OCR Text |
Show -XJ-RS. CHARLES BECKER, wife of CW ! L. Becker, former lieutenant of the New York police, and convicted a econd time for tlie murder of Herman Rosenthal. Mrs. Becker practically prac-tically forced Becker friemds, who may or may not have been thinking of deserting him, to tand i hy her in her fight. r k ' - " v . - A - i , r v v;V ' fatf s' J , f i fuiPTrn UJ l i lUl LU For the Second Time Former Police Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Is Found Guilty of Instigating the Death of Herman Rosenthal, the Gambler, Who Had Turned Against Him. JURY WEEPS AS IT GIVES VERDICT Attorneys for Defense Take Immediate Steps Looking to Another Appeal of the Case in Hope of Saving the Life of Accused. TvT:W YORK, Alay 22. Charles Becker Beck-er for the second time today was held responsible by a jury for the Rosenthal murder, which nearly two years ago awoke .New York to a realization of corruption in the police department and opened a new era of police reform. Becker, a formor police lieutenant, was found guilty of murder in the first degree. Only a pardon or interference again by the court of appeals can save him from following to the electric chair tlie four gunmen who shot Herman Her-man Rosenthal, the gambler, early ou the morning of July 16", 19J2. Tho jury today decided ' that tho gunmen were Becker's agents. Five ballots decided Becker 's fate. The final one was unanimous for conviction. convic-tion. Tho jury reached its verdict in four hours and four minutes. Tears streamed down' the foreman :s face as ho announced the decision and tears stood in the eyes of the elevon other jurymen; but sympathy did not warp their judgment. judg-ment. They had agreed that Ihe corroboration cor-roboration which the district attorney failed to present at the first trial to support the stories of Rose, Vallon and Webber, the three accomplices who turned informers, had been furnished by the new witnesses at the second. Becker's counsel announced he would appeal, and gained a week's stay for the q preparation' of his campaign. Tho defendant defend-ant was granted a short meeting with his wife and brothers and then token back to hts cell In the Tomba, Mrs. Becker Stays Out. Becker and his wife were talking shortly short-ly before & o'clock in a rgom adjoining the sheriff's oftice when a court attendant attend-ant announced the jury had reached a verdict. Mrs. Becker was not permitted to accompany her husband to the courtroom. court-room. Newspaper men, court attendant!., counsel for the defense and District Attorney At-torney Whltrna n and his Htaff were the only other persona allowed admission. The defendant's two brothers, Jackson and John Becker, the latter a defect Ive lieutenant, hurried tn a Ride entrance, where they stood HWHitlnn the verdict. When the little group in the courtroom ha1 fou nd seat s the I wel vr men who alone knew Beekfr'p f;te llled filenlly In, wil h Foreman F. Merldeh Biagdcn at their he;ul. He'ker, in the room overhead, was still talking to bin wif when Supreme .Iup-tice .Iup-tice Seabury took bin neat. A bailiff wo? sent for the defendant . Becker kissed his wife as he left her. 'It's all rlnht," h" mid her. "Don't worrv. They'll f 1 ep me Becker wniked hrhduy 1" the rail turina Justice Sefihury jind gripped it with both , l.MlldS. Hi." faee WHS colorless. (In nifinced hopefully ;i t the .jui'v, l,m n,,t r; l eh the eye of n Mncjc nun. Ck-rk Penny ad(il the .lury u p?r, Foreman Is Weeping. "Koren nn," he s;iid. "Lice yn rco-hed a verdict Bla'-id'-n a younc nmn. brushed his eye: wlt'i a l-Mndke ichief. nlre;,dv d;inp. "We hfi ve." he miJ sot ' ly. "We Hml tie defcn.'