week
there were eight men in murd-
erers' row in the Tombs. charged
with Rosenthars death. OF these,