NEW YORK POLICE SCANDAL.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10478, 14 October 1912, Page 7

NEW YORK POLICE SCANDAL.

A general indictment of murder in the first degree was returned by the grand jury in New York against Po-lice-Lieutenant Becker and the men of his gang—Lefty Louis, Whitey Louis, Dago Frank, Gip the Blood, and others —for the killing of the gambler Rosenthal. The evidence of the previous witnesses was home out by the testimony of Sam JSchepps, the .reputed paymaster Jof the murderers, and Jack Zelig, the Eastside leader of the gang. Sohepps confirmed the confession of Rose to the effect that Lieutenant Becker had ordered the murder of Rosenthal in order to suppress the threatened revelations of police graft. A telegram from New York announced that the District Attorney had offered a reward of £IOOO guaranteed by an anonymous patriot, for the arrest of Lefty Louis and Gip the Blood, who are the only members of the gang to escape arrest so far. The police are not eligible for re ward. The District Attorney is receiving written threats of death, which, however, he is ignoring, Mr Whitman, the Public Prosecutor, declares that there are certain police who are perfectly aware of the men’s whereabouts, and who are deliberately and criminally neglecting to arrest them Mr W. J. Flynn, head of the New York division of the United States Secret Service, has temporarily resigned his post to take up the investigation. One of the most significant features of the prosecution of Lieut. Becker for the murder of the gambler Rosenthal is the desperate endeavour of the New York police to suppress evidence which would tell against themselves. The antagonism between the Public Prosecutor and the Police Commissioner of New York was emphasised with regard to the arrest and the supposed forthcoming confession of Sam 'Sohepps, the alleged paymaster of the gang of “Hoodlums” hired to “remove” Rosenthal.

Schepps was arrested recently by a detective from the police headquarters, and, accompanied by a deputy from the Public Prosecutor’s office, was taken to Albany, the capital of New York State, before being brought to New York for his expected confession. Mr Whitman, the Public Prosecutor, was amazed to hear from his deputy in Albany that the police detective accompanying the alleged paymaster had been instructed from the Police Commissioner’s office to rush Schepps to headquarters as soon as he arrived .in New York. Mr Whitman received these tidings at his summer home at Manchester, Yermont, and to circumvent the threatened interfeuce ■he immediately entrained for Albany, where he will hear Schepp”s confession, if it is forthcoming, and will himself accompany the prisoner to New York. Meantime, Schepps has learned of the New York police attempt to take charge of him, and with tears in his eyes he pleaded with Mr Whitman’s deputy to “protect him from the police,” who, he believes, would do him bodily harm in an effort to prevent him telling all ho knows of police corruption there. Schepps is said to be in such mortal terror of the Police Commissioner’s office, says the New York correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, that he wouuld refuse to say a word if he fell into their clutches, a fact, says Mi Whitman, of which the police are fully aware, and for which they would be devoutly thankful. The telegram from the New York police headquarters was addressed to the police detective, and it was only by accident,that Mr Whitman’s deputy heard of it. The detective was uncertain whether to obey the police or not, but on hearing from Mr Whitman over the telephone that the prisoner was really in charge of his deputy, who is a State officer, and therefore, not answerable to the Police Comissioner, to obey the Public Prosecutor. Detectives tried to wrest him from District Attorney 'Whitman’s officers at the Grand Central Station, but were foiled. In his evidence before the Grand Jury Schepps declared that he was Lieut. Becker’s go between, and saw the money given to the assassins and heard that it I came from the accused police officer.