.fUlt " i Tr- h". it, 'i ted a mom '-in nwl ''iiiin"i in a whisper: "We hud tills d'-f-lld.lttt C'llllv .b:irped in the iM'IW-t iii'-tii ; -.iJit v of murder mur-der in the 1'rst ilKMTf " I'.e.-V.er's f'-e -"IV a he ctip,e,l 'the l ;ir in front nf hlriv 'I" he In- mu':- rlev bin riec'.f i'J ! 1 -e.l jn H-'IV ,' m!K. The e'ns at Mk ' inples s'v. ll.--! ,y K!"c:t fr.ilne Wil '.' e 1 1 ;t nd dl'O'Jtxf); then, with cjui'-k control, lie became lihn-yelf lihn-yelf ocain. Bit; tcfiis wdleil Into the pvs nT t";:" little foreniHn. He wipe th"Tn n wa v hti'I tnen the clerk be m to ak the 0'ieM!,,n-requlred 0'ieM!,,n-requlred bv la W. The mil :r; f albd Hllil e-,.d, individual juror v - a.-hed if "guil-v;.! "guil-v;.! i,h- verdi'-t, tor.. (5ecker Stands Mot ionless. Becker St-.'ir niofinnleys while thfvo (inesti-uiR were h-i,K I'ut to the'Juror-ImmefJIfitely the'Juror-ImmefJIfitely upon their roncluBion, the CContinued oa Pago Tvto.l, BECKER ONCE MORE COiOTED OE MURDER (Continued from page One.) olerk began to tak Becker's "peoMfrr-ee." . To the first questions Beokered answered in a steady voice that he was 43 yearp old. was born in the United States, and that his parents had both been born in Germany. "Married?" queried the clerk. Almost in a whlper he replied: "Yes." As to his occupation. Herker said he' was a "former police officer in the city of Xew York," a Catholic and of temperate habits. Justice Sea bun," thanked each man of the Jury for bis services and they left the room. Manton, told by the court he vould be granted a reasonable time in whi"h to make any motions he deemed ad vinable, asked for one week and rreived it. The whole proreedim; from the time Becker was pronounced g lilty until a reoess was decla red occupied scarcely four minutes. In the meanwbil Jackon and John Becker, stan dinar at the door to tne courtroom, court-room, had hea rd the verdict. Jak'on sank Into a court attendant's chair arid buried his face In ills hi r.rJs. Mrs. Becker's brother, John Lynch, and John Becker, both of the them showing thHr griff, hurrii:d to the room whero Becker's wife was waiting. KveryboJy i:i the building, and even a crowd in the 5tre---t outside, knew that Becker had been found guilty. Wife Collapses. But Mrs. Becker. sitMrg behind closed door?, did not know it until John B"kT entered the room. Hi- face showed what had happenM. His j-ho-.ildrs ere bnt and s.Ttkinz. his chek? were t. Ir.-. Be-'ker cWlapd and was still iioh"rit. when hcr husband was led Info the room. Sh- threw her arms around his ne''k arid buried her th'- on iii? shouldT. "Oh." sh- cried, "''harUe, I'm o sorr'. . so sorry, poor Charlie. 1 didn't epe' t it.'- She relea;pd her husband from her embrace em-brace and dropred into a fh?lr. Ft"-'Ker itoo- looklr.g flown at hr as ih- w-pt. Handcuffs were th'-n Io-kd a'it hi wrists ; he wa s Ta k-n to t he r'hr fMj of the bu I !d t nff. arss the Brld jte of S:?hs and into the Tombs. "n bis wav around the corridor friends e-cprebHtd thlr sorrow. "T am verv, very nnrn- for m1 "lf." lie decla red, grlmlv. "I have not hi n? more to .av." A iter the court adjourned Mr. Ma n ton sa i d : "I fa I) to s4 how tbe ju rv ma nar-ed to ronvi-n FJ.e'kr, in vlr-w of tie rftiMli-inp rftiMli-inp vidn'-e ti.at van presented hv th-witnessfS th-witnessfS for thp state and the testimony that our witn's"t v. Ifuwcvtr, It has hen dor,", f wiil Immediately st to work to prepare an appeal. We will ilitht, and fU'ht hard, to ha-.; Becker cleared of this fharc-." 