Luet. Charles Becker: Crooked Cop

Charles F Becker was born 26 July 1870 in New York City, to Conrad Becker (1825-1877) and Mary Wurtz (1831-1913). He was a Lieutenant in the New York City Police Department.

He was the first American Police Officer executed for murder.

He arrived in New York City in 1890 at the age of 20 and joined the New York City Police Department in 1893 at the age of 23. He first came to public notice in 1896, when he arrested a known prostitute named Ruby Young, on Broadway. Ruby was in the company of known novelist, Stephen Crane, Mr. Crane refuted Officer Becker's claims. From 1902 thru 1903 Officer Becker was the Leader of the Patrolman's Reform Movement. In 1906 he worked a special unit out of headquarters, second in command, probing corruption, including that of Police Inspector Max Schmittberger. In 1911 Officer Becker was promoted to Lieutenant by Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo. Becker started extorting large sums from Manhattan Brothels and gambling houses in immunity from Police Action. In 1912 Becker was named as one of three most corrupt policemen in New York City.

Charles becker had a few wives and that was mentioned in a newspaper article as if he had been hiding the fact. 

Wife #1 Mary Ann Mahoney married 2 Feb 1895 and she died from Tuberculosis on 15 Oct 1895.

#2 wife was Letitia Stevenson (877-1942) married 1898 and divorced 2 June 1905
They had a son:

Howard Paul Becker 1899-1960

#3 wife was Helen C Lynch (1875-1962)
They had a daughter Charlotte Becker (1913-1913). They were married 20 Jul 1905 in Portland, ME.

Dora Gilbert was another wife I found but no marriage date and I found nothing on her. 

Becker's wife (Helen)was a Special Ed Teacher, he helped grade their papers, an extremely intelligent man and family-oriented, yet brutal and corrupt in business. He gained the respect of his fellow prisoners, while on Death Row, he read out loud to them for hours, out of Cowboy Books and Newspapers. Becker's only son, Howard Paul Becker, became a Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin. A daughter, Charlotte Becker, was conceived shortly before his arrest and died in 1913, less than a day old. Charles Becker was buried next to his infant daughter.

Helen C Lynch 

Charles had this photo pinned to the inside of his shirt while he was electrocuted. 

 Herman Rosenthal & Luet. Charles Becker 

Becker allegedly used his position to extort substantial sums, later shown to total in excess of $100,000, from Manhattan brothels and illegal gambling casinos in exchange for immunity from police interference. Percentages of the take were regularly delivered to politicians and other policemen. In July 1912, he was named in the New York World as one of three senior police officials involved in the case of Herman Rosenthal, a small-time bookmaker who had complained to the press that his illegal casinos had been badly damaged by the greed of Becker and his associates. Two days after the story appeared, Rosenthal walked out of the Hotel Metropole at 147 West 43rd Street, just off Times Square and was gunned down by a crew of Jewish gangsters from the Lower East Side, Manhattan. In the aftermath, Manhattan District Attorney Charles S. Whitman, who had made an appointment with Rosenthal before his death, made no secret of his belief that the gangsters had committed the murder at Becker's behest. Amid a major public outcry, Becker was transferred to the Bronx and assigned to desk duty.

On July 29, 1912, Becker was approached at the precinct's closing hour by special detectives from the District Attorney's Office and placed under arrest. He was tried and convicted of first degree murder that fall. The verdict was overturned on appeal on the grounds that the presiding judge, John Goff, had been biased against the defendant. However, a retrial in 1914 affirmed his conviction. Although contemporary newspapers were unanimous in asserting his guilt, Becker went to the electric chair in Sing Sing on July 30, 1915, professing his innocence. Becker was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx, on August 2, 1915.

The day before he died on July 30, 1915, Becker told the warden,


Sure, I told them to put Rosenthal out of the way, but I didn't mean they should kill him. I wanted them to get him out of town so he wouldn't blab. Killing him was Rose's idea and the others. They wanted to save their own skins.

Jack Rose was one of the prosecution witnesses along with Harry Vallon, Sam Schepps and Bridgey Webber. They were underworld figures who were involved in the crime and promised immunity if they would testify against Becker.



The TRIAL:

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30245719/bump/

Charles Becker being escorted to Sing Sing 

Becker's electrocution took nine minutes, causing him intense agony, and was described for years afterward as "the clumsiest execution in the history of Sing Sing."

Inmate #64615 Sing Sing, New York

Rec: 29 May 1914

Crime: Murder 1st Degree

Term: Death

Executed: 30 July 1915

There are so many very long newspaper articles if you interested go to Newspapers.com to read more on this case.

Herman Rosenthal Funeral

Frank Dago  ( Francesco Cirofici) Funeral 

(1887 – April 13, 1914) aka Frank Murato aka Dago Frank was a New York City criminal, who along with Harry Horowitz, was responsible for the July 16, 1912 murder of gambler Herman Rosenthal outside the Hotel Metropole.

Francesco Cirofici was born in 1887 in Italy. He worked as a steam fitter as well as being a member of the Lenox Avenue Gang. Before his arrest in connection with the Rosenthal killing, he had been arrested only once: in 1905 on a burglary charge. He was imprisoned for this in the Elmira Correctional Facility. In 1907, Cirofici's name appeared on a list released by the NYPD of gamblers known to make a practice of cheating steamship passengers.

Cirocifi was arrested in connection with the Rosenthal murder on July 25, 1912. It was rumored that Cirofici had been betrayed to the police by the owner of the Dante Café, James Verrella. Verrella was murdered on July 30, 1912 in retaliation for his supposed betrayal. Cirofici was convicted of the Rosenthal killing after 25 minutes of jury deliberation on November 19, 1912. He was sentenced to death on November 26, 1912 for the Rosenthal killing along with Charles Becker, Harry Horowitz, and "Lefty Louis Rosenberg" by Judge John W. Goff.

Inmate #62882 Sing Sing Prison, New York
Rec: 26 Nov 1912
Crime: Murder 1st Degree
Term: Death
Age: 27

Executed 13 Apr 1914

The Hotel Metropole was the first hotel in New York City that had running water in every room. Located at 147 West 43rd Street just off Times Square, the hotel, now known as the Casablanca Hotel Times Square, had a list of notable residents including Nick Arnstein and Western lawman turned sports writer Bat Masterson.

I made a tree on Ancestry for Frank

Newspaper clippings about Frank:


https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30263570/frank_cirofici/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30263663/frank_cirofici/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30263707/frank_cirofici/

Here are some newspaper photos of the events to Charles Becker execution.

The moral of the story is in the end crime doesn't pay or you will pay the ultimate price. I made him a tree on Ancestry as well as Frank Dago.