'is - rlct. A Uorr.f. Whl tm.in expre-rr.ed himself as highly gratified with t'n- verdict. ver-dict. "It speaks for itself," h" said. "B'"k'r s guilty. Tt was proved." "fie must pay the penalty of his crime." Mrs. Rker remained in th' sh'-r:ffs offl' e a Ioni time ;if'er h-v hu.ri:Mid h.td b'-'-n rr.t urn' d to lie Tombs. Hh- wa s too nvri 'iiii" v ,t h u'ri f to Ka vp him'-d'a him'-d'a tiy. U'iicn "hn veni ji t lit sr she bud to be ass!stfd from ti.'- bnlldinr. This, the sixteenth and bi"t day oT th s' ond tilal. wa;i d-r,td to (li tudk.'f's fharge and t-. dil rr;i I i-ui of the jurv. .Iustd'-e :--Mburv d'.i f t '-d the 1urv t h;i t to fihd tli deffM.'ln nt culll v 1 1 1 : v Hin-1 riff Ide that the f-'tnrle i,f I'.ni". Vnlli.ll a jid Wftdiep i.ere Hnpixirtt-d bv w't nrsf s ,-,.t i.n-fiv.! In the -rime. This n-n- tPT-n( e;ripii1f lJ n the 1 1 1 1 1 ii on y f ' 'l.a rW- f ! F'li ! t. Jr.. V.'-.n V.nn f !-. ker' pr-'-as fictent u hep the former police lien- terif, nl Wiii ma'e- nf the old nt nuur-a r in FMiiad. P'lM waft a Willie for the d -ferine at the f'iri;f trial, hut at the ser-ond ser-ond he took th'- Stand nt the ,-;,1 of dl sf rift a f tor ne v. 1 V.-r'p a I torifvs tri- tn prove lhat I'lUt also was n n a-e-,Ilipll' f. but the roiM t left fill". U'ieH-tlon U'ieH-tlon to the nrv. a nd their v-rdi't Sjiowwj fiint they flf.'hJed Ii not. This point. It. was afd foidKlit. mlgld form the t-u's upon v. hi- it V.'- V'-r'n h I -torne'.K jirnrrdsfd to take fh'r rae, om more to the hli.'her ronrl. H was tt fdm-U;,r fdm-U;,r ' ucnt irn Involving th status of Sain Seheppn a wltn-c., f the first Mat. hut not at till?!. vhlr-h en.Thled '. ker lo ga In a n'-w t rift from (he ronrl of ti p-P'als p-P'als after hh; f; rnt on vi ( ion. i Object to Charge. r.ie-'ker's f-o'inset fd'-rfd formal objection objec-tion to J 11 nt Ice hie a hui y" rem.i r k:; to Hit; take exception." '';id. '",o fhe nt lri -'ha rw. on t h- tcrouii'i that It is ;( n a nl ma t e-J a i gu rrient. " The verdi' t Miugiit P.cc,,r impre-par-d. for when lb. Jut v first r 1 1 1 ' lawver fold lii rn he lo'-k'-d for an . ,( )i(f;,. ''he defendant at lhat lime !--;,'ie-l that he did nol helPve It. pO;-Slble pO;-Slble he could h K.nvhfe.l Mrs. Mm- k:i '.vim even more hopefijl "I cannot conceive," she f;;)d. "that ;l n v twelve petiHlhle m - ii ca 11 give - redM'- t' l"'lt 'ookej op Htorleq a ' Iho-e 1r.PI I,:- lO'.e, V el.ber. Vnl.., nii-l I-lill, I rfon't ev tM t a . onvl-'llon. TH" voist fnat -an happen in a rl i . gi "..irtciil . -h.;rle" Intio-rnl. and he will ho e;;. -.ii' ra 1 1 ')" .ptaWt- of what hapf"-'"'! Ill the urv rr-r i'ii d t iop'-d lulcr I on U:l ' I . It a -pin i "d net llv. ballofw had bee,, taken, 'f in-ii.U in-ii.U hllot m mild to hne fit-,o.J six foi if-llltv 111 the (lrt reHp-ee, t -V.) for Iiol guilt-,- three for eWi-er (l-rr-n, Ui one I, Pink.' A necor.d ballot. In I', en after I he uror h;id iiad luncheon, IiiomkIiI on" -nari over to tne m.il'.il"-. Tlt.: Ihli-f hal-r,t hal-r,t uIkjw.t-I a gain of two nrid the r-uuili tood ten for gultl . The Dfl h ha I ltd. ii s n r-a id mous